The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost<\/p>\n
October 15, 2023<\/p>\n
Matthew 22:1-14<\/p>\n
A Story of Foolish Rejection!<\/p>\n
1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2\u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.<\/em><\/p>\n 4\u201cThen he sent some more servants and said, \u2018Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n 5\u201cBut they paid no attention and went off\u2014one to his field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.<\/em><\/p>\n 8\u201cThen he said to his servants, \u2018The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.\u2019 10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.<\/em><\/p>\n 11\u201cBut when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12\u2019Friend,\u2019 he asked, \u2018how did you get in here without wedding clothes?\u2019 The man was speechless.<\/em><\/p>\n 13\u201cThen the king told the attendants, \u2018Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n 14\u201cFor many are invited, but few are chosen.\u201d<\/em> (NIV1984)<\/p>\n Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n Have you ever declined an invitation only to regret it later? When I was serving in Seattle I had a number of members who told me that they had an opportunity to get in on the ground floor of companies such as Microsoft or Starbucks\u2014 but they declined. It didn\u2019t take them long to regret that decision. Maybe you get an invitation to an event that didn\u2019t seem to be interesting to you, so you decline. Then you find out from other people how wonderful it was. As you look back on the invitations you have declined only to regret it later on, how does it make you feel? Do you feel angry? Do you feel sad? Do you feel foolish?<\/p>\n There are other invitations which we know we would be foolish to reject such as: an invitation to join a friend on their vacation to your favorite location\u2014 free of charge; an invitation to attend a football game where your favorite team is playing their biggest rival; or an invitation to go backstage and meet your favorite musical group. Now how do you feel? Excited? Thankful?<\/p>\n Today as we conclude our sermon series entitled Jesus, Tell Us a Story! <\/em><\/strong>we are going to focus on the<\/strong> most glorious invitation of all! It is God\u2019s invitation to enjoy His heavenly banquet! We\u2019ll study this portion of Scripture under the theme: A Story of Foolish Rejection!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Once again Matthew takes us back to the Tuesday of Holy Week. When the chief priests and the elders of the people refused to take to heart Jesus\u2019 Parable of the Two Sons, Jesus told them a parable that was even more powerful and even more pointed\u2014 the Parable of the Tenants. Since Jesus knew that the Parable of the Tenants made the chief priests and the elders of the people so mad that they \u201clooked for a way to arrest him\u201d<\/em> (Matthew 21:46), Jesus told them one last parable, one last story, to try to help them see that they needed to repent of their sins. He told them the Parable of the Wedding Banquet. This parable centered on something that was easy to understand by everyone there in the Temple\u2014 including the religious leaders of God\u2019s people. Look at verses 1-5 of our text. Jesus says, \u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent some more servants and said, \u2018Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.\u2019 But they paid no attention and went off\u2014 one to his field, another to his business.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n This parable, this earthly story with a heavenly meaning, was once again very familiar to the people who were there in the Temple of the Lord. The invitation that the Lord God proclaimed to His Chosen People through His servant Isaiah, the invitation we heard in our Old Testament lesson for today (Isaiah 25:6-9), was kind of like an ancient version of a \u201cSave the Date\u201d card. The Lord described for His people in a beautiful symbolic way that He was preparing a \u201cfeast\u201d<\/em> for them. Jesus describes this \u201cfeast\u201d<\/em> as a \u201cwedding banquet.\u201d<\/em> There was nothing <\/strong>that God\u2019s people had to do. The Lord assures them that He <\/strong>is preparing for <\/strong>them \u201ca feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine\u2014 the best of meats and the finest of wines\u201d<\/em>( Isaiah 25:6).<\/p>\n This is a picture of the \u201cfeast of salvation\u201d that our <\/strong>King, the Lord our God, has prepared for <\/strong>us! It is a \u201cfeast\u201d<\/em> that begins here on this earth and continues\/culminates in heaven above. Through the Person and the work of Jesus the Christ everything <\/strong>that was necessary for us to enjoy the \u201cwedding banquet of the Son\u201d<\/em> has been meticulously prepared. Through the powerful message of the Gospel God has not only extended His gracious invitation to us, but He has placed that invitation into our hand and said, \u201cThis is for you! Everything is ready! Come and enjoy the wedding banquet!