22nd Sunday after Pentecost 10/12/08 Matthew 22:1-14
22 Sunday after Pentecost
10/12/08
Matthew 22:1-14
Today we are going to take a look at a wedding feast. It is not like any other wedding reception you have ever been to, for in this wedding feast there is only one set of clothes that a guest can wear; that is the clothes that the king supplies. As you are probably well familiar with the story, the king has sent out his servants, actually in the Greek, his slaves, to tell people that the wedding feast was ready. This was not a surprise notice, but as you can see, it is just a reminder that the time had arrived.
That is what makes what is happening in this parable today very, very strange. You just don’t turn down the king. He has complete power over your life. You live according to his good will. If he wants your property or your wife or your daughters or your sons, there are no questions asked. He has supreme power, and yet these people turn him down. And because of their behavior the king destroys them.
Then this king does something completely unheard of, he sends his slaves to bring others to the wedding feast. He is going to have his feast no matter what. So there they are, all having a good time when the King spots someone who was not wearing one of the wedding garments he had provided for all his guests. He says to him, “Friend” this is not a term of endearment, but more like, “You are not my friend.” “How did you get in here without a wedding garment?” We see the man was speechless. He had no excuse. He stands there with his mouth open. The king throws him out of the wedding feast bound up into everlasting darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now, I think that we would all agree that the king overreacted, for we would have just asked the man to leave and then posted security at the doors so he could not sneak back in.
We all know that this story is about heaven, right? Let’s see if that is true. Let’s look at the parable. First of all, you need to know who Jesus is talking to. He is talking to the religious leaders and it is the third of three parables. The religious leaders were after him. They had just questioned his authority to speak and do what he was doing. Jesus would not tell them because they should have known by what authority he was speaking. The Scriptures were very clear on the subject, if only they opened their minds to what he said.
God the Father is going to have his wedding feast no matter what. His will, will not be stopped. You see, the parable is about their rejection of God and the Messiah. The parable is not so much about the feast, that is heaven itself, but God calling his guests to the wedding feast. I say that because of what Jesus says in the second verse of our Gospel, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son.” The kingdom of heaven is being compared to the king and not the feast.
The Jews know about the coming feast in the Torah. The slaves the king sends out the first and second time are the Old Testament prophets. You only have to look in the Old Testament to see where they had all sorts of excuses for not coming to the wedding feast. You also don’t have to look very far to see how badly they had treated the prophets God had sent to invite them to the feast.
There was no excuse. He had pursued them right to the end and they chose to ignore his invitation. So what does the king who they know stands for God do? He punishes those who have refused his invitation. He burns down cities and kills people, all of this is shown to us in the Old Testament, where time and time again the people rejected his invitation and they were punished.
So, if his own people will not accept his invitation he reaches out to those outside of his original party list. He sends out his slaves the third time. John the Baptist, the apostles and all that follow them. He sends them out to the outcasts of the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.
The common person would not have suitable clothes for the wedding feast so the king, that is God, gives them wedding garments to cover up their street clothes that were tattered and dirty. New clothes are given to cover over the old so that they are now presentable.
The story makes sense up to this point. It matches what we know about God and his relationship with the Jewish people. We know that our God wants all to celebrate the wedding of His son. We know that he is so eager to give out his gifts that He will even give them to a commoner on the street. None of these things are surprising, for we know of the rich love and mercy of our God. We know that he wants always to give out his gifts to His creation.
But here is where the problem comes in. Why in the world would he throw out a guest because he did not have the proper wedding outfit on, especially after going to all the trouble to fill the wedding feast with guests? We are told the man stood there speechless. Maybe the man thought what he was wearing was acceptable and maybe it was according to the standards of the day. Maybe his clothing was better than the king’s clothing that he had given out to his guests.
What, then, could cause the king, that is God, to throw out this particular guest? We know that God is not a ruthless enforcer of manners. God does not favor one over another on the basis of what he has done. No it cannot be that. There can only be one reason for this radical behavior by God. This guest has refused to wear the garment that the king, that is God, has provided so he would be properly attired for the feast.
