A text – Matthew 22:1-14
22 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘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.’ 5 But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10 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.
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
A reflection:
I have friends who struggle with the idea that the Christian God would invite absolutely everyone to the heavenly banquet, as in verses 10-14 of this story. It is really tough for people who have worked hard to learn their profession and endeavored to do it exceptionally well to believe that heaven, unlike success on earth, is not earned, and it is a gift for those who haven’t at least seemed to them to be worthy. Especially it’s tough for those in professions which hang on the idea of fairness, like lawyers and judges.
They look at the misdeeds of human beings and know for a fact that these people are guilty of things ranging from laziness to actual crimes. They also don’t relish the idea of sitting next to them at the heavenly wedding feast. These evildoers seem irredeemable. But Christians know that redemption is always possible for God. You just put on the robes God gives you – forgiveness and love from Jesus Christ. Hope springs eternal.
And at least some of them balk at the idea that we can’t appear at the feast clad in our own wonderful clothing. Suppose I have this great dress? This amazing tuxedo? Why can’t I wear that? The Pharisees were no doubt imagining showing up in their expensive prayer shawls that marked them as the elite in religious leadership and power. But no. Wear God’s robe. Be marked as one of God’s clan, not wearing your own personalized choice of status and finery.
My pastor Erick Thompson puts it this way: “If we want to prove ourselves worthy, we will indeed feel the sting of ‘Many are called, but few are chosen.’ Yet, if we remember that God’s grace is what saves us, we won’t worry how we are clothed, or who else God has decided to include in the Wedding Banquet. There is no room for piety or first-rate Christians in the kingdom of heaven. There is only room for those whom God has chosen. The trick is, can we live with a God who doesn’t care how great we are at our jobs, and who has chosen everyone?”
Maybe some of us cannot. We hate having to obey, especially if the one we obey seems accepting of those we judge to be awful. So what’s the answer? Perhaps practicing being humble and grateful. In the end, we ourselves don’t want to be judged by the legal standards of God. We want God to say, “Welcome in. No matter what. I love you.”
A prayer:
Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for your welcome of everyone, no matter how they may have fallen in life. Help us to accept the humanness of all people and get over how big and important we wish to be. We are all your beloved children. Amen.