\u201d<\/p>\n Unfortunately, like the invited guests here in Jesus\u2019 parable we have the ability to foolishly reject God\u2019s gracious invitation. Why would anyone do something so foolish? Jesus highlights two reasons. The first reason is found in His words, \u201cBut they paid no attention and went off\u2014 one to his field, another to his business.\u201d<\/em> These two invited guests foolishly rejected the invitation they were given because they were too immersed in their own earthly pursuits. The farmer rejects the invitation because he has to earn a living and that means he has work that needs to get done. The businessman rejects the invitation because he has a career to build. Both men are just too busy to take the time to sit down and enjoy a banquet.<\/p>\n Here is where we would do well to stop and remember: Every single Sunday our King invites us to come to His house and enjoy a \u201cfeast of rich food for all peoples\u201d<\/em>\u2014 the spiritual food of His holy Word and His holy Supper. Do we joyfully accept His invitation? Or do we foolishly reject His invitation and say, \u201cI\u2019m sorry Lord. I just don\u2019t have the time. I am so busy right now\u2014 but I will try to make it another time.\u201d We need to be very careful that we do not fall into the rut that is described in Jesus\u2019 words, \u201cBut they paid no attention and went off\u2014 one to his field, another to his business.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The second reason that Jesus gives for foolishly rejecting God\u2019s invitation to His glorious feast centers on\u2014 hatred. Jesus says, \u201cThe rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.\u201d<\/em> While these words were directed at the unrepentant hearts of the chief priests and the elders of the people who were there in the Temple, there are many many people right down to this very day who foolishly follow in their footsteps. Think of all the people who reject Jesus as the true Son of God and this world\u2019s only Savior from sin. Think of all the people who reject the message of the cross (Pointing to the cross) because they think it is foolishness. Think of all the people who reject you when you try to share the Truth of the Bible with them. Yes, my friends, it is not difficult to see indifference and hatred toward God right down to this very day.<\/p>\n Verse seven reminds us of why the writer to the Hebrews says, \u201cIt is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God\u201d<\/em> (Hebrews 10:31). Verse seven states, \u201cThe king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.\u201d<\/em> Here Jesus is warning the chief priests and the elders of the people that for those who foolishly reject God\u2019s gracious invitation to His feast, for those who foolishly murder God\u2019s servants\u2014 whether it be the prophets, the apostles, or the Son Himself\u2014 there will be a day of reckoning. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. is a direct fulfillment of this verse. But just as the destruction of Jerusalem was a precursor to the final judgment that will take place at the end of the age, so also this verse pictures the wrath of God that can come down at any time on those who persistently, repeatedly, and foolishly reject His gracious invitation.<\/p>\n The King, however, is not deterred is He! Look at verses 8-10. Jesus\u2019 story continues, \u201cThen he said to his servants, \u2018The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.\u2019 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The King\u2019s grace is so amazing, the King\u2019s desire to celebrate with His guests is so great that He says to His servants, \u201cGo! Go to the highways and the byways! Go to the city streets and the country roads! Go to everyone you can find both \u2018good and bad\u2019 and invite them to my wedding feast!\u201d<\/p>\n These words of the King easily remind us of the command, the commission, that Jesus has given to us: \u201cGo and make disciples of all nations\u201d<\/em> (Matthew 28:19). \u201cGo into all the world and preach the good news to all creation\u201d<\/em> (Mark 16:15). Like the servants in Jesus\u2019 parable we have the privilege of proclaiming to as many people as we can, \u201cThere still is room! Come and enjoy the feast of salvation that God has prepared for you!\u201d We don\u2019t discriminate against anyone. We don\u2019t try to judge between the \u201cgood\u201d and the \u201cbad.\u201d Since Jesus loved everyone <\/strong>enough to suffer and die to completely pay for all of their sins we invite everyone to come to the feast\u2014 trusting that God Himself will separate the \u201cgood\u201d from the \u201cbad,\u201d the \u201csheep\u201d from the \u201cgoats.