gospel of Thomas 64

Jesus said, "A man had received visitors. And when he had prepared the dinner, he sent his servant to invite the guests.

He went to the first one and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said, 'I have claims against some merchants. They are coming to me this evening. I must go and give them my orders. I ask to be excused from the dinner.'

He went to another and said to him, 'My master has invited you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a house and am required for the day. I shall not have any spare time.'

He went to another and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'My friend is going to get married, and I am to prepare the banquet. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused from the dinner.'

He went to another and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a farm, and I am on my way to collect the rent. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused.'

The servant returned and said to his master, 'Those whom you invited to the dinner have asked to be excused.'

The master said to the servant, 'Go outside to the streets and bring back those whom you happen to meet, so that they may dine.' Businessmen and merchants will not enter the places of my father."

In this parable, Jesus is giving us another warning against being overly materialistic; and against being obsessed with money in particular.

In the parable, several people are being invited to dinner. This dinner is representing the spiritual life, and the fruit of it – which is your enlightenment. And the invitation is always there: to set foot on the spiritual path; to plunge deeper into who you are, until you come to the very centre of your being – your beingness itself. The invitation is there every day, every moment, to everyone.

But so many choose to decline the invitation. Please excuse me, is what we're saying to existence. Please excuse me, I have other things to attend to, that I feel to be more important. I have some debts to collect. Some money to be made. Some business to be done.

These things are of secondary importance. Unless we give our spiritual life its rightful place – as the most important thing in our life – then we will not get far on the path. This is what it takes: the clear understanding that our spiritual journey is the most important thing in our life, and we cannot afford to miss an invitation.

As Jesus is indicating, those who put business first and spirituality second will get nowhere on the path. So don't make that mistake. Put your spiritual inquiry in the centre of your life – the most important thing. More important than money; more important than business; more important than romance, sex, relationship; more important than houses and property. It's the most important thing. Remember that and you, like other lucky ones, will dine at a banquet, the likes of which you cannot imagine.