In the World—July 29, 2018

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OUTSIDERS TAKING OVER?

The 2016 election shifted the ground under both major political parties. Donald Trump’s victory caused a split in the Republican party, with many of its members disavowing him. On the other side of the aisle in Congress, fifty-three winners in the 2018 Democratic primaries have been outsiders challenging establishment incumbents. For example, the June primary in New York saw Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an avowed Democratic socialist defeat Joseph Crowley, the number four Democrat in the House. Mainstream leaders in both parties are being replaced by a younger generation that is starting to take their places at the table.

OUTSIDERS DEFINITELY INVITED

It’s an axiom of human nature that the elite, the powerful, and the rich have always found ways to stay in control. When that control is threatened, the result can be anger, chaos, and even revolution. In Jesus’ parable, when the chosen guests refused the host’s invitation, the new invitees were people whom those invited first would have considered undesirable.

1. Is the current phenomenon of outsiders challenging the political/cultural status quo something new, or has you seen it before? Explain. Have you ever seen similar struggles for control in the church? What happened?
2. Should church fellowship be parallel to the great banquet of which Jesus spoke? . . . in what way?
3. What lessons do you see in Jesus’ parable for the church today? What classes of people would be in the second group invited to the feast? Do you welcome outsiders into your congregation? Are there any changes that need to be made in this regard? Explain.

—Charles R. Boatman

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