It is so easy to make a rash promise, especially when that promise is to God. Often people promise to do all sorts of things if a loved one is healed from an illness. The promise is often forgotten after the person recovers. Jephthah's foolish words cost him his only daughter - a daughter who displayed far more courage and spiritual maturity than her father! It is inconceivable that God ever asked for or required the sacrifice of the daughter, but the story itself teaches us not to make rash promises, but most of all not to try to manipulate or buy God. This warning is repeated in the Gospels when Jesus warns us not to swear oaths, but to let our integrity be its own guarantee.

The Gospel story is about those who were invited to the feast but had rejected the invitation. Despite this rejection the master invited others to the banquet. Yet one of them showed his contempt and lack of appreciation for the invitation by arriving discourteously and dressed in ordinary clothes. He displayed his lack of integrity and was rejected. In the ancient world, one's garments signified one's inner state, so the message is clear: none of us is "worthy" to be at God's banquet, but all are invited. Having been invited, we must show our gratitude by our willingness to respond and change; in this is our integrity! So, we should not take God's kindness for granted.