God’s Guests
Wedding are incredibly elaborate affairs… or they can be. I shudder to think what the average cost of a typical wedding might be in the United States today, but I would guess that it might feed a small village in Africa for a year and take longer to plan than the construction of a new home. Between picking the date, time, and place for the ceremony… establishing the guest list… crafting, ordering, addressing and mailing the invitations… endless meetings with a wedding coordinator… florist… caterer… and a dressmaker or bridal shop… not to mention the meetings with the parents, bridesmaids and groomsmen… the counseling sessions with the pastor… the purchase of wedding gifts, memorabilia, and champagne… the showers, parties, rehearsal dinner and, finally, the wedding itself, followed by the biggest party… the wedding reception… replete with food, music, and any associated peripheral events, it is staggering to think that any relationship could stand the stress of just planning the event.
A wedding is supposed to be a time of joy…when, surrounded by close friends and family, two people celebrate their union in the sight of God and the start of a new life together. For Matthew, in recounting this story, this wedding feast was supposed to be exactly that for the king who is celebrating the marriage of his son. The bride, conspicuously, is not mentioned at all. In true Palestinian fashion, the invitation to the wedding is issued in two stages. The first is a kind of “save the date” announcement that the feast is being planned… while the second is the final formal invitation announcing that the feast is ready. But those to whom the invitations have been sent ignore or disregard the summons to the feast. Despite two different messengers from the king, these invited guests go on with the routine business of life – one to his farm, and another to his business enterprise. Still other guests abuse the messenger who brings the invitation and even kill him. In return, the king sends his troops, who kill those who abused his servant and burns their city to the ground. Not exactly the joyful situation one might expect on a wedding day.
So, who are the main characters in this parable of Jesus? Most of those who study the scriptures believe that the king is God. Those invited to the wedding, most likely, are the Jews. But the Jews in first century Palestine… like the guests to this wedding… ignored or rejected the invitation from God… and even killed God’s messenger. The gospel of Matthew was written late enough that the writer knew of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the persecution of the Jews. So, it is easy to see God’s judgment in Matthew’s words when the king sends his troops to kill the invited guests and burn their city.
With the original guests out of the picture, the king orders his servant to go to the main highways and the small streets of the city to invite everyone to come to enjoy the feast. These outsiders… whom many believe to be the Gentiles… came in great numbers… both good people… and bad… for all were invited to share the feast. Great feasts, particularly those given by a king, were rare in biblical times. Even more rare was the opportunity for the common folk to come to such a feast. I can remember the last White House wedding and I can assure you that none of the common folk were invited to it. Some of those who came to the king’s feast probably came out of curiosity… but most came because they were hungry and free food in lavish quantities was a natural draw. Now, most of these who were invited to replace the original guests, apparently, took the time to stop by their houses to clean up and put on some decent clothes out of respect for the king. One man did not and, when confronted by the king, he had no excuse. So, he was thrown out into the outer darkness. It is said that the sinner is also silent when confronted by God in his or her own life.
So, we know what Jesus’ message was to the Gentiles: Come. Come to the feast. Come with joy. Come to celebrate. But also, come prepared to meet your king. Come with honor and respect for your Creator… Redeemer… Sustainer… Advocate… and Friend. Come. But what is the message to us today?
Well, I think to answer that question, we have to figure out who we are in the story? Obviously, neither you nor I are the king. We are not the ones hosting this party… nor is this story about us. We could be the messenger. That’s doubtful, but it is possible. If we are the messenger, then our duty, in obedience to God, is to tell the story… and to invite those whom God calls to the feast. This parable tells us that the story we tell… even with its invitation to a sumptuous feast… will be received with indifference … rejection… or even murderous rage. There are those who will humiliate us… abuse us… persecute us… and even, perhaps, kill us for simply telling the story… for issuing this invitation in God’s name. And yet, in obedience, we must continue to tell the story… and invite others to the feast.
We could be those who were on the original guest list. Think about a family wedding in your own family. What kinds of people would you put on the guest list to a family wedding? Family members… relatives… close friends… and perhaps a few acquaintances. So, if you were God, who would these people be today? Perhaps they might be those who call themselves Christian… who believe that they are members of the body of Christ… of the family of God… of the community of believers. Do you remember when Jesus’ mother and brothers came to find him? (Matthew 12:46-50) When told that they were searching for him, Jesus told those around him that “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” So, perhaps, we are on the original guest list… all the baptized Christians in the world… those who call themselves disciples. But then the parable tells us that these original invitees were the ones who were too wrapped up in their own lives to come when the invitation was issued. They made light of the invitation… it just was not important. They were too absorbed in what was going on at home… or at the office… or on television… to take the time to share the feast. Now, that’s an indictment, isn’t it? That we are too busy doing our own thing to come when God issues the invitation? That we always seem to have a “legitimate” excuse when we hear God’s call?
Of course, we could also be those in the highways and byways of life who are invited when the original guests do not show up. How great that we now get to go to the feast that was prepared for someone else! How wonderful that we can now fill ourselves with the bounty that flows from the kingdom of God… bounty that has always gone to someone else before! But, we can’t show up as we are… covered in the mud and grime of our lives… we need to prepare to meet our king. We need to be dressed appropriately. And Jesus is not talking about the clothes that we wear to church. Do you remember the story of the anointing of David, the poor shepherd boy, to be the new king of Israel? God told the Prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 16:7) that “the Lord does not see as mortals see. They look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." If that is so… and we know that it is… then, is your heart ready to meet your King? Or do you need to get “cleaned up” a bit before you meet your King?
There seems to be a dilemma here. What do we do when we are invited to the feast? Well, we definitely want to show up. Do you remember the story of the father with two sons who asked his sons to work in the vineyard? (Matthew 21:28-31) One son said he wouldn’t go, but then he changed his mind and went. The other son said he would go, but then he never showed up. “Which of the two did the will of his father?” Jesus asks. The answer is the one who went to the vineyard, even though he said he wasn’t planning to go. Whether we are on the original guest list… or one of the ones who got invited later… we want to show up at the feast. It is not something to be taken lightly. It is a big deal. The table has been prepared for us. If we do not come… do not partake… for whatever reason… it is an insult to our host. If we do not come, whatever was offered to us will be taken and given to someone else. So, come to the feast.
On the other hand, we need to prepare to meet our King. This is why a prayer of confession is included in every worship service in the Presbyterian church. It is a prayer that releases us, once again, from the burden of sin and prepares us to be in the presence of God… our God… our King. It is like washing the grime of life off and putting on a wedding garment. It means that when we come to the table, we come in humility… knowing in our hearts that the gift that God has given us is beyond anything we can ever repay… knowing that we are all unworthy… and yet, knowing that it is the recognition of our own unworthiness that makes us worthy to come to the feast.
But, hey, God does not want sad… humiliated… souls burdened with guilt to come to this feast… just as we don’t want sad… unhappy… or depressed people at a wedding! This is a celebration… and joyful celebration of the family of God… and, on this occasion, a celebration with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world! So, come to the feast… yes! Come with a contrite heart… yes! But come filled with joy… joy that overflows… for God is celebrating the marriage of his Son… and we have been invited to join the festivities! Come… for all is prepared. Amen.