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17. Sunday after Pentecost, 10/09/2011
Sermon on Matthew 22:1-14, by David M. Wendel
"A Banquet of Love"
1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.' 5 But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.' 10 And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.11 "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen."
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Introduction
One of the things we often miss, in reading through Sunday gospel lessons bit by bit, week by week, rather than reading through Matthew as a whole, from start to finish, is the flow. The Gospels were never written to be read section by section--but from beginning to end. Which, when you read them from beginning to end, present truths and messages and details that can be missed week by week.
Two Parables about the Son of the Father
Our lesson for today, for example, follows immediately after our gospel reading from last week, and unless you read them together, or show up attentively both Sundays, there is something you might miss. Both readings recount Jesus telling parables about a man and his son. Last Sunday, we heard about the vineyard owner who sent his son to receive fruit from his tenants, and the evil tenants who beat the son and killed him to receive his inheritance. Today, we hear about a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. But in both instances, Jesus is presenting the father, as God the Father. Yes, in the first, God the Father is a vineyard owner, and in the second, God, the Father is a king--but the point remains--God the Father has a son. But what happens to the Son? In the parable last week, the Father sent the Son to the tenants, and the tenants killed the Son. This week, the Father throws a wedding banquet for the Son. So, what is Jesus saying to us in the flow, from the telling of one parable to the next? Jesus is foretelling, his own death and his own resurrection! In the parable last week, Jesus has been sent by the Father to evil, rebellious humanity--and what happens? Jesus is put to death. What happens after Jesus' death? He is resurrected, to be at the head table of a banquet--a banquet in His honor--a banquet that has several dimensions. Jesus is resurrected to preside over a banquet here, which we know as the Lord's supper; and Jesus is resurrected to preside over a heavenly banquet--both of which are the wedding feast of God the Father's Son! So that in the reading of the two parables, from Matthew 21 last Sunday, and Matthew 22 today, we hear Jesus proclaiming, for us, the good news--that though He would be beaten, cast out of the vineyard and put to death, still, God would bring life from death, resurrecting His own Son to be the bridegroom of the Church. And for this bridegroom, for His Son, God the Father throws a wonderful wedding feast, to celebrate, not His Son's death, but His Son's life--and then, the parable we hear today, challenges us to consider what this banquet means to us--and who is invited and who isn't--and who will come and who won't--and finally, the parable teaches us that though the invitation is freely offered, there are certain expectations of those who attend.
Those Who Are Invited
It is traditionally understood, as has been the case with the several parables we've heard from Matthew lately, that the first group invited to the banquet were the Jewish leaders. It was common in ancient middle-eastern weddings for the host to send his servants to the invited guests twice...first to announce the date and time of the event, and then on the day of the wedding, to send his servants again, to remind the guests to come. Jesus tells us that many had been invited to the wedding, but when the servants were sent the second time to call the guests to come, there were all kinds of reasons why they couldn't or wouldn't. The king said, "tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet." But Jesus says, "they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business...while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them." Enraged, naturally, the King sent his troops, destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, "The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet." And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. But remember, Jesus says, once invited, there is such a thing as appropriate attire. To be invited by the King is the first thing--then, one is to put on clothes fitting for a wedding.
The Wedding Garment
And what is this garment? What is the wedding robe? St. Gregory the Great asks, "what do we think is meant by the wedding garment? For if we say it is baptism, or faith, is there anyone who has entered this marriage feast without them? What then must we understand by the wedding garment, but love?" (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Volume Ib, Edited by Manlio Simonetti, General Editor Thomas Oden, p. 146.) And surely St. Gregory is right. As St. Paul writes in Colossians 3:14: "above all, clothe yourselves with love..." Because just as those who were first invited to the wedding feast and would not come, were not worthy because they rejected the one true God and His only begotten Son, so also are those not worthy who would accept the invitation, but not come with love in their hearts--for God, and His Son, and the other guests at the banquet. To be sure, St. Gregory is giving an allegorical interpretation to this parable, as was the custom in his time--but the interpretation fits. It is one thing to be invited, by God's grace, to the wedding banquet of His Son--it is quite another to presume to come to the feast, without love--without clothing oneself in the garment of the Kingdom--love of God and neighbor.
Inviting and Welcoming Others to the Banquet of the Lord
Which brings me to us, and our congregational situation today. As you well know, we are in the midst of a special stewardship campaign, with two purposes, asking for two pledges. The campaign is titled, "Standing Firm--Moving Forward". We talked specifically about stewardship last Sunday, and rightly so, as our lesson was about returning to God the fruits of the vineyard. We talked last weekend about who properly owns all that we have and are--God, and not us. And it might seem a stretch today, to speak about our stewardship efforts in relation to our Gospel parable, and yet, when you get right down to it, within the Church, it's all about the banquet of the King's Son! Everything we do, revolves around, and is motivated by the banquet of the King's Son--and who is in, and who is out, and who should be invited and welcomed to the wedding feast of the King's Son. Granted, in many churches today, and even in many Lutheran churches today, the wedding banquet, the heavenly feast, the Lord's Supper, have little or no place in mission or ministry. Many would suggest that the feast of the Lamb who was slain is irrelevant to modern folks today--not helpful for outreach and inviting others into the Church. And yet, what do we hear today, in the parable Jesus tells?
We hear that it is God's banquet, given in honor of His Son. We hear that God the Father wants all to be invited, all whom the servants could find--both good and bad! We hear that God the Father wants the wedding hall to be filled with guests--and the guests are to be gathered around the banquet table. We certainly do not want to prescribe or judge the practices of other congregations and faith communities--but for us Lutherans--for those of us who are sacramental Christians--how can we not hear in this parable, a wonderful invitation for us to invite others to come, share in the banquet of the Lord's Table? Is this not a biblical mandate, for evangelism, based on inviting others to come share in the Lord's Supper? And similarly, are not our stewardship efforts aimed at reaching others with the good news of Jesus Christ, and His saving death and resurrection? Isn't that the sole reason we exist as a congregation, and the reason we have this wonderful building--to serve as a mission center for outreach? Isn't that why we have created a new family ministry staff position, and a new young adult ministry--to connect with those whom the church often finds absent, or disconnected from the Body of Christ? That's why we have stewardship programs and campaigns each fall, not to raise funds to serve our own needs--but to be able to serve the needs of those yet to be invited into the kingdom...to keep us reaching out into the community to invite all whom we can find--to have space where all who come can find a place. Our goal is to invite and welcome the good and the bad--the younger and the older--those who are single, and those who are married with children--the rich and the poor, to come to the wedding feast, celebrated each week here at Saint Luke's!
The Love of God is our Wedding Garment
And, as those who have already been invited and welcomed to the banquet, let's be sure we put on, always--our wedding clothes. Whether it's in our special stewardship campaign activities and events; whether at church on Sunday mornings, or at fellowship Sunday night; whether at work, or at play--let us have our wedding clothes on--which is, love. The love of God in Jesus Christ, for us, and the love we are to have for one another. Love for the neighbor. Love for the stranger. Love for those who are not yet believers. Love for our brothers and sisters at the church down the street. Love for those in wheelchairs and with walkers. Love for the babies, and the toddlers, and the children and yes, love for the teenagers and youth. Gregory the Great concludes his teaching on this parable, saying, "Only God's love brought it about that his only begotten Son united the hearts of his chosen to himself. John says that 'God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for us."
To enter the banquet hall, to sit at the table of the Lord, we are to put on our wedding garments--the love that God Himself has given us, in Jesus Christ, His Son. So, clothe yourself, in love, and then, come--come to the wedding banquet--come because everything is prepared and ready!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.