Just like those who had rejected his invitation so that they could take care of business, this man had rejected the gift that God wanted to give him. God wanted him to be properly attired and he has refused the robe, and in doing so has condemned himself. There is some debate as to whether this garment is faith or grace. It really does not make any difference, for they are both gifts of God, totally undeserved.
Things haven't changed in the world or even in the church. Modern men and women still put their own plans ahead of the Lord's invitation. We forget that if we are in the place where we hear the Lord's saving word of Gospel, that we have everything. We forget that if we don't have the Gospel that we have nothing at all. Sometimes, we even mock the Lord's forgiveness. We convince ourselves that it's okay to sin today since we can ask for the Lord's forgiveness tomorrow. Make no mistake, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ; planned repentance is no repentance at all. Willful, impenitent sin can drive the Holy Spirit from you forever.
We live only by the Lord's invitation and his robes of righteousness. Without Him, we are dead. In order to survive we must constantly hear the Lord's saving word. Christians live a life of repentance. If we are not clothed in the Lord's forgiveness, we are clothed with death instead. The one who walks in spiritual death in this life will reap eternal death in the life to come. Those who continue to scorn the King's invitation, who slip the robe of righteousness over their own clothes, will pay the price in the end when Christ comes in all his glory to judge all people.
Make no mistake; the Lord will have His feast. He will fill his banquet hall. He continues to send out his invitation. Come to the heavenly feast! Good and bad! Greatest and least! Come be clothed in the wedding garment of the Lord; the garment of salvation; the garment of forgiveness that Christ won on that bloody cross. I urge you not to stand on your own righteousness, for it will get you thrown out. You cannot attend the feast on your own terms. You must be wearing only his robes.
But you, people loved by God, are ready for the feast. You have heard and accepted the Lord's invitation, and you have believed His promises. You are properly attired. For in your baptism you have put on Christ. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb! Blessed are those against whom the Lord does not count their sin! Blessed are you, people loved by God! The feast is ready! Come to the feast! Good and bad! Greatest and least! Come to the feast! The Lord God has come to wipe away the tears from all faces. He loves you. He has clothed you with His righteousness. You are ready for judgment day. Amen.
10/12/08
Matthew 22:1-14
Today we are going to take a look at a wedding feast. It is not like any other wedding reception you have ever been to, for in this wedding feast there is only one set of clothes that a guest can wear; that is the clothes that the king supplies. As you are probably well familiar with the story, the king has sent out his servants, actually in the Greek, his slaves, to tell people that the wedding feast was ready. This was not a surprise notice, but as you can see, it is just a reminder that the time had arrived.
That is what makes what is happening in this parable today very, very strange. You just don’t turn down the king. He has complete power over your life. You live according to his good will. If he wants your property or your wife or your daughters or your sons, there are no questions asked. He has supreme power, and yet these people turn him down. And because of their behavior the king destroys them.
Then this king does something completely unheard of, he sends his slaves to bring others to the wedding feast. He is going to have his feast no matter what. So there they are, all having a good time when the King spots someone who was not wearing one of the wedding garments he had provided for all his guests. He says to him, “Friend” this is not a term of endearment, but more like, “You are not my friend.” “How did you get in here without a wedding garment?” We see the man was speechless. He had no excuse. He stands there with his mouth open. The king throws him out of the wedding feast bound up into everlasting darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now, I think that we would all agree that the king overreacted, for we would have just asked the man to leave and then posted security at the doors so he could not sneak back in.
We all know that this story is about heaven, right? Let’s see if that is true. Let’s look at the parable. First of all, you need to know who Jesus is talking to. He is talking to the religious leaders and it is the third of three parables. The religious leaders were after him. They had just questioned his authority to speak and do what he was doing. Jesus would not tell them because they should have known by what authority he was speaking. The Scriptures were very clear on the subject, if only they opened their minds to what he said.
God the Father is going to have his wedding feast no matter what. His will, will not be stopped. You see, the parable is about their rejection of God and the Messiah. The parable is not so much about the feast, that is heaven itself, but God calling his guests to the wedding feast. I say that because of what Jesus says in the second verse of our Gospel, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son.” The kingdom of heaven is being compared to the king and not the feast.
