Many called, few chosen
Readings: Isaiah 25. 1-9, Matthew 22. 1-14
What lies at the end of time? At the end of this age? A banquet, that’s what Isaiah tells us, and the New Testament builds on this imagery as it’s revealed that this will not be just any banquet, but a wedding banquet. Jesus gently indicates this in the language he uses in today’s parable, the last of three he has been telling in the presence of the chief priests and the pharisees. He speaks of how the Kingdom of heaven is like a king throwing a wedding banquet for his Son. That’s where all this is going, made much clearer in passages like Revelation.
And what are we to expect of this Kingdom, of this wedding banquet?
Well Jesus indicates two groups who find they have no part in it and one surprising group who do.
Let’s follow the parable through in order. We find right at the start that this first group who have been invited refuse to come. It’s a scandalous turn of events which is perhaps lost on us in our day. In those days invitations would have been twofold. The initial invitation which you would respond to indicating your availability and willingness to come, and the second sent out once everything was ready inviting them to come and enjoy the feast.
Those who refuse are refusing the second invitation, they’ve said they’ll come, and yet when the time comes, they’d rather be carrying on with their lives, doing what they’d otherwise be doing. What is in fact a generous and prestigious invitation to come and feast at the wedding banquet of the King’s son is treated as an inconvenience, a distraction from what they’d rather be doing.
In many ways it seems unthinkable doesn’t it. To have received such an invitation and yet refuse to attend when things are ready. Jesus here is pronouncing judgement on those listening, those elders, Pharisees and others who are part of God’s people, who in that sense have been deemed worthy of invitation to this banquet, and yet who when God comes to call them in, they have no interest, they don’t care. Jesus is stood before them telling them that the Kingdom is at hand, that everything is ready, and yet they refuse to listen, refuse to come. It seems like madness to us, but we’ll see shortly how we often respond in the same way.
So having found that this first group he has called are refusing to listen, those who he deemed worthy of a place at his table have proven themselves unworthy, what does this King do? He throws open the doors of the banqueting hall and sends his servants out into the streets to bring in anyone they can find. Good and bad, rich and poor, all are brought into the wedding banquet. This is what should be ringing in our ears from this parable, the immense generosity of this King.
This is a stunning picture, in the ancient world being invited to such an event was a great honour, particularly if the invite came from the King. We see that a little in our day don’t we, those invited to Garden parties at Buckingham Palace are those who have done amazing work within their communities, it’s a great honour to be invited, bestowed on those who have done much good. But if it’s like this now, so much more was it in the ancient world. Gifts were only given to those deemed worthy of them, you’d be meticulous and careful for fear of devaluing them, and the same was true of invites. And yet this King throws off all convention, invites all to come and celebrate with him.
This is a picture of the King of the Universe, God the Father. In Jesus he throws the doors of this feast open wide, invites all to come in. Those who seemed worthy were unworthy, and so God calls in those of his people who the ‘righteous’ looked down, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, all those whose lives were far from God, and yet they heard this call to come in and so did. The doors are flung wide so that the Gentiles, once deemed excluded from God’s people, are brought in, gathered in to share in the King’s feast.
What is the result of the refusal of those who proved themselves unworthy? God’s boundless generosity to draw all who will come, to come in and feast with him, to join him as heaven is united with earth and God is united with his people at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
We may think that the refusal of that first group to come seems crazy, and yet as the parable continues, we find a picture of someone else who has proven themselves unworthy, a picture perhaps more familiar.
Now, much ink has been spilled trying to work out what’s going on with the wedding garment in this parable. And what I’ve found is that depending on what the commentator thinks the wedding garment represents will determine where they think the wedding garment should have come from. In all honesty it seems futile to get into such debates, Jesus doesn’t tell us, he doesn’t expand on the parable in this way so it’s all speculation.
What is perhaps more interesting is the fact that, wherever this garment would have come from, this guest clearly had opportunity to wear it and has instead refused. When the King asks why he isn’t wearing one we hear no excuses, no explanations, he’s simply speechless. Clearly, he had opportunity to clothe himself appropriately and didn’t, everyone else has arrived off the streets as he did and yet is vested correctly, and yet this one refused to pay heed to what he had been invited to.
You see just as that first group, who said yes to God and yet refuse to come when he invites them to are excluded from the banquet, so are those who come and yet refuse to make even the slightest effort. Showing up but refusing to do what is necessary isn’t enough, that too will result in exclusion from this feast. The wedding garment in many ways represents our response, our part of responding properly to the invite.
God’s call goes out to all, the Gospel goes forth to the very ends of the earth, all are called, and yet not all are chosen. Not all will respond in the way that is necessary.
Now is this response faith? To clothe ourselves with Christ? This is the interpretation favoured by those who suggest the King in the parable would have provided wedding attire. Or is this response works? Sorting out our lives so that we live in the way God calls us to. An interpretation favoured by those who suggest the wedding garment was a simple white tunic everyone would own which would have simply been washed and cleaned up so that it was fresh for the event.
As Calvin indicates ‘As to the wedding garment, is it faith, or is it a holy life? This is a useless controversy; for faith cannot be separated from good works, nor do good works proceed from any other source than from faith.’
That’s why I didn’t want to get into the debate of what’s going on in the parable. For it is all about our response to God’s gracious and generous invitation. In hearing his call we are to respond in faith, and in that response to throw off the old self and the works of darkness and to clothe ourselves instead with Christ, that day by day, through the renewing of the Spirit, our lives and our actions reflect instead the light of Christ.
Jesus is clear, God’s call goes out to all, and yet not all will reach heaven, not all will come to the banquet. From the many who are called to come and feast, few are chosen. When he calls us to come and feast, will we be found in our sins as this one or in Christ?
So, my brothers and sisters, let us not think ourselves worthy by our own actions, think that we can simply show up at the end of the age without having properly responded to God’s call. Instead let us live in the light of our Baptism, where the old self was washed away and we were clothed with Christ. And, in holding onto that hope, that God in his gracious and generous mercy, has called us to feast and rejoice with him in eternity, let us not take that for granted but rather live a life worthy of our calling, day by day revealing the depths of our faith by our faithful living.
Amen.