Peggy Roe
Matthew 22:1-14 (NRSV) 

22 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ 5 But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”  

Reflection: 

“Dinner’s ready!”  Those are the words I’ve heard cried out by cooks across the decades to bring their families to the holiday table.  Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter – or even a special birthday – the only person focused on gathering the group seems to be the cook.  And typically, the cook has been cooking for hours, if not days, to prepare the holiday meal.  By the time the feast is ready to be served, some family members have started watching TV, others have gone outside to play, while still others have retreated to corners to read their messages or sneak a snack.  What’s a cook to do?

 In the scripture from Matthew, it is not the beleaguered cook who keeps calling people to the table, but the king himself.  The king sends his servants to gather the guests for his son’s wedding banquet not once, but twice.  Dispatching the second group, the king commands his servants to invite anyone on the streets to the banquet, and a multitude responds.  Once gathered, though, the king notices one man not dressed in proper wedding attire and condemns him to oblivion, saying, “For many are called, but few are chosen (Matt 22:14).”

 Similarly, when the cook calls the family to the table and finally succeeds (hurling epithets such as, “The mashed potatoes are getting cold!”), she/he may quickly notice the grass-stained khakis on a grandson or the chocolate smudge on a granddaughter’s pinafore, prompting the response, “You’ve ruined your outfit.  Woe am I.”  But the feast goes on.

 Like the modern-day cook, Matthew is clearly distraught about something, and he writes the parable of the wedding feast to teach a lesson and give a warning.  The language in the passage is heavy with symbolism:  the king is God, the son is Jesus, the covenantal relationship with God is the marriage, false prophets are the slaves, Jews are the original wedding guests, and Gentiles and other undesirables are the street people. Matthew writes his passage following the destruction of Jerusalem (“the fire”) in 70 CE by the Romans as a judgment that, upon Jesus’s return to earth, he will destroy the Romans. The failure to wear “proper clothing” shows dishonor to the king, and that explains why only “the few” will return to heaven when Jesus comes. 

 Millennia later, Christian gatherings can evoke feelings possibly shared by the guests first invited to the feast:  not everyone feels welcome at the banquet table; there are fissures among certain family members; there is something better to do that day; or, “They’ll never miss me.”  God wants all of us at His table, and He wants us to honor Him and His son with our presence on important occasions as well as in our daily lives. When God calls, we must accept the invitation.

 Prayer: 

Dear Heavenly Father, 

Thank you for inviting me to come to your banquet – a banquet of love, compassion, and forgiveness.  I am an unworthy recipient of your largesse, but I am grateful for it. In Christ’s name I pray, 

Amen.