Jesus teaches the host who invited him to a banquet a very important lesson.  Essentially, the message is to invite people to his banquet who are unable to return the favor.  This lesson is very easy to understand, with the view that a favor done with the expectation of a return favor is not as valuable in God’s eyes as a favor done without a “payback”, but the most difficult thing to do is put it into practice.  One of the most difficult barriers to practicing the “no payback” policy is our sense of entitlement.  Getting a “just reward” is understood nowadays (as in the time Jesus’ life) as a material benefit for doing good deeds.  This mentality is present so much in society that we have forgotten what the word gift means.  Company’s offer “free gifts” to lure people to up for their service, buy their products or subscribing to their magazines.   We sometimes expect a “gift” of greater or equal value when we exchange presents during the holiday season.  These are incentives, favors or exchanges – they might be nice, but they are not gifts in a real sense.  A gift is something that is given out of love - without the expectation of a return.  It is not something earned, nor does it require the obligation of compensation.  This is what the story of the exalted Lord of all creation who came to save his creatures in the humble form of a creature is all about.  It is also the example that we must follow in the hopes that he will exalt us in the end.