Excuses

Luke 14, 16:..."A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests...[18]But they all alike began to make excuses...[21]The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alley of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, and blind and lame.'...I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'

There are several points that I would like to bring up here: (1) those that refuse God's guidance will not be saved is the usual interpretation; (2) we cannot excuse our behavior from God is another standard interpretation: we can only ask for forgiveness; (3) that by making excuses in our personal daily lives we give up opportunities simply for no other reason than not considering our options; and (4) we have constructed social mechanisms that permit us to create polite social excuses that achieve nothing: as we try to deceive one another (yet we all know what each other is doing) and thus prevent humanity from becoming closer.