The Wedding Feast

Mathew 22:1-14

All over the world different cultures do different things for weddings. Have you seen the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”? You should see it. It shows different cultures, Greek and American and how they approach weddings.

All my life I had been urban boy when God opened a new ministry in a village called Ainjar. Our urban custom was printing wedding invitation cards. I understand that in the USA, some couples print cards after the wedding to inform their friends that they have got married. I learned from village life that the weeding invitation will be in two steps. The word goes around about the date of the wedding. When the day arrives, you will hear the drum and zourna (Armenian musical instrument) sound. That is the invitation. You are all invited.

Well, today’s passage is an invitation to a wedding. The kingdom of God is a wedding banquet. Be careful, it is not the church wedding service, it is the second part: the dinner, “kef”, Dhol Zourna, Dance, Shish kebab, Cake, fun part.

Let us examine our story.

Today’s parable has two parts. The first part is verses 1-10.

1. God invites his chosen people to enter to the kingdom of God.

The wedding is His kingdom, and they can enter it by accepting Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, they refuse to come. They reject God’s invitation.

They refuse the invitation and they go to their work and daily businesses. They even mistreat one of God’s servants, mock him and later kill him.

As it comes in the parable, “The king was outraged. He sent his army… and burned their city.” (vs 7) The city of Jerusalem was burnt in 70 AD in the Maccabean revolt. Roman solders did burn the temple and part of the city.

2. If God’s chosen people are not ready to enter his kingdom, God’s invitation is for all.

Everyone is invited, no exception.

This does not mean everyone is responding for the invitation.

Come on the invitation is not for funeral service, the invitation is for a wedding feast. Two observations:

a. If anyone comes from outside to our church, does he or she feel this church is in a wedding feast? How are we doing in the church? Are we celebrating?

* The writer Bill Henderson recalls a meeting with a man on a cruise who said he was an expert in knowing people’s profession by looking to their faces.

“You see that man over there? He is a physician”

“How could you tell?” Bill asked.

“I saw the caring lines on his forehead and could tell he is man of compassion”.

The man saw another person. “That man is lawyer”.

“How do you know?”

“Look, the man has a scholarly look and is formal”.

“That man is preacher” said the man. This time Bill went and asked the man whether he was a preacher.

The man said he was not a preacher. He added: “I am just sea sick, that is reason I look so sad”.

Our joy comes from Christ. Joy does not mean we should jump and shout. Maybe some want to do I do not have problem as long as we can worship God in a respectful and orderly manner. Remember Paul who was writing to the Philippians from the prison in Rome. He was chained; yet he wrote about rejoicing in the Lord. The Church should be a warm place to express Christian joy to each other, to care for each other, to hold each other up. We are in a party given by God. This is the BEST PARTY on earth.

b. Some were busy and went to their daily life. They were doing the good stuff. They were not thieves or murderers. They were making money for a living, an important duty to survive in life.

*William Barclay says: “The tragedy of life is that it is so often the second bests which shut out the bests, that it is so often the second bests themselves which shut out the things that are supreme. A man can be so busy making a living that he fails to make a life; he can be so busy with the administration and the organization of life that he forgets life itself.”

By rejecting God’s invitation you are missing the PARTY. You are punishing yourself by depriving your life from God’s presence and fellowship. You think you are living, yet you are missing LIFE.

* I was talking with a friend of mine from Dallas TX. He started as a simple engineer and reached top executive levels. He owned an oil company. I spoke with him some days ago. He had sold his company. I was shocked. He explained that God gave him enough. He is wealthy. He gives his wealth all over. Now he will start a new oil company in a foreign land, so that he will put all the income back in that country for building schools and churches.

3. The second part of the parable (vs 11-14) talks about the wedding garments.

Some came to the wedding without the proper gown. They were thrown out. Of course, they had not had the time to prepare. They came from the streets. But the custom was that the host would provide for them appropriate garments. It seems some did wear the garments and some rejected the garments.

Once we accept the open invitation and enter the banquet we can not stay the same way. Yes, it is a free invitation but we need to come with new clothes.

Paul uses the same image. Take off the old clothes and wear the new.

The participants of the feast can not live the old life after meeting JESUS.

By the way, the parable is nothing to do with the clothes we wear on Sunday. No, it has everything to do with the spirit in which we come to God’s house. “These are garments of the mind, soul, and heart”, says William Barclay, garments of changing of our daily life, garments of sanctification.

I observe sometimes the way you enter to church. Please, let us be silent and concentrate on God. Of course, we miss each other and we want to talk. But we have the organ music as prelude. It is for silent time of prayer and meditation. All our life is rush and run. Slow down, slow down, and wait for the lord. Come with a humble spirit. Come with a new garment.

Let us summarize.

We all are invited. Some will come some will reject.

I wish we all accept the invitation.

It is a celebration, it is a feast. So come prepared with the proper clothes. Come with the spirit of worship and adoration. Come with the spirit of learning and ready to obey and change things in you life.

COME, LET US CELEBRATE WITH GOD