Once more Jesus spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees in parables: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: “Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.”’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. “Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 1Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22.1-(10)14
For the last few weeks, our gospels from Matthew have been talking about the kingdom of God, and they were specifically directed to the Pharisees and the people of Israel – not a surprise, since Matthew was writing his Gospel for a predominantly Jewish audience
Matthew also uses a number of techniques. One technique is Allegory …. which means that the parables he tells have a deeper meaning related to our existence – they are not meant to be taken literally !! Another technique is his use of shocking imagery. We see in the parable today and the past few weeks a lot of violence ….. and it gets our attention. Which is precisely why Matthew uses it …. it is a tactic to draw attention to the more profound meaning.
Scholars tell us that the Gospel was probably two stories, two parables, that got put together.
The first part of the story is about God’s Inclusivity inviting everyone, it is the picture of God that Jesus always gives us: love and forgiveness, acceptance of all peoples. The second part is really about the fact that there are some requirements for us to attend the banquet.
So, let’s break open the Scripture a bit and explore these two parts ..…
Everyone is invited
Remember that the audience gathered around Jesus are the Pharisees, and this story was directed towards them and the Chief Priests & Elders, to shake them up. Everyone is invited is not something they would want to hear – and perhaps something you and I may not be comfortable with either. The Kingdom of God is not just for them, or for you and I, but for EVERYONE. Tax collectors, prostitutes, sinners, your obnoxious neighbour, the driver who cut you off on Yonge Street yesterday, the dragon lady in the accounting department, those who choose to live in alternate lifestyles. EVERYONE.
It is also a Free Gift ! We didn’t earn a right to be invited. We couldn’t buy a ticket or call in a favour from someone. There’s nothing WE can do to get in, and nothing we do that would have us NOT be invited. It’s a priceless, undeserved gift of eternal life with God, from God
On a broader level, parable challenges us to reflect on how God’s love is inclusive. Because, all too often, our love and concern for others is not inclusive.
On a personal level, the parable prompts you and I to ask if we accept such an invitation? It asks what effects the invitation has in our life. Perhaps I can ask that question in a different way: Do you and I spend time with God? Do you and I take time to communicate with God each day in prayer? I suspect that many of us would answer No. We don’t take a lot time for God. Instead we get caught up in everything else in our lives: work, relationships, tasks, recreation. We sort of leave God for the empty spaces. Except there aren’t any empty spaces left by the end of the day.
The message from this first part of the parable is to not become so caught up in our day to day existence in this world, that we just don’t take time to care about the bigger picture, our eternal existence, and the inclusive nature of God’s call.
The garment we wear.
The second part of the parable is about our response to God’s invitation. Some scripture scholars tell us that a Wedding Garment would have been provided to each of the guests – hence the King’s reaction in the parable to the guest, freely invited, who chose not to wear the garment he was given.
Garments and uniforms say something about us – whether it is Military, Police Officer or Fireman, Nurse or Doctor, or Clergy. Seeing the uniform, we expect certain behaviours & attitudes – because we “see past” their uniform to their purpose and their vocation in life.
Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that we are called to “robe ourselves in Christ”. Do you robe yourself in Christ? When people see you, who do they see? Mary? Joe? Fred? Or do they see Christ, who lives in you? In your actions, words, behaviours, attitudes, do they see Love, Care, Patience, Hope, Concern, Kindness, Mercy? Do they see Christ?
Here is an easy way to tell –next week, wear a roman collar …. in your mind. (You can take it off when you sleep if you want.) As you go through the events of your day, your actions, your words, your responses to other people, imagine yourself wearing that roman collar and ask yourself WOULD I ACT OR SPEAK DIFFERENTLY IF I WASN’T WEARING THIS ROMAN COLLAR? If the answer is “YES, I would act differently without the Collar”, then you haven’t clothed yourself in Christ.
Or to make the point differently, with or without a roman collar, or whatever uniform you put on, strive to live your life in a way that people see Christ in you, in your words, in your actions.
So, those are two quick insights we can gain from our Gospel today.
- God has invited everyone to eternal life, no exceptions. Will we be as inclusive in inviting all people into our lives, as God is in his invitation? I pray that we are.
- In our journey to eternal life, will we wear the garment of Christ, showing God’s love to all whom we encounter? I pray that we will.
Just like you, I got God’s invitation to the banquet of eternal life, and I have been working on preparing my wedding garment.
I really hope to see you there ….