TIME WITH THE CHILDREN
Today’s Gospel reading is a story that Jesus tells, to teach us about the kingdom of heaven. He says it is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
Now, could anyone just turn up be a part of a royal wedding party? Do you think that we would ever be able to? We would need an invitation!
But we don’t get one because kings don’t know us. So we usually just watch on TV. Let’s pretend we are doing that now, watching special news coverage on TV in our lounge rooms. The King has prepared a huge wedding celebration for his son, and that will be held right here in Adelaide, in the Town Hall. TV crews have been given special access to show viewers the banquet room, elegantly arranged with dining tables set with the finest tableware and decorations. The food has already been prepared. It will all be very special, and there will be lots of it. Musicians will be playing beautiful music. What a special occasion! The news reporters inform that the King is about to send out his servants to invite those he has chosen to this special celebration. Wouldn’t it be a tremendous honour to be invited to a celebration like this! Would you like to have an invitation to a royal wedding like that?
Well, even though it is in Adelaide, only the most important officials would ever be able to attend a celebration like this. Thousands line the streets to catch a glimpse of the King’s son, and the closest you are able to get is watching the TV. It will soon be time for the guests to arrive. Then there’s a newsflash: the King has sent out his servants to summon those who had been called to the wedding feast—but they were not willing to come! What!?!! Can you believe it! Who would receive a special invitation like this from the King—and not want to come to such a wonderful celebration!?!
So the King sends other servants to tell those he had invited: ‘I have prepared my meal—all is ready. Come in to the wedding feast.’ But—can you believe it— they were still not willing to come! They rejected the King’s special invitation.
Then there is a knock at your door. Next slide You answer, and the person gives you one of these [hold up invitation] Take a look—an invitation from the King, to come to his son’s special wedding banquet. Because the King’s guests had rejected his invitation, the King told his servants to go out into the streets and invite everyone to come to his son’s wedding celebration, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. And that is why you’ve been invited.
What King would really do that? Do you think the King would ever invite you to a royal wedding in real life? Do you think the Kings of the world even know who you are?
Of course they don’t.
But God knows who you are. He created you. And he has saved you and claimed you to be his own. No king on earth would invite you to a royal wedding celebration. But Jesus told this story to teach us that our Heavenly Father has. He calls people into his family to be joined with Jesus the Son. He pictures this like a marriage where Jesus, the Bridegroom, completely commits and devotes himself to his bride, his church, forever. There will be great celebrating in heaven over this. [turn over invitation and read]
This is a celebration that God your Heavenly King has invited you to!
SERMON
Jesus tells today’s parable to teach us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. They’re the opening words in Jesus’ story and we shouldn’t lose sight of that. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…”
People have many ideas about what God is like and how he rules. Although we were created by God in his image, since Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, it is natural for us humans to create God in our own image. That was clearly on display at Mount Sinai, when the people the one true living God had just redeemed made a golden calf to worship!
It was clearly on display in Matthew’s Gospel too. The religious leaders of the day had their own corrupted view of God. They thought God’s favour and blessing could be received through pious performance, and they shunned anyone who didn’t fit into their framework of ‘holiness’. They were absolutely correct in that only holy people and holy things could be in the presence of a holy God, and live. But they completely missed their need for grace, for no-one can achieve or work towards a holiness or righteousness that is acceptable to God. It is only Jesus’ holiness and righteousness that counts before God; a gift of grace received through faith. So the way to God is through forgiveness, not performance. It is through humility not exaltation. It is through generosity not greed. It is not through law but grace.
And so today’s parable features in a long list of stories, examples and lessons in Matthew’s Gospel, as Jesus continues to teach about what God is like. Jesus teaches that it is not the power of human effort, but by his powerful word that he builds his church, and gives it the authority to forgive and retain sins. It is through the word of forgiveness and ministry of grace that the church grows. Jesus highlighted the central place of forgiveness, not performance, in the church, and how his disciples are to forgive without conditions and limits, just as they had been forgiven by their Father in heaven. Jesus used a story about workers who began just before knock off receiving the same pay as those who worked all through the day, showing that God is the generous owner of all and gives his grace to all his people equally. Jesus tells the parable of the two sons, teaching that those who were made holy and inherited the kingdom were the most unlikely people who humbled themselves by turning to John the Baptist in faith, like the prostitutes and tax collectors that went into heaven, way ahead of the religious leaders.
With last week’s parable, the Parable of the Tenants, Jesus confronted these religious leaders directly. Despite God’s generosity and grace in promising an undeserved Saviour, they had refused to listen to the prophets when he sent them. They even persecuted them. But that still didn’t stop God’s longing for his people to know him and receive his blessings. So he sent messengers again, more than the first time…but the tenants treated them the same way. Astonishingly, the owner persists, and sends his own Son, who they throw out of the vineyard, and murder.
The Chief Priests and the Pharisees knew Jesus was talking about them when he said: “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” (Matthew 21:43).
