Excuses That Don't Hold Water
Commentators like Charles Spurgeon and John Gill highlight the absurdity of the first excuse. Who buys a field without seeing it first, or goes to inspect it at suppertime? Scholars explain that the weakness of the excuse is the point; it reveals the man's true priorities. His claim of 'necessity' was a thin veil for his preference for worldly possessions over God's gracious invitation.