\u201d<\/p>\n That is the truth that is brought out very clearly in the closing portion of our text. Look at verses 11-14. Jesus says, \u201cBut when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. \u2018Friend,\u2019 he asked, \u2018how did you get in here without wedding clothes?\u2019 The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, \u2018Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.\u2019 For many are invited, but few are chosen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n We all know that when we attend someone\u2019s wedding we want to wear our very best clothes. We might even go out and buy new clothes\u2014 just for the wedding! The people in Jesus\u2019 day didn\u2019t have that luxury. That\u2019s why it was very common for the host to provide \u201cwedding clothes\u201d<\/em> for the guests to wear. And when we stop to remember that this was a king who was hosting a wedding banquet for his son and when we stop to remember that these guests did not receive a \u201cSave the Date\u201d card well in advance of the wedding feast, it is very easy to understand why the guests were provided with \u201cwedding clothes\u201d<\/em> to wear.<\/p>\n What we are not told, what we do not understand is why this particular guest foolishly rejected the offer to wear \u201cwedding clothes.\u201d<\/em> The height of his foolishness is seen in his response to the king\u2019s question, \u201cFriend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?\u201d<\/em> His response? He knew that he did not have an excuse. He knew that he didn\u2019t even have an acceptable reason. That\u2019s why Jesus says, \u201cThe man was speechless.\u201d<\/em> The result of his foolishness was swift: He was tied hand and foot and thrown out of the wedding banquet.<\/p>\n The application of this part of Jesus\u2019 parable, Jesus\u2019 story, is this: God Himself not only invites us to come to the wedding feast of His Son\u2014 our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ\u2014 but God Himself gives to us\u2014 as a free gift\u2014 the \u201cwedding clothes\u201d<\/em> that we need <\/strong>to be a guest at this wedding feast! The \u201cwedding clothes\u201d<\/em> that we need <\/strong>are none other than the robe of righteousness that Jesus secured for <\/strong>us on the cross of Calvary\u2019s hill, the robe of righteousness that God the Holy Spirit gave to <\/strong>us when we were baptized in the Name of the Triune God (See Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 7:14), the robe of righteousness that God Himself washes clean of every spot and every stain every time we receive His holy Supper!<\/p>\n Tragically there are people right down to this very day who insult the King by foolishly rejecting the \u201cwedding clothes\u201d<\/em> that He freely provides to them. Their own self-centered pride leads them to think that they can enjoy the King\u2019s \u201cwedding banquet\u201d<\/em> wearing their own <\/strong>garment\u2014 a garment that is stitched together with their own good works, a garment that is soiled by their own feelings of self-worth, a garment that is torn and tattered by the foolish decision to live their <\/strong>life in whatever way they <\/strong>choose! Anyone and everyone who finds themselves standing in front of the King of kings wearing anything other than the robe of righteousness Christ won for <\/strong>them will hear the King say to them, \u201cDepart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels\u201d<\/em> (Matthew 25:41).<\/p>\n Jesus\u2019 story of foolish rejection, also known as the Parable of the Wedding Banquet serves as both a comfort and a warning to us. The warning comes in the realization that we do not want to foolishly reject God\u2019s invitation to come here to His house and enjoy the rich spiritual food that He freely provides to us in His holy Word and His holy Supper. Repeatedly refusing this invitation because we are \u201ctoo busy\u201d or because we have \u201cbetter things to do\u201d could result in forfeiting our spot at the heavenly banquet that God has graciously prepared for us.<\/p>\n The comfort we receive from Jesus\u2019 parable, Jesus\u2019 story, is found in the amazing grace of the King. He freely prepares a \u201cfeast of rich food,\u201d<\/em> a \u201cwedding banquet\u201d<\/em> the likes of which we can\u2019t even begin to imagine, and then He offers it to us as an absolutely free gift. And if there have been times in our life when we have foolishly rejected that invitation, our King is still there with His arms held out to us saying, \u201cAll is forgiven. Come and enjoy the wedding banquet I have prepared for you!\u201d What a wonderful reason to lift up our eyes to the cross and say:<\/p>\n To God be the glory!<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n