If you're getting free cake, wear the tux.

This week's study is on Matthew 22:1-14:

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”’ But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest seized his slaves, insolently mistreated them, and killed them. The king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death and set their city on fire. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy. So go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

I couldn't resist adding these verses to the theme of a couple weeks ago on the Kingdom of God. Plus the summer is usually a time of weddings so maybe it'll spark a bit of nostalgia.

The king is having a wedding banquet for his son and all of the people he thinks are his friends turn out to either not care, or to hate him. Some of them bury themselves in day to day life. Others go so far as to attack his people. This is the part of the parable that describes how not to be, in case you were wondering. And to drive the point home we discover that these people who are too good for the king, or who actively hate him, are killed and their whole place is destroyed with fire. Kind of sounds like the book of Revelation on a small scale, right?

But there's a bit of us in those indifferent people too, which should make us a bit cautious and afraid. We can see how God doesn't like indifference or animosity. But we all get angry at him sometimes and lash out, or ignore him to spend time in the "important" things in life. Human nature unredeemed leads to death. Luckily for us, we're redeemed!

The second half is the part of the parable that describes how to be. The slaves invite all of the people, good or bad, and clothe them in wedding clothes and have the party anyway. There was a custom in Roman times where wealthy people would clothe the people in a party in special party clothes, kind of like bridesmaids dresses and tuxedos of modern times, but provided for free. All the people had to do was accept the invitation and play along and they were blessed.

We are like those people, good and bad, who were rounded up for the wedding. Only instead of being clothed in some party outfit we're clothed in righteousness. It's total grace!

There was one guy though who was too good for the tux. He wanted the blessing but he didn't want to play along with the king's wishes. Things didn't end well for him. He refuses grace and wants to make his own way. But that way leads to death.

So when the kingdom of God hits a community it looks a lot like this parable. Who would we rather be? The A-list people for whom God himself didn't rate a "save the date?" The B-list people who knew a good deal when they saw one? Or the last guy who only wanted free cake and wasn't about to bend the knee and put on a tux?