Does God Send People to Hell?

 Luke 14:16-24

 This was a question a youth asked me not long ago.  These Wednesdays, I am using questions and concerns that have come from our youth as topics of my reflections.    Also, our middle school youth and their adult mentors will be discussing these topics in their one-on-one meetings after the service.

 Does God send people to Hell?    I believe the question arises from one of several possible places. 

 First, if God does, then I must ask, “Where do I stand?”  Down through the centuries the church has used the idea of Hell as motivation to scare people into belief, and also as an instrument of power to manipulate people in all sorts of ways.   Early in his career, Martin Luther lived in total fear of a God he understood to been a demanding and harsh judge who could not be pleased.  For a period of time Luther felt he was doomed to the fires of Hell.

 Second, the question also might arise from is a thirst for justice, or even revenge, for those who wronged us or others, and were not brought to sufficient justice, or whose crimes we see to be so grievous and so evil, in our minds and hearts they deserve Hell. 

 In the New Testament the Greek word for Hell, Gehenna, is mentioned 12 times and the word for Hades, a similar concept is mentioned 9 times.    Hades or Hell is traditionally pictured as a fiery torment.  But we must remember, those pictures of Hell are metaphors, and the important thing about their use in the New Testament is that the picture is meant to convey Hell as a state of separation from God.    That is a good working definition of Hell, separation from God.  When we begin to see Hell and Hades more as a state of “separation from God” and less as a “place” it changes things.     It even changes our question.  The question then becomes, “Does God intentionally send people into a state of separation from himself.”   I believe that is an easier question to wrap our arms around.  In my mind, the answer to that question is, “No.” 

 I believe the Parable of the Great Banquet in Luke 14 is a great help here. I love this parable.  For me this picture story of the kingdom of God gives us a glimpse into the very heart of God. 

 In contrast to Hell as a fiery torment, Heaven is sometimes portrayed in the New Testament as a great banquet; a great feast; a great party; a great table around which we are gathered, and the Lord is the host. 

 One description we affix to Holy Communion is “a foretaste of the feast to come,” in reference to the fullest banquet of God yet to come for God’s people. 

 The picture we first get of God from this parable is God as a fun loving, social extravert, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many.”  It doesn’t say who was on the guest list, other than “many,” but I think it is safe to assume it was likely it was his social friends and business associates, whoever was in this someone’s inner circle.  If we are to think of the host as God, which is what I believe we are supposed to think, then we might say we would expect many of them would have been the religious folks, the righteous, the upright, the people of moral value and religious esteem. 

 When the time for the dinner came, the host sent out a servant to make personal contact with the message, “Come, for everything is ready.”   But nobody came!  They all had excuses; excuses that appeared to be sensible, legitimate excuses, but excuses nevertheless.   One by one they gave their excuses: The first said he had just bought a new piece of real estate and needed to go inspect it.  Another said he had just purchased a new fleet of pickup trucks and needed to test drive them. (OK oxen, but you get the idea!)  And still another said he just got married and was going on his honeymoon.

 One would think that no host in his right mind would be seriously miffed by such legitimate excuses.  But this host was a jealous host, and he did get seriously miffed.  In fact, he got so excited the next thing we know he is sending his servants out into the highways and by-ways, streets and alleys, homeless shelters and soup kitchens, pulling out all the stops in order to fill his banquet hall with people – people who the upright and religious considered the rejects, outcasts, and bad people.

 I think some of you at Holy Love know exactly how this host felt when no one came to the party.  A number of you volunteered to be cottage-meeting hosts in January and February, and in a number of cases, nobody came!  You planned for the meeting; sent out the invitations; provided a way for people to respond, got your house ready and in some cases nobody came – not even an R.S.V.P.   Your intention and your hope was that everyone would come, and when nobody came, or only one or two from your entire list, I know that you were disappointed. 

 I ask you?  Why did nobody come?   Was it you the host that kept them from coming, or was it the guest who chose not to come – even not to respond?

 One of the points of this parable is that God has prepared a great banquet, and his very own Son is the host of the banquet; and it’s like no other banquet in the history of the world; it’s the party of parties; and God has sent his servants out with invitations all over the place for it is his desire and intention that his banquet hall be overflowing!  And if the host is God then I presume his banquet hall could easily accommodate the whole world and every person in it – so I presume it is his desire that the whole world come to his banquet and sit at his table, as his honored guests. 

 And here’s the punch line.  The only people who don’t show up are the ones who chose to not come – not the ones the host excluded but those who choose not to come. 

 The only people not to come to the party are the ones who felt they had more important things to do: businesses to attend to; toys to play with; passions to follow; indulgences to wallow in; and other relationships that were more important.  

 On the one hand, this host drives a hard bargain for he says that nothing is more important than his party; there are no legitimate excuses. 

 But on the other hand, he is the most gracious host of all.  He invites the whole world!  And it’s free!  There’s nothing you have to do, but come!   All the free food you can eat; all the free drink you can consume; a very special food and drink tat not only feeds the body but nourishes the soul unto eternal life; and the best fellowship you can ever know - even with the host himself! 

 Can you imagine what this banquet must have cost him?  

 Does God send people to Hell?

Does God intentionally send people into a state of separation from himself?

Does God keep anyone from coming to his party?

 No, God wants everyone there!  The only ones not there are the ones who opted out and had more important things to do!