To correct the religious leaders’ corrupted image of God—that he restricts his blessing and welcome to only those who perform well and present worthily—Jesus told today’s parable. Remember, the whole focus and standpoint of this parable is not on those invited, but on the one inviting: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son”. Did you notice that there is one striking omission from the parable—the bride! In weddings the focus is always on the bride…how the bride’s hair and makeup is done, what her dress is like, how beautiful she looks. But the parable focuses our attention on the king and how he interacts with those around him, and through that character then, to see the kind of king God is.
The king in the parable is our Heavenly Father, and his Kingdom reigns wherever his Son is at work in the world to give divine blessing, grace and mercy. God is the generous and gracious King. He is the One who invites. There is no mention or discussion about the people’s standing or worthiness. God had simply chosen a people for himself to lavish upon them his abundant blessings, and this is what is pictured by the banquet and the fattened cattle—a feast of the highest extravagance. Notice too that the King didn’t wait for his guests to come to him. He sent people out to issue the invitations. Nor does God wait for people to come to him. He is intentional about people sharing life with him. He sends his servants out to call people to him. Jesus is speaking of his Father sending the prophets to call his people to repent from their persistent idolatry and the ways they tried to harness divine favour for themselves, and to instead expectantly await the coming of the Son, whose holiness and righteousness is the only way to fullness of life with God.
God is completely committed to sharing his generosity and lavishing his extravagant gifts on his people. He wants to welcome them to his table and serve them and celebrate with them. He wants them to know his joy, and share in it—even though they snubbed his invitation. So he sends other servants to repeat the invitation. These are the apostles, who join the prophets before them in witnessing to Christ, pointing to him as the way to forgiveness and eternal life with the Father. But again, the invitation is dismissed. One man went away to his own land, the other to his business affairs. Then there are the others who violently object by seizing the king’s messengers, running riot and killing them.
Through their rejection of the King’s invitation, the people have excluded themselves and shown themselves to be unworthy. The King’s grace and kindness cannot be insulted forever. He brings judgment on their city—a picture of the judgment God had brought on Jerusalem. Yet even then God was faithful to his ancient promises of making Abraham’s descendants as numerous as the stars, from which would come the Saviour who would bruise his heel by crushing Satan’s head.
So God called others to the banquet. The good and the bad who the King calls are like the charity volunteer and the drug addict, the respectable citizen and thief, the loving grandmother and the prostitute. Why did the King command his servants: ‘…go to the thoroughfares and as many as you might find you call to the wedding feast’? Because God does not want to hoard his blessing to himself. He is determined to fill the banquet hall with guests, so he can share his generosity with them.
There would surely be appropriate attire to wear to a royal wedding. But if the people invited are just instantly gathered from off of the streets, would they at such short notice have access to such fine garments in which to attend?
In the culture of the day, the host himself supplied formal garments for his honoured guests, so that it could be clearly seen by their attire that they were authorised to be at that function—that they belonged in the company of that host at his celebration. It also relieved the guests of the expense and complications of bringing their own garments.
Most of us here today have grown up in the church as infants from the time of our baptism. Our grandparents and parents have attended worship regularly. Going to church has been a part of our life’s routine. We recall with fondness the church of our youth, our family connectedness in it, memorable social times, perhaps favourite readings and favourite hymns. Many of us have served with dedication and commitment to the congregation we have been a part of.
Have we ever given a thought that it is only because of an invitation that we have a faith, and a place in the church? An invitation that is not from an earthly king, but from God the King of heaven?
Is this an invitation you have actually replied to?
Is this an invitation you have even heard?
Does it seem unimaginable that God your heavenly King would issue an invitation to you?
How would you respond to the King’s invitation—to join him, in his celebration?
We’re only here because of the King’s gracious invitation. It would be incomprehensible that an earthly king would even know us, let alone invite us to the royal banquet hall! But the mind-blowing truth of the gospel is that God your Heavenly King knows you, has chosen you and invited you to join with him in his celebration at his table—not because we are rich, or powerful, or more important than anyone else. Once he had invited a people for himself, but they rejected him. Now you have their seat at the King’s Table—a foretaste of the feast to come; the celebration of Christ and his bride the church in heaven forever.
May we not be like the guest in the parable and think our own garments make us worthy and deserving to sit at the King’s banquet table. We are only worthy to sit with the King because we are clothed in the garments he himself has provided: the precious garment of Christ. As we hear our King’s invitation to come and recline at his table again today, to be served by him, we pass the font which reminds us that in baptism we are even more than honoured guests; we come to the Lord’s Table as Jesus’ brothers and sisters who he gave up his own life to redeem, to be children of his Heavenly Father. We are only, and can only, ever be here because of his righteousness and holiness that covers our guilt and shame.
May we always thank God, who is generous and loving, and so longs to share of the abundant extravagance of his heavenly gifts through Christ, that he has extended his invitation to us. May we always rejoice that in Christ God has shown his favour to us, to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. May we rejoice that he has provided the attire needed to be able to attend his banquet. And may we always be ready to welcome others whom God has invited to share in his generosity with us. Amen.
Pastor Tim Ebbs
St Paul’s Lutheran Church, Glenelg
20th Sunday after Pentecost, 2023
