Tupper ware. When I was a kid, my mom was invited to tupper ware parties all the time. I remember that she would go sometimes, but rarely. Usually she thought of an excuse not to go. She hated the concept of being sold through friendship, it cheapened the relationship she thought, to feel obligated to go and buy something.
And there are also weddings, right? And other parties? Events of varying degrees. They can impose on our lives and schedules. We can get invited to things that we don’t want to attend, but feel obligated to do so. Not all events are like this of course. Many times we are invited to things we expect to attend and enjoy, and sometimes we get invited to something that surprises us, to which we expected no invitation, but were honored to participate in. I’ve been honored once or twice to participate in various weddings. There are invitations we accept. And those we reject. There are invitations we accept out of obligation or necessity. The boss’ daughters’ wedding shower. The birthday party. That wedding. It happens.
Interestingly enough. Jesus used an illustration like this to teach. But it is twisted a little. It raises questions, doesn’t it? Who treats the King’s slaves in such a scornful way? Had they no fear of the King? What sort of King was not powerful enough to coerce his subject to do his bidding? Is not that the right of kings? Could he not have forced them to come? Why then did he send an army and destroy them? Were not these his invited guests? With friends like them, who needs enemies? I sort of wonder if they weren’t his enemies. Was this wedding meant also to be a truce, a treaty, a cease fire, a unifying event? I suspect maybe. Maybe this King saw the opportunity of his sons wedding as a place where he could deal graciously with his enemies. But they rejected this scheme. They would not be his puppets. They would not go. And they would send a message back through the slaves, that they were not going to let the King boss them around. They were probably martyrs for their anti-King cause on the day after the troops descended on their village.
Then Jesus tells us that the wedding hall was filled with anyone’s. So the guest list went from the King’s enemies to Joe Six pack and the Hockey Mom next door. Did any of these people really know the King or his son. Were these guests family, friends, or merely subjects?
And then there is the part about the wedding robe and the speechless guest who is tossed into chaos and darkness. Into the dungeon of despair.
For many are called but few are chosen.
How do we unpack this? In Jesus’ day, you were either chosen or not. You were invited to the heavenly banquet or not. And people argued about who was in and who was not, within Judaism. Jews were chosen. But within the Abrahamic family there were arguments about who was really in God’s good graces. Law-abiding Pharisees? Or sinners who cry out to God for mercy? The poor widows? Or those who have been blessed with wealth? Those who believe in the resurrection or those who believe in the gift of this life. And Jesus tells them that they’re all missing the point. Because their pedigrees don’t determine their fate with God. Their actions do. How are they responding in their lives to the reality of God’s reign? If GOD is in charge, if GOD is like a King who invites people into the banquet, then are you available or not? The language of this parable is messianic banquet language found in Isaiah and the Psalms---it was a familiar way to talk about the anticipated reign of GOD.They knew what Jesus was saying. And they knew who he was talking about. So the questions tumble out of it: What actions reveal that you have surrendered your will to that of the King? How do you respond to the King’s requests? Because Sometimes we’re satisfied being on the guest list and decide that we don’t have to go, that we don’t want to go, that we can decide. That’s the real rub. Is life self-determined? Are we really capable of making good decisions, the right decisions? Or are we meant to hand ourselves over to GOD, trusting Him to know what is good and right and true for us? That is the meaning of Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus saw people who were so comfortable in their election, in their circumcision, in their membership as Jews that they were refusing to live a life consistent with the will of the God who chose them. He claims that God wants more than our occasional acknowledgement. God wants our love, our devotion, our hearts, souls and minds. God wants every piece of us. And he demands it. He is GOD. Who are we to decide how and when God gets to speak to us? Are we gods?
And as for that one who gets tossed out? He didn’t understand why he was there or for whom. He was, perhaps, a wedding crasher---There for the food, the women, and wine, but not for the King’s son. Showing up is not enough. Its not enough to receive the benefits of membership. Its like joining a club but never working out. It matters that you take part in the event. And the event is nothing less that the wedding feast of the King’s Son. What the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day were rejecting when they rejected Jesus is the divine feast for the Son who had come to take His bride. Jesus’ bride is the church. His beloved. This is about divine love, a sacred romance that captures us. Think of the most wonderful wedding you ever had the privilege to attend. That is what we are called to be part of on Sundays. This is the feast and celebration. This is the wedding banquet of the Son of God. And it is not enough that you showed up. Its better than deciding that you have better things to do. When did it become an option to choose GOD? Its not. Never has been. God chooses us. The thing is, God is not the kind of King who destroys people for rejecting His invitation. Instead, he sends out his servants to find others. Today he found you.
When we are here, we are invited to adore Christ and His bride. We are invited to witness the beauty and power and love and glory of GOD and to surrender ourselves to it. That is ultimately the claim of any disciple of Jesus. I have surrendered my will to God. I have no power anymore save what God gives me. I become a slave. But a slave who loves His master because His master is so good. GOD does not coerce or threaten. God invites. On behalf of my LORD I invite all of you to this feast of love. It happens every week. Amen.
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