Pentecost XXI, Cycle A

“Come to the Wedding Banquet!”

October 13, 2002

The Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel

Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Lessons:  Isaiah 25:1-9;  Philippians 4:1-9;  St. Matthew 22:1-14

     What if you gave a party, and nobody came?  What if the World Series began, and no one was in the stands, and no one watched on TV?  What if Air Force played Notre Dame in a televised evening game, and no one showed up? 

     Our gospel lesson for this morning poses just such a scenario—a king threw a huge wedding banquet for His son, and no one came. And this is no ordinary Joe—this is no neighbor next door—this is the king, who has had the dinner prepared, has had oxen and fatted calves slaughtered, so that everything is ready, but no one would come.  No one would come, help the king, celebrate his son’s wedding.  And not only are they unwilling to come—consider their response! Jesus tells us, “They made light of the invitation, and went on their way, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them.”  How would you feel, if you were the king, and you threw such a party for your son, and people responded in such a way?  Would you be angry?  You bet.  Would you send your troops, to destroy those murderers, and burn their city?  Well, if you were king, and you had troops, maybe you would.  The first question this parable raises is, “What if YOU gave such a party, and no one came?  Quite naturally, that’s our initial response to this parable. 

     But when you dig a little deeper, you begin to understand this parable in a different light.  When you realize, as we’ve said again and again these last few weeks—that this parable is first, about God, the question is reshaped, so that it becomes, not, “What if you gave a party and no one came?”,  but “What if God gave a party for His Son, and no one came?”

     In a sense, that’s a more difficult question—more difficult to ask, and more difficult to answer.  Because if Jesus is suggesting that the king in the parable is God, then God’s response raises even more questions.  We know how we’d feel, if we gave this party, and no one came.  We know how we’d feel, if everything was ready, and the invited guests went on their way, to their farming, to their business, or worse, if they went about beating up, mistreating, and killing our servants.  We know how we’d feel—but, the response of the king in the parable, doesn’t seem, well, God-like, does it?  Just because the invited guests refuse to come to the wedding banquet, is that cause for—God—to send his troops, destroy those murderers, and burn their city?  Did God tell his troops to destroy only those guests who mistreated and murdered his slaves?  Or did God destroy all the invited guests?  Jesus tells us the king was enraged.  So enraged that he deemed the invited guests not worthy, so he sent his slaves out, into the streets to invite others to the wedding banquet, filling the wedding hall with both good and bad.  So, how far can we push this parable, and the analogy it presents?  Does God become…enraged, when invited guests don’t show up for the wedding feast of His Son?  Would God really destroy those guests who spurn the banquet, and reject his messengers?  And if God does become enraged when guests don’t show up for the Son’s banquet—then, we’d better ask, what does this mean for us?  When is this wedding feast, and are we invited guests? 

     St. Augustine, in preaching on this text, says, “the faithful all know of the nuptials of the King’s Son, and of His dinner, and of the abundance of the Lord’s Table.  The Holy Scriptures teach us there are two banquets of the Lord…one in the present Church, the other is the final and eternal banquet.  And from this parable we may rightly gather that in this account, the wedding banquet is a figure of the Lord’s Supper in the present Church, where one may enter and still be thrown out.”  The Lord’s Supper is the feast, thrown each and every Sunday, to celebrate the marriage of His Son, to His bride, the Church.  And while we are members of the Church, His bride, we are also guests, invited each and every Sunday, to come celebrate with the King, the wedding of His heir.  So, in that sense, in this parable, Jesus is indeed, thinking of you and me when he talks about those invited to the banquet.  And he is indeed, thinking of you and me when he talks about those who refuse or ignore the invitation!  And he is, indeed, thinking of this meal, as the banquet, when he says, “the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son—and he sent his slaves to call those who had been invited, but they would not come”!

     The message of this parable is full of grace, in that the King had provided His Son to be the bridegroom, prepared the dinner, and sent out personal messengers with invitations to those who were to be guests at the dinner.  But you’re right in hearing that there’s law in this parable as well, as those who refuse the invitation ought to feel convicted and judged by this parable, for spurning the King’s invitation.  And I’m sorry if this makes anyone here feel, guilty, for not heeding the King’s invitation each and every Sunday, when the banquet is celebrated.  But the message is clear, and unequivocal.  Jesus is proclaiming a word of Gospel and Law in this parable—a word that will convict some, and uplift others.  Because the word that Jesus is proclaiming, speaks harshly to those whom God has chosen to be His guests, but who regularly refuse God’s invitation to the banquet.  While the word Jesus is proclaiming will be heard as a graceful, welcoming word, by those, both bad and good, who are invited to take the place of those who choose not to come!  And Jesus wants to make it clear, to us, that God will fill His banquet table.  His invitation goes out, first, to those of us who have a reserved place at the Lord’s Table, and whom the King expects to be here, every time the banquet is celebrated.  And God invites us repeatedly, giving us every chance to accept the invitation and take our place at the table.  But rejecting the invitation, means that ultimately, God will invite someone else to take our place.  Because God wants to fill the wedding hall with guests.  God wants to fill His kingdom, with faithful, active disciples.  And when we continually, and repeatedly spurn God’s invitation to the table—we may find we no longer have a place at the table.  As with the tenants in the vineyard last week, who had the vineyard taken away from them, and given to others who would bear the fruit of the kingdom, so those guests who will not come to the wedding banquet, may find their place, filled by another.  And as harsh as that may sound, it is precisely the message Jesus is communicating today, through this parable.  And it is a message the Church needs to hear today.  It’s a message we need to hear today.  Because we treat God’s invitation, and the banquet of His Son, so lightly.  Because we ignore and reject God’s invitation to the banquet of His Son, so easily.  As a preacher, I know of no other way to present this parable, than as Law, and Gospel.  I know of no other way to interpret this biblical text, than to say, “Do not forsake the banquet, but come, celebrate with the King and His Son.”  You are invited to come, every Sunday—every day of resurrection, to the Lord’s Table—so, please, come!  Come willingly, and faithfully!   Come regularly—that your place at the table will be open, for you.  Come, putting on your wedding garment—which St. Paul describes as joy, prayer, the peace of God, truth, honor, purity, justice.  “Look,” Jesus says, “the King, my father, has prepared the dinner, and prepares it every Sunday—everything is ready;  come to the wedding banquet!”  So, come—every Sunday—and join in celebration—let your farm, your business—your excuses and distractions wait—because the King will have the wedding hall, filled with guests!  Won’t you be one of them?

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.