THE LORD PREPARES BOTH THE FEAST AND THE GUESTS.
In
the name + of Jesus.
“The kingdom of heaven
may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son” (Matthew
22:2). And that is exactly what it
is. The Lord God, King of the Universe, has
sent his Son to save everyone in the world from the guilt of sin and the penalty
of its punishment. More than save us
from a damning judgment, the Lord also summons us to a sumptuous banquet where
we get to rejoice and feast in his presence forever. For God does not just tolerate the world. God loves the world. Therefore, he sent his only begotten Son so
that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
God loves his creation enough to redeem
sinners rather than damn them, and to reconcile us to himself rather than
forsake us. He loves his creation enough
to restore all things and to make them new again. The glory that awaits us is a grand banquet. The Lord proclaimed, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to
the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). And so, it
is not just a parable. “The
kingdom of heaven [is] a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,
and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding
feast” (Matthew 22:2-3).
In the Old Testament, the Lord had chosen
Israel to be his favored guest. While salvation
was not limited to the Jews, the Lord worked through them because the Messiah
would come through them. The whole
reason Israel was set apart by God was for the sake of that Messiah. For years, the prophets foretold that the
Messiah would come. They called the straying
back to the Lord and repeated the invitation to the feast. For years, the people waited in hope. Then Jesus came to them. He called the people to himself so that they
would benefit from his saving work. He
was eager to welcome them into the heavenly banquet. The Lord had both prepared the feast and summoned
the guests. Sadly, they all had reasons
to ignore the invitation.
If you were invited to a State dinner at
the White House, odds are you would go.
Even if you hated the president, you would likely go. It is no small thing to be the guest at a State
dinner. Now, understand this: This was the
king’s invitation. A king carries
far more authority than a president. Our
presidents are accountable to the laws of the land. A king is not. He is supreme, and his word is law. So, refusal to heed the king’s invitation
goes far beyond an insult; it is treasonous.
The king invited honored guests to a banquet
for the crown prince. The king had
alerted the guests; they knew that this banquet was coming. Then the king summoned his guests: “‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared
my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and
everything is ready. Come to the wedding
feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his
farm, another to his business, while the rest
seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them” (Matthew
22:4-6).
The guests who
had been invited did not go off to commit crimes or plot wicked schemes. They just didn’t care. For the most part, they went back to their
jobs. They had busy schedules. They would not give up their time for the king. Their time was dedicated to making money so
they could pay their bills, put food on the table, and maybe make their homes a
little nicer and enjoy their families. I
don’t think we would call any of that evil.
But the king was going to supply everything they needed at his wedding
feast. They would eat from the king’s
table. They would be surrounded by royal
splendor. They would enjoy the company
of their families and friends. And best
of all, they would bask in the kindness and generosity of the king. But they despised the king and his
banquet. Some even rejected it with violence.
If you have not
picked up on the warning already, here it is: We also have daily pursuits that
consume our time and attention. They are
usually not evil. Our schedules are
filled with obligations for work, for chores, for sports, or for study. The devil does not need to seduce you with
wickedness to draw you away from the words of your King. He takes what is good and convinces us to elevate
it above God. This is idolatry. We become distracted so that we don’t read
our Bible. We don’t ponder our Lord’s
words. We don’t come to Bible study. We don’t say our prayers. We brush it aside by saying, “I just don’t
have time.” While it sounds noble to be
so busy, it is a lie. We always make
time for what matters. Somehow, we do
find time for scrolling through social media or binge watching TV series. But if we don’t make time for it, our confession
is this: It doesn’t really matter. It
can be skipped, and it will not be missed.
Repent.
“The kingdom of heaven
may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son” (Matthew
22:2). Many refuse to heed the King’s
words and forfeit his good graces.
Nevertheless, the King is determined to be gracious. “He said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast
is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to
the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And
those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found,
both bad and good. So the wedding hall was
filled with guests” (Matthew 22:8-10).
The Lord
prepares both the banquet and the guests.
He seeks out from all over the world people for his wedding banquet. And he is not picky. The invitation did not depend on whether
people were rich or poor, if they were locals or foreigners, or even if they
were crooks. The King invited everyone
to the wedding feast for his Son.
The Lord prepares
both the banquet and the guests. It does
not matter what your past has been or what marks are on your record. You are summoned to the wedding feast. In fact, as members of the Church, you are
not merely guests; you are the Bride of Christ.
“The kingdom of heaven [is] a king who gave a wedding
feast for his son” (Matthew 22:2). The Son of God has betrothed himself to the Church. As a faithful Groom, Jesus made himself
accountable for all the debts which have been wracked up by his beloved. We owe God obedience because he is our Maker. But we have not given God what we owe. We have incurred an insurmountable debt. Jesus assumed the responsibility for our failures. And then he paid the debt we owed. By his sufferings and death, Jesus paid the
full price for our sins and cleared us of charges. This is how Jesus has prepared us for the
feast of heaven.
The Lord has
prepared both the feast and the guests.
All are brought in the same. We
do not bring a contribution for the feast.
The Lord has done everything; we receive it due to his gracious generosity. And what is more, the Lord has prepared the
guests, too. The servants went out to
the distant roads to bring people into the wedding banquet. Those people were both unaware of the feast
and unprepared for it. They would have
had their grubby clothes which were stained with dust and mud from the fields
and the roads. The king, of course, knew
that. So, the king not only summoned them,
he also provided them with garments appropriate for the wedding banquet.
St. John got a
glimpse of the heavenly feast in Revelation.
He saw the multitudes there and noted, “I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one
could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes… ‘These are the ones coming out of the
great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb’” (Revelation 7:9,14). You
and I do not stand before the Lord with righteousness of our own. We are not righteous. We owed God righteousness, but we have not
given it. Therefore, our perfect Groom
not only covered our debts, he also clothes his Church with his own
righteousness. You and I have been washed
in the blood of the Lamb. We are been
purified of all guilt. We are clothed with
Christ, and therefore we are pleasing to God the Father. The King rejoices that we shall feast with
him in glory.
There was one guest, however, who had
rejected the wedding garments. “(The king) said to him, ‘Friend,
how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind
him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth’” (Matthew 22:12-13).
We don’t know why the man refused the wedding
garments that were given to him. He had
no excuse to offer. But we can guess
what his excuse was because such excuses are still made today. People presume that merely being nice is
enough to appease God. Maybe you’ve seen
the poster or bumper sticker that says, “In a world where you can be anything,
be kind.” Of course, people should be
kind, but just being kind is not enough to please God. God’s command is not, “Be nice,” or “Be kind.” It is “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your
God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). This
holiness is bestowed upon is in holy baptism.
For, this is what the Lord says: “As many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). This
is the garment of salvation that covers you and presents you before the Lord as
holy. This is the blood of the Lamb
which purifies you from all unrighteousness.
To refuse it is to stand before the king without the wedding
garment. And to stand before God without
the righteousness of Christ results in being cast out of the wedding
feast. For, apart from Jesus, there is
no forgiveness, no salvation, and no hope.
But the Lord prepares both the feast and
the guests. Jesus has not only invited
you to the feast, he has chosen you for his own. He gives you everything you need to partake
in the heavenly feast. And to assure you
of your place, he lays out before you the heavenly feast already now. Here, the Groom feeds his Bride so that she can
live and thrive. Here, at the Lord’s table,
we receive nourishment to sustain us until we enter the feast that has no end.
The King has prepared a wedding feast for his Son, and you are his honored guests—the holy things for the holy ones. Rejoice in the goodness of the King; for, he rejoices over you.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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