The Jews know about the coming feast in the Torah. The slaves the king sends out the first and second time are the Old Testament prophets. You only have to look in the Old Testament to see where they had all sorts of excuses for not coming to the wedding feast. You also don’t have to look very far to see how badly they had treated the prophets God had sent to invite them to the feast.
There was no excuse. He had pursued them right to the end and they chose to ignore his invitation. So what does the king who they know stands for God do? He punishes those who have refused his invitation. He burns down cities and kills people, all of this is shown to us in the Old Testament, where time and time again the people rejected his invitation and they were punished.
So, if his own people will not accept his invitation he reaches out to those outside of his original party list. He sends out his slaves the third time. John the Baptist, the apostles and all that follow them. He sends them out to the outcasts of the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.
The common person would not have suitable clothes for the wedding feast so the king, that is God, gives them wedding garments to cover up their street clothes that were tattered and dirty. New clothes are given to cover over the old so that they are now presentable.
The story makes sense up to this point. It matches what we know about God and his relationship with the Jewish people. We know that our God wants all to celebrate the wedding of His son. We know that he is so eager to give out his gifts that He will even give them to a commoner on the street. None of these things are surprising, for we know of the rich love and mercy of our God. We know that he wants always to give out his gifts to His creation.
But here is where the problem comes in. Why in the world would he throw out a guest because he did not have the proper wedding outfit on, especially after going to all the trouble to fill the wedding feast with guests? We are told the man stood there speechless. Maybe the man thought what he was wearing was acceptable and maybe it was according to the standards of the day. Maybe his clothing was better than the king’s clothing that he had given out to his guests.
What, then, could cause the king, that is God, to throw out this particular guest? We know that God is not a ruthless enforcer of manners. God does not favor one over another on the basis of what he has done. No it cannot be that. There can only be one reason for this radical behavior by God. This guest has refused to wear the garment that the king, that is God, has provided so he would be properly attired for the feast.
Just like those who had rejected his invitation so that they could take care of business, this man had rejected the gift that God wanted to give him. God wanted him to be properly attired and he has refused the robe, and in doing so has condemned himself. There is some debate as to whether this garment is faith or grace. It really does not make any difference, for they are both gifts of God, totally undeserved.
Things haven't changed in the world or even in the church. Modern men and women still put their own plans ahead of the Lord's invitation. We forget that if we are in the place where we hear the Lord's saving word of Gospel, that we have everything. We forget that if we don't have the Gospel that we have nothing at all. Sometimes, we even mock the Lord's forgiveness. We convince ourselves that it's okay to sin today since we can ask for the Lord's forgiveness tomorrow. Make no mistake, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ; planned repentance is no repentance at all. Willful, impenitent sin can drive the Holy Spirit from you forever.
We live only by the Lord's invitation and his robes of righteousness. Without Him, we are dead. In order to survive we must constantly hear the Lord's saving word. Christians live a life of repentance. If we are not clothed in the Lord's forgiveness, we are clothed with death instead. The one who walks in spiritual death in this life will reap eternal death in the life to come. Those who continue to scorn the King's invitation, who slip the robe of righteousness over their own clothes, will pay the price in the end when Christ comes in all his glory to judge all people.
Make no mistake; the Lord will have His feast. He will fill his banquet hall. He continues to send out his invitation. Come to the heavenly feast! Good and bad! Greatest and least! Come be clothed in the wedding garment of the Lord; the garment of salvation; the garment of forgiveness that Christ won on that bloody cross. I urge you not to stand on your own righteousness, for it will get you thrown out. You cannot attend the feast on your own terms. You must be wearing only his robes.
But you, people loved by God, are ready for the feast. You have heard and accepted the Lord's invitation, and you have believed His promises. You are properly attired. For in your baptism you have put on Christ. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb! Blessed are those against whom the Lord does not count their sin! Blessed are you, people loved by God! The feast is ready! Come to the feast! Good and bad! Greatest and least! Come to the feast! The Lord God has come to wipe away the tears from all faces. He loves you. He has clothed you with His righteousness. You are ready for judgment day. Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 4:01 PM
|
0 comments
