Time-Sensitive Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14 - Third Sunday in Lent
According to the wedding magazine The Knot, the average total cost of a wedding in 2022 amounted to $28,000.
A few years back, Elizabeth and I attended a friend’s wedding. It was not a fancy wedding, but the meal was four stars. I was served filet Mignon, and Elizabeth was served salmon.
All seating was assigned, and the meals were brought directly to the tables. At our table, four meals were served to empty chairs.
The bride’s father later told us that he had called that family to ask if they were coming, and their response was, “no, we’re busy.” He told them that his daughter and son-in-law had worked extra on weekends for six months to pay for this wedding. Unfortunately, that didn’t matter to them.
Ultimately, we and the couple seated at the table with us took the uneaten meals home in Styrofoam containers. We could tell that the entire family was hurt by their callous absence.
They certainly took it better than the king in Jesus’s parable, who threw a wedding banquet for his son. Just imagine being invited to a royal wedding; what an honor and privilege that must have been. But many of those who were invited didn’t see it that way. They ignored the invitation, refusing to leave their farms and business. When the king sent his slaves to get them, a few of them seized, mistreated, and even killed the slaves. This was akin to declaring war, and the king’s retaliation was swift and brutal.
A few years back, Elizabeth and I attended a friend’s wedding. It was not a fancy wedding, but the meal was four stars. I was served filet Mignon, and Elizabeth was served salmon.
All seating was assigned, and the meals were brought directly to the tables. At our table, four meals were served to empty chairs.
The bride’s father later told us that he had called that family to ask if they were coming, and their response was, “no, we’re busy.” He told them that his daughter and son-in-law had worked extra on weekends for six months to pay for this wedding. Unfortunately, that didn’t matter to them.
Ultimately, we and the couple seated at the table with us took the uneaten meals home in Styrofoam containers. We could tell that the entire family was hurt by their callous absence.
They certainly took it better than the king in Jesus’s parable, who threw a wedding banquet for his son. Just imagine being invited to a royal wedding; what an honor and privilege that must have been. But many of those who were invited didn’t see it that way. They ignored the invitation, refusing to leave their farms and business. When the king sent his slaves to get them, a few of them seized, mistreated, and even killed the slaves. This was akin to declaring war, and the king’s retaliation was swift and brutal.
But rather than have the banquet hall empty and all the food go to waste, the king sent his slaves out into the streets to gather in everyone they could find, both good and bad, so that the hall was filled with guests.
Soon, the king noticed a man who was not wearing the traditional wedding robe. When the king questioned him, he had nothing to say.
If I were invited to a royal wedding, my untailored, off-the-rack JCPenney suit would pale in comparison to the prestige labels worn by the high status guests. But at least I dressed for the occasion.
The fact that the king’s slaves invited in people from off the streets, both good and bad, I’m sure plenty of those people lacked the economic means to dress for the occasion. If this particular guest had mentioned this at the door, I imagine accommodation would have been made. But his silence spoke volumes. He wasn’t there because he wanted to share in the celebration. He wasn’t gratified that he’d been invited in by the king. He just wanted to snatch some lady locks and nut rolls of the royal cookie table, and whatever royal fare he could swipe without anyone noticing.
The king didn’t invite everyone in just to give away food. This was a political act to gain the favor of his subjects. For those invited in, this was a golden ticket not just to a royal celebration, but to be counted as friends of the king.
But the guest without the wedding robe wasn’t thinking about that—and the king had his attendants bind up this man and throw him out into the streets. Jesus ends his parable with a stern warning: “Many are called, but few are chosen.”
I do want to warn against equating the king in this parable to God, only because God does not respond to personal insult like this king does. If God did, then we’d all be in trouble—because all of us are guilty of the same sins as the wedding guests who ignored the invitation, and the guy who showed up only for what we could get from it. But there is something that is not as accommodating or forgiving as God: and that is the passing of time.
God’s kingdom is coming, and it’s not going to wait on anyone.
It is dangerous to think of God’s Kingdom as something in the far-off, distant future, because it’s not. God’s Kingdom is arising like the springtime; whereas the kingdoms of this world are passing away. This is why God’s kingdom and the world’s kingdom are in conflict, and we are constantly wrestling with what matters to us versus what matters to God.
One thing God’s Kingdom cannot give which the world’s kingdom always promises is instant gratification. Therefore, you will never struggle to find reasons to ignore or refuse God’s invitation. There’s so much you need to do. So much you don’t want to miss out on. And the consequences for not giving into the world’s demands can be devastating.
Like the guest without a wedding robe, we’ll take what God gives us, but we don’t give ourselves to God. We want Christianity without the cross. Faith without obedience. Love without sacrifice. Receiving without giving. Discipleship without discomfort.
We reject God’s future by holding onto the past.
We always try to bargain with God. Once our ducks are in a row, and all our worldly affairs are in order, then we will come to the banquet. Then we will put Christ first. Then we will do what is right. Then we will face the challenges. Make the hard decisions. Embrace change.
But if there is any conclusion to be drawn about the state of our world today, it is that time is running out. The door Christ has opened for you today may not be open tomorrow.
The Gospel is your invitation, and you must act now. Your wedding garment is your baptism. The royal fare is the Body and Blood of the King. And when you go out into the kingdoms of this world, an invitation to grace awaits you in every person who needs your good works, in every challenge you must face, and every fear you must overcome. The time is now to do what’s right. Seize the moment. Take that leap of faith. Dare to say “yes” to God and “no” to the world, and face the consequences, no matter what they may be. The feast is ready to begin. Tomorrow may be too late.
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| Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash |
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