The Parable of the Wedding Feast

 Matthew 22: 8-12: The Wedding Garment

8 “Then [the king] said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

Context: Jesus tells a series of parables to the religious leaders of Jerusalem. These leaders who pride themselves on their power, status, and authority, feel their egos being squeezed. As they see it, this homeless, itinerant “teacher” claims the authority of God. And through his teachings and healings, Jesus has the audacity to challenge their religious and social status in the community. 

The Point of the Parable: The people of Israel are the initial invites to the kingdom. As evidenced by these self-righteous leaders, they have rejected the invitation of Jesus. Therefore he crafts the parable to illustrate their rejection, to illustrate, in an abstract way, their fault. Not only this, but Jesus shows that others will be invited to inherit a kingdom initially intended for them. And these “others” will be people from all walks of life -- outcasts, Gentiles, sinners, prostitutes, lepers, and adulterers. These are the very people the religious leadership rejects and condemns. 

Application: Genuine faith is not something we can fabricate and fake. If we try this, we will be left empty and walk away. Faith is a living gift that needs food. It is like a glowing ember placed in a fire place. If we do not carefully construct kindling around it, feed it oxygen, and work at making the ember glow hot enough to ignite the tinder and blaze the fire, it will go out and we will be left cold. Faith is not an instant infusion; it is at first a gift, a gift that requires our attention. Faith, also, is not a right; it is not something inherited by any group of people. 

This parable symbolizes God’s gift of faith, an all-inclusive invitation to a kingdom of love ushered in by his son, Jesus Christ. It is easy for elitist religious people to say only they are invited and that “others” are condemned because they don’t fit their model of righteousness. But Jesus defies that claim in this section of Matthew’s Gospel. The authors of Sacred Space, for instance, illustrate the point well:

The invitation to the kingdom of heaven is cast wide, yet we are free to say yes or no. No matter how low a stature I seem to have in life, I am welcome. I will shake off the rags of my injustice, my less good self and dress in the clothes of a new, more loving person.

The invitation is universal: Both sinners and saints are invited. The required wedding garment is one that sloughs off our attitude of entitlement, our inherent prejudices, our sub-optimal self. Instead we are to embrace the love of all people regardless of who they are -- all races, all religions, all gender identities, all sexual orientations. This transformation is not something we can simply jump into. Being a more loving, inclusive person is a journey not a destination. But it is a journey on which the Spirit accompanies and empowers us. 

Am we willing to put on the proper wedding garment?

The Parable of the Two Sons and My Lazy, Stubborn Nature

Jesus said, "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today .' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" 

[The religious leaders] said, "The first." 

Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe [John the Baptist's message]." 

(Matthew 21:28-32)

Life is often like this: I am asked to do something I do not want to do. How do I react? I respond with a sarcastic, eye-roll-induced "no." I am lazy by nature and would prefer to chill rather than hustle on my off time. But there is something in me that later realizes the right thing to do, so I get up and do it, albeit reluctantly. It gets done but on my own terms. This refusal/completion game is my lazy stubbornness at work. And I am thankful for the grace to get it done. I just wish, however, that I did not act like such an ass in the process. 

Stubbornness and laziness are my forte for sure. Arrogance, willful neglect, and entitlement, on the other hand, put us on dangerous ground. God, please protect us from blind ignorance and give us the grace to serve others with love and humility in our hearts. Amen. 

Matthew 20:25-28 -- What Does it Mean to be a Leader?

Jesus called [the twelve disciples] together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:25-28).

Jesus' example and teaching point to a life of self-sacrificial, loving, inclusive leadership and service. In this chapter of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus gives sight to the blind, invites the rejected into his community, humbly pauses to serve the needy, and gives a living example of true leadership. Why, then, do so many in the Christian community (and world in general) teach and model the opposite? Everything in the gospels point to Jesus' healing, love, welcome, humble servitude, and invitation to all. Jesus does not exclude or condemn. Even in this instance (and others) when the disciples get it wrong, Jesus nudges them in the right direction through sound teaching and example: Being a leader is about serving, not being served. Yet when we look around us, most people lead through the negative example to which the gospel writer points: Leaders that lord over others. 

Lord Jesus, let me lead through an example of loving service, sacrifice, and humility. Let me invite others with open arms and understanding. Amen. 

Peace. 

Stan