This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Matthew 22:1-14. The English Standard Version supplies the heading, “The Parable of the Wedding Feast.”
The reading tells us some of what Jesus said in the days before he was crucified. The venue is the Temple in Jerusalem. The context[1] is an argument with the Temple authorities.[2] They’re angry with him because on the previous day he’d opposed traders whom they’d licensed.
They’re shocked he’s reappeared. They ask him to say on what authority he’s opposing them. Because according to them, they’re the ones authorized, by their tribal ancestry and training, to function as priests and teachers, and to issue licenses to trade in the Temple.
Jesus is a skilled leader and reader of hearts. He refuses to let them set the agenda. He points them to John Baptist, whom the people hold in high regard. He says, “you tell me where John’s authority comes from, and I’ll tell you where mine comes from.” They don’t answer. Because the people said John’s authority came from God – and John said Jesus was from God.
After silencing them, Jesus continues speaking the message he wants to deliver to everyone before he goes to his death. That message is about God’s kingdom, the kingdom given to great King David’s descendant, Jesus himself. He’d powerfully displayed his kingship by riding in on a donkey the previous day, just as King David had done centuries before.[3]
At this moment in time, during his last days of teaching before going to his death, he speaks about the kingdom of God. He doesn’t speak about the officers in the kingdom. He doesn’t speak about the rules, the laws, in the kingdom. He doesn’t speak about the benefits in the kingdom. He speaks instead about the danger of rejecting the invitation of the king of the kingdom. He speaks about the painful results of refusing to honour and obey rightful authority. He does it through a story …
A king throws a superb banquet with huge quantities of the best food, with music, with dance. He invites people from every segment of society. He invites the rich and the powerful who have much authority over others. He invites the poor and the weak who have no authority.
The rich say they’re too busy to attend. The poor put on their best clothes, they come, they behave respectfully. While they’re partying, the king sends his army to destroy the city in which the rich live. The city from which they insult him by refusing to attend his banquet and honour him.
This is a story of a great ingathering, of everyone. Not based on their ancestry, whether they’re Jews or Gentiles. Not based on whether they’ve been good neighbours or not. Not based on whether they’re athletic or crippled.[4] Everyone is called. But this happens in parallel with something else: those who refuse to come are violently killed, as punishment.
And there’s one more thing. Remember, it’s Jesus who tells this story.
The king walks among the guests. He sees a man who’s not dressed like one should dress for a wedding feast, especially a wedding feast thrown by a king for his son. The king gets very angry. He orders his servants to immediately send the offending man to a place of severe punishment …
Jesus intentionally told this story in the last days of his life. This is an eschatological story. A story about the day of judgment which will come. A day when everyone will be gathered together. A day when everyone will be judged. Judged according to how they used their authority; judged according to whom they regarded as having rightful authority; judged according to whether they honoured Jesus’ rightful authority.
The centre of Jesus’ message is the kingdom of God. In the last days of his life, Jesus intentionally taught that the kingdom is like a superb banquet. Everyone is invited. And everyone who refuses to attend, or attends without showing due respect, will receive judgment …[5]
Yet, we seldom experience life in the kingdom as feasting at a superb banquet. Our experience is often chronic, long-term disease[6]; severe accidents; struggling to pay fees and debts; being insulted. Some live out their lives in slums or refugee camps; or in occupied territories.
So, we must not read the “banquet” in the story as a promise of present comfort and reward. No. The banquet is a gathering of all who say, in the words recorded in Revelation 5:13, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might for ever and ever!”
Those who accept the invitation to the banquet experience shalom, peace in the midst of suffering; they know their story will end not in sadness, but in joy.
Amy Carmichael is a legend among missionaries. She was an Irishwoman who served for decades in India. She saved children from sexual slavery. She was bedridden for 20 years before she died. In her last days, she said to those who visited her, “When you hear I have gone, jump for joy!”
I think she understood the meaning of the parable. What do you think?
Peace be with you.
[1] See chapter 21.
[2] The chief priests and the elders of the people, 21:23.
[3] All four gospels tell us Jesus rode in on a donkey – the only time they mention him ever riding a donkey. Matthew and John quote Zechariah 9:9 which speaks of the king entering Jerusalem on a donkey – the vehicle of Judah, mentioned in Genesis 49:11. For an insightful discussion of Jesus’ decision to enter on a donkey, see: He Dared to Ride a Donkey, by David Mathis, on the Desiring God website.
[4] Unlike in the Qumran community, which excluded cripples.
[5] I’ve drawn from Klyne Snodgrass, doyen of parable scholars.
[6] Like blood disorders, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension.
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