The Parable of the Two Men Invited to a Feast
Steven Sousa

Two men from a very poor village were invited by the master of a large estate to come to a feast. When they arrived at the estate, they were surprised to find no one at the door. They were slightly afraid, but let themselves in, thinking that the master must be very busy with his affairs. They looked around the grounds, and they appeared to be completely deserted.

Just then, they were approached by one of the master’s servants. He did not say a word to them, but motioned for them to follow him. They did and were led to a large wooden door. The servant opened it, and after they had stepped through, closed it. They were inside an enormous banquet room, larger than either of them had ever imagined. There were dozens of tables, filled with all kinds of food.

The first man said to the second man, “Isn’t this the most magnificent feast you’ve ever seen?”

“Yes it is,” said the second man. “But this isn’t the REAL feast to which we have been invited.”

“It isn’t? How do you know that?”

“Just look at the condition of the food.”

“It looks wonderful to me! This is more food than my family will see in a year, and it has all been set up for us!”

“But there must have been some mistake. This cannot be the feast to which we have been invited. The bread is several days old. The fruit has begun to rot. The meats have been prepared without any spices.”

“The inside of the bread is still fresh, we can eat around the rotten parts of the fruit, and even without any spices, the meat will surely fill our stomachs.”

“The master of this estate is very wealthy. I am certain that he can afford better food than this. I will wait for the TRUE feast.”

“And let all this food go to waste?”

“You fool! This food is already waste. We have obviously been brought to the room where the master puts all the food which is less than perfect. If we wait right here, we will soon be led to the room where the perfect feast awaits. The master is there waiting for us.”

“If there is such a grand feast somewhere else, then why were we led here instead?”

The second man puzzled over that question for a short time, and unable to think of a good reason, decided it was a very stupid question. He sat and daydreamed about the glorious foods which awaited him.

As the second man daydreamed, the first man walked to a table and began to eat.

“Stop!” said the second man. “Do not eat!”

“Why not?”

“The master did not mean for this food to be eaten. We should wait for the true feast. Then we can stuff ourselves with the ripest fruits and choicest cuts of meat.”

“How do you know that there is such a feast?”

“There must be a better feast than this one. If this were the best feast, surely the master of the estate would be with us."

”That makes sense. But we were led to this room, with this food. He must want us to eat it, right?”

“Why should we fill ourselves with this food? If we don’t, we will have more room for the more magnificent feast.”

“The only thing I’ve ever heard of this more magnificent feast is from you. Have you ever seen it?”

“No, but I know it must be there.”

“I don’t know any such thing, but I know there is food in this room right now, and it smells wonderful. I see no reason not to eat it.”

“The master will be quite upset.”

“How do you know what the master will think? Have you ever met him, or even seen him?”

“No, but haven’t you heard all the wonderful tales the people in our village tell about him? His generosity knows no bounds. If we eat our fill of the food in this room, he will think that we do not want the greater feast, and will never give it to us.”

The first man thought that the second man was making less and less sense. He decided that he would not waste any more time talking with him, and began to eat the food on the tables. He enjoyed all that he tried. He came to a table filled with luscious desserts, and stood for a while deciding which he preferred. The second man suddenly screamed.

“Do not eat that! You will die!”

“How do you know that!”

“We both know that this is not the feast to which we have been invited…”

The first man interrupted. “You are the one who keeps talking about a more magnificent feast. I think this food is sufficiently wonderful.”

The second man continued as if he hadn’t heard the first man. “So this is obviously the room full of food unsuitable to the master, which he will not eat himself.”

“But these desserts are absolutely perfect! The pies have just been baked. They are still warm! I will admit that some of this food is of mediocre quality, but what is wrong with these?”

“It is because they are so desirable that they are the most dangerous.”

“Have you lost your mind?”

“They obviously appear perfect, but the fact that they are here with other food we are not to eat means there must be something wrong with them. If they were perfect, they would be part of the greater feast, with the master. They must be poisoned.”

“I still don’t see how you know we are not supposed to eat any of this food.”

The second man became confused. It was so simple, why couldn’t the first man see? Was he stupid? Why did he not want the greater feast?

The first man continued, “And if these pies are poisoned, why are they in this room? Why were they not simply destroyed? Why would the master put us at risk of eating poisoned food?”

“Because he knows that only the ungrateful and greedy would eat the food in this room. Those who truly deserve the greater feast will have no trouble waiting for it, and so those people will never be at risk.”

The first man thought for an instant how to respond to the second man, then decided that the second man’s mind was already made up. No matter what questions he raised about the master and this supposed second feast, since the second man was obviously completely guessing at the details, he could bend his story around any possible objections the first man could raise. He ate of the desserts that were on the table, and he found them to be as delicious as he had imagined they would be.

Upon seeing this, the second man quietly wept for the first man, who would now surely die before ever getting to see the magnificent feast.

A time later, the first man had eaten well and was satisfied. The first man was very hungry, and the aromas that filled the room burned within his nose. He saw how happy the first man looked, and was moved with pity toward him.

“I know what we must do!”

“Why do you claim to know so much? You received the same invitation I did, didn’t you? It had no details at all of the feast. How do you know that there is another feast? You have never seen the master any more than I have. How do you know so well what it is that he wants?”

The second man again spoke as if he hadn’t heard the first man at all.

“We need to shout to the master of the estate! When he hears our cries, he will be moved and will come and bring us to the greater feast.”

“Let’s suppose for a moment that you are correct. Suppose there is a greater feast than this. If there is, then why did the master not bring us there in the first place? If his generosity is as boundless as you say, then why do we find ourselves in this room filled with this food we are not meant to eat?”

The second man didn’t hear a word the first man had said, as he had been busy shouting to the master.

He continued for about an hour, with no response at all. He turned with anger toward the first man.

“Why aren’t you shouting for the master as well! That is why he hasn’t heard and brought us. If you will only join me in crying out he will certainly hear us both!”

“I am not going to do any such thing! There may or may not be a better feast than this, but I am perfectly happy with this food that has been provided for me here. The last thing I want to do is appear ungrateful. The only thing I’m going to do right now is enjoy some more of this delicious food.”

The second man stood baffled for a moment, when the door opened again. He leapt for joy, certain that he was being taken to the better feast. Instead, it was the same servant who had led the two of them into the room, bringing in yet another man. The first and second man just stood there for a while, not certain what to say. The third man looked around at the room. Eventually the third man spoke.

“Where is the REAL feast to which I have been invited?”

The first man groaned, and the second man was delighted to have met a kindred spirit.

“Will you join me in calling out for the master to bring us to the real feast?”

“Don’t be foolish! I would never do such a thing.”

“Why not? Don’t you want to go to the greater feast?”

“Of course I do. But the master would be highly offended if we yell for him. It only makes sense that he has highly refined manners, and yelling is extraordinarily rude. This is obviously why he has not responded to your shouts.”

“How else will he hear us?”

“The master’s servants will hear us if we quietly knock on the walls of this room.”

“No they will not! All the servants are feasting with the master. They will only hear us if we yell!”

“Yelling is the worst thing we could do! The master will think us uncivilized boors, and he will never allow us to go to his feast. We must knock quietly.”

“Knocking is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard! If we knock quietly we will never be heard, and we will miss the feast. We must shout!”

As the second man and third man continued their loud argument, the first man enjoyed more of the food. He grew tired, and found a soft blanket in which he could sleep. He closed his eyes, content and with a full belly, while the second and third man argued long into the night. He didn’t know if either of them were correct about the greater feast, as they both seemed very certain of themselves. But as he went to sleep, he was extremely grateful for everything he had been given that day.