Matthew 22: 1-14 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants[a] to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Today we heard the Parable of the Wedding Feast that Jesus told to the Pharisees. A king (God) was planning a wedding feast for his son (Jesus) and sent out his servants (prophets) with invitations to many important people (Pharisees).
The story is interpreted to mean that God sent prophets who were killed for spreading the Good News that God would send his son. The Pharisees understood that Jesus was speaking about themselves because they were not willing to accept Jesus as the Messiah and refused the invitation to the wedding.
We learn from this parable that God never gave up trying to bring people together to celebrate his son’s life. God invites everyone to the table. No one is turned away.
God knows our heart and accepts us as we are, young or old, rich or poor, black or white. He will know if we are truly faithful or if we are not coming to his house with an open heart. The man without the wedding robe was a hypocrite, pretending to follow God, and cast into the darkness because he was not willing to accept Jesus as his son.
Those wearing the robes, came as one, equal and ready to serve God. All social status was removed when the guests wore the same clothing. It doesn’t matter how much money we have or how well we do on test scores. God loves us all, just as we are.
Pastor Sarah said: “Let us all remember and be mindful of the banquet which we were all invited. Let us don new attire and join other guests that have come to the table. The table is set, God welcomes you and I and all who truly love his son, Jesus Christ.”
“For many are called, but few are chosen” Amen