It’s still Holy Week in the Gospel of Matthew, and Jesus’ passion and death are quickly upon him. He continues his teaching in the temple, preparing his disciples for what was soon to come.
Today we turn to what is sometimes called the “Parable of the Wedding Feast”. Here we really have 2 parables, or a parable and an epilogue.
As usual, the stories Jesus tells capture our imagination. The king throws a feast for his son's wedding. He invites the guests, but strangely, they don't come. You'd think they would be honored. You'd think they would come quickly and joyfully to the feast – not just any wedding, but a royal wedding – an invitation from the king himself! But some ignore the invitation – we aren't told why. They find better things to do – tending the farm, minding the shop. Even more bizarrely, some mistreat the servants bearing the invitation and even kill them. Talk about “don't kill the messenger!”
The heavenly meaning is clear. God the Father, the king, sends invitations of grace and mercy, not to a literal wedding feast, but to faith in his Son. That he invites anyone at all is an act of grace. He’s not selling tickets to an event, but he’s preparing a banquet – a rich and full meal, generously offering it to his guests.
Likewise, Jesus here summarizes the history of God's chosen people – who repeatedly ignored his invitation, his call to repentance, his gifts of grace and mercy.
It’s similar to the Parable of the Wicked Tenants in the vineyard, who mistreated and murdered the master’s servants, and eventually even his son. And much like in that parable, Jesus is primarily targeting the Jewish leaders, and more broadly, the Jewish people who, on the whole, would reject his salvation.
They rejected and killed God’s messengers and prophets. Soon their mistreatment of God's messengers would reach its apex as they put the very Son of God to death. And the mistreatment of the messengers and rejection of the Gospel invitation would continue even after – with the stoning of Stephen, the violent death of most of the apostles, and the many and various Christian martyrs.
In the parable it seems quite insane to not only ignore or reject an invitation from the king, but to go so far as to kill the messengers that brought the invitation! But Jesus isn’t using hyperbole here. If anything, it’s even more astounding that anyone would reject God’s gracious call to faith, his wonderful salvation. Who would spurn the gift of eternal life and the forgiveness of sins?
But unbelief doesn’t make sense. Take the Pharisees. They had seen numerous miracles of Jesus, his messianic calling cards. They would have, should have recognized the one who heals the sick, casts out demons, gives sight to the blind and opens deaf ears, the one who even raises the dead (like Lazarus)…. They should have known. They should have believed.
And so, Jesus predicts the destruction of ancient Jerusalem, which came to pass nearly 40 years later. In 70 A.D. The Roman general Titus besieged and burned the city, and dispersed the Jews from their homeland. The very temple of God was destroyed. Jesus knew it would happen. It was the punishment of God upon a people who, as a whole, rejected his repeated calls to faith, and finally refused to hear the good news of his Son. But it is a mere shadow of the final destruction in store for all who reject the Christ in this life – a foretaste of the condemnation and wrath to be revealed on the day of judgment.
In the second parable, or the epilogue, the king then turns to others, inviting anyone and everyone to come to the feast. Here we have the extension of the invitation to the Gentiles. The Gospel is free and freely preached to all people – rich and poor, men and women, young and old, from all tribes and languages.
And so we have seen the good news of Jesus Christ touch every corner of the world. Most of us have come to the kingdom only through this world-wide invitation, and thank God for that. For now we enjoy the blessings of his banquet, the lavish food of his feast.
What about the garment? In ancient wedding custom, appropriate dress for such a high occasion included a special garment which was provided by the host. To reject it was to reject the host's generosity and favor, and would have been a social insult. The man in this part of the parable seemed to accept the invitation, but in reality he didn't. He was just as bad as those who ignored the first invitation and killed its messengers.
So the king treats the man harshly who was found without proper attire. He had no excuse for his lack of wedding garment. “Speechless”, we are told. He has nothing to say to defend himself, nothing that can explain and justify his actions.
This stands as a reminder to us that the visible church will also include hypocrites. But the master will sort it all out eventually. And the man who was a pretender, but rejected the very thing that made him worthy – he receives a similar fate as those who first rejected the invitation.
The garment reminds us of the robe of Christ's righteousness each of us has received in Holy Baptism. There he covers our sin with his grace and mercy, which keeps us our whole life through. When, at Christian funerals, the body of our loved one is brought here to God's house, a white pall – a garment – drapes the casket, to signify that robe of righteousness.
And we do well to receive this garment. For too often we are tempted to think our own clothes will do. But the filthy rags of our own good works do not make us presentable. Only what he provides will do. Only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are we made righteous and holy. Our own works are simply a response to his goodness, but they don't earn us a thing. Salvation is a free gift. The invitation of the king is without cost.
For his part, Jesus had even his garments taken from him at the cross, so that he can give to you and me the robe of righteousness, the attire for the celebration of the marriage feast of the lamb in his kingdom which as no end.
And what Lutheran could read a story of a great feast given by the king and not think of the Lord's Supper. For in this royal feast, he gives us all the same blessings – forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. We are worthy to receive such things only by faith, and especially faith in the promises of Christ, “this is my body- this is my blood.... given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins”. He is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words.
The feast of the Lord's Supper is also a foretaste of the feast to come. It's not an accident that Revelation pictures the kingdom to come as a wedding celebration – the great consummation of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and his bride, the church. When we gather at his table here, we gather with all the people of God from all times and places, and even those already gathered to him.... we join at table in a grand feast of celebration and receive his bountiful provision. What could be better?
Jesus warns of destruction and dishonor for all who reject the invitation and the king's provision. But for those who receive the gifts he gives, the King and his Son provide a royal banquet without end. Thank God that through his Son Jesus Christ we are invited to the feast. May we wear his robe of righteousness with thankfulness and celebrate with him eternally. And today, receive our foretaste of the feast to come with joy, as we gather at his invitation.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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