Today's Reflections
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
Mt 22:1-14
1Jesus again in reply spoke to [the chief priests and elders of the people] in parables, saying, 2“The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. 3He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.
4A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those
invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened
cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.” ’ 5Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. 6The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. 7The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. 9Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ 10The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. 11But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. 12He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. 13Then
the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him
into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of
teeth.’ 14Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
WHO GETS INVITED TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
A king who gives a wedding feast for his son will invite other
royalties, the elite class, and very important persons. Commoners will
less likely be invited. The double invitation allows the potential
guests to know who will be attending and whether everything has been
arranged properly. If the right people are coming, they will also come.
For
some reason, the guests disapprove of the arrangements the king is
making. They offer flimsy reasons as face-saving ways of turning down
the invitation. Others challenge the king’s honor directly by killing
his slaves. This insult to the king demands redress, and the king
obliges: he kills the murderers and burns their cities.
The
king solidifies his honor by avenging himself on those who shame him,
but he does something unexpected: he breaks the rules of honor and shame
by inviting the non-elites to the feast. This may prompt the royalties
and other elites to cut ties with him.
Worse,
even from the non-elites, someone shames the king by not wearing the
proper garment provided by him. The king has no choice but to shame him
and throw him out from the banquet hall.
The
parable mirrors God’s kingdom, but we should be careful in allegorizing
it. God is not like a king who will kill those who insult him. Rather,
the parable is directed by Jesus to his “elite” opponents from
Jerusalem. They view the kingdom as something rigid and exclusive,
whereas Jesus preaches a kingdom to which everyone is invited. In Jesus
and through Jesus, God opens the kingdom to all—Jews and pagans alike.
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