Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Matthew 22:1-14
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  October 25, 2020

Where do I fit in? Isn’t that a question that everyone asks? Whenever you start anything new: a new job, a new school, a new team, a new town, one of the first things you do is try to figure out where you fit in. Generally speaking, you fit in with those who share common interests or have common experiences. You fit in if you wear the right clothes or are part of the right clubs or share a similar social status. We all have this innate desire to fit in.

What about when it comes to the kingdom of heaven? Where do I fit in? Can I fit in? That’s the question before us today as we hear the third of Jesus’ parables directed at the chief priests and the elders of the people. It’s the Tuesday of Holy Week. You might picture it like media day of Super Bowl week where all the players and coaches are interviewed all day long. Jesus has entered the temple courts with the intention of teaching the people. While he’s there, his authority is questioned by the chief priests and elders of the people. Jesus responded by asking them a question, which they couldn’t answer, and then he told three parables. We looked at the first one two weeks ago, the parable of the two sons. Last week, our Gospel told the parable of the vineyard. And now today, we have the third parable, the parable of the wedding banquet.  As we ponder this third parable, may the Holy Spirit lead us to see that when it comes to the kingdom of heaven, Everyone can–but few will–fit in at God’s feast.

“Jesus spoke to them again in parables. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.” A couple things to remember before we dig in. When we hear that phrase, “the kingdom of heaven,” we understand that Jesus isn’t talking about our eternal home with him. He’s talking about our time on earth. He’s talking about the relationship we have with him as he rules in our hearts through faith. The other thing that we need to keep in mind is the way Jewish wedding banquets worked. A wedding banquet would have consisted of a series of meals over a number of days. It would be like combining our concept of the rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner, the wedding and reception, and then the gift opening brunch into one event. With that understanding in mind, let’s dig into the parable.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent out his servants to summon those who were invited to the wedding banquet, but they did not want to come.” At first glance, maybe we don’t see such a big deal with this. There are plenty of things that we’re invited to that we don’t want to go to. Maybe we were interested for a while, but then we changed our mind. Have you ever gotten one of those event invitations on Facebook? When you get one, you can respond by clicking “interested” or even “going” to indicate your intentions. But studies have shown that there’s a huge gap between the number of people who claim to be interested or even say they are going and the number of people who actually attend. The difference here is that these invited ones had already accepted the invitation. They sent back the RSVP. A place was set for them at the banquet. And then they changed their mind. So why didn’t they want to come? 

Remember, Jesus is telling this parable about the religious leaders. While not explicitly told, I think it’s safe to say that the self-righteous nature of these religious leaders played a part. They loved to point out that they were children of Abraham. They loved to point out all of the extra works they performed as the reason they were invited first. Their constant shaming of the “sinners” of society clearly showed they thought they were morally superior. They weren’t. Jesus had clearly shown this especially on this Tuesday with his parables. The more Jesus made it clear that this wedding banquet was for tax collectors and prostitutes and Gentiles, too, the less they wanted to be a part of it.

“Then he sent out other servants and said, ‘Tell those who are invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and my fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet!’ But those who were invited paid no attention and went off, one to his own farm, another to his business. The rest seized the king’s servants, mistreated them, and killed them.”  The king is not deterred. He sends out more servants. It’s as if he’s pleading with them to come. The first meal is ready. It’s ready to eat right now. Just come…However, this second invitation is met with indifference. They didn’t care. They’d rather work to prove their worth than sit at a banquet. But not only indifference, but violence. It seems completely out of place that they would resort to murder. Talking about shooting the messenger! And yet, this is exactly what the Jews had done to God’s messengers, the prophets, time and time again.  

“As a result, the king was very angry. He sent his army and killed those murderers and burned their town.” The behavior of the people in killing the servants seems totally out of place. Doesn’t the king’s reaction seem like a massive overreaction as well? The whole town gets burned too? Many believe that this refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Whatever the case, there’s still a wedding banquet to be held. 

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. So go to the main crossroads and invite as many as you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those servants went out to the roads and gathered together everyone they found, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.” The king’s statement here is interesting. He says that the invited guests were not worthy. What does he mean by that? Those guests didn’t fit in. Why? Those guests thought that they were invited because of who they were. They thought they were invited because of what they had accomplished. However, this feast and the invitation were defined by pure grace. The self-righteous nature of the guests didn’t fit in. So different guests were invited and brought in and the whole place was full. And Jesus’ description of those new guests is also interesting: both good and bad. Good and bad in the eyes of the world is the best way to understand this. The ones society holds up and those it looks down upon were both invited and both were there. Remember this is a grace banquet.

But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wearing wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.”All seemed to be going well until the king saw someone who wasn’t properly dressed. He uses the same word that Jesus used to address Judas when he betrayed him, the same word the vineyard owner used with the workers who thought their pay was unfair. We would say, “Hey pal, how did you get in here without wearing wedding clothes?” And the man had no answer. If it was accidental or due to something beyond his control, he could have said, “This is the best I have.” “I couldn’t afford to buy new clothes.” But he is silent. He had willingly refused to wear the proper clothes. But why? Had he been one of the “good” ones and thought that his own clothes looked just fine–maybe even better than the ones the king offered? Had he been one of the “bad” ones? Maybe he thought his invitation to the banquet meant the king was just fine with who he was and how he was living? Either way, he was mistaken. Only the proper clothes were fitting for this feast. “Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

There’s a lot to unpack in this parable. It seems like two different situations, but the problem unveiled is really the same. Many people simply refuse the king’s invitation to sit down with him and feast on his gospel gifts. They’ll claim it’s because church isn’t entertaining or exciting and if we change that, they’ll come. However, Jesus gives us a deeper analysis. All people are constantly searching for righteousness. And naturally, we respond to invitations that give us a righteousness of our own. Those invitations either say something about us or give us a chance to prove something about ourselves. This is the attraction of work and sports and leisure and social lives. These are opportunities to justify ourselves to make a name for ourselves. And on the flip side, even for those who respond to the king’s invitation, that desire for self-justification doesn’t go away. There is a self-righteous nature in both the “good” and the “bad.” Jesus invites us as we are, but we can’t attend as we are. He doesn’t pat us on the back for our good deeds nor accept and overlook our flagrant sins. Repentance is required for both.

So how can we fit in at God’s feast? While we can refuse the invitation and the proper clothes, the power for transforming our hearts lies with God. It is God’s work to create the faith in our hearts that responds to his call. And so he constantly calls, even pleads with us to attend his feast. He remains ever willing to provide us with the clothing that makes us fit to attend. The meal is ready right now. Right now, we can sit down with our king and feast on the heavenly gifts he places here before us in his Word and Sacraments. This gospel invitation carries the power to change our stony hearts into hearts of faith. The work of Jesus in living, dying, and rising again provides the proper clothes that allows us to fit in. This invitation and this feast are defined by pure grace, pure undeserved love from our God. In its very essence, this invitation is a call to repentance. A call to cast off the clothing of our sinful nature and to clothe ourselves in Christ.

Think about the last wedding reception you were invited to attend as a guest. What did you do while you were there? I’m guessing you dressed for the occasion and then you sat down and enjoyed the meal and the festivities. You weren’t bussing tables. You didn’t have to prove your worth. You had the invitation. You had the clothes. You enjoyed the feast. That’s the invitation before you today. Your clothes have been provided. The meal is ready. Come, sit, and enjoy the feast. Wearing Christ’s righteousness, I promise, you’ll fit right in. Amen.