This morning I am working on reading Matthew Chapter 22 and I had this dawning realization. I was thinking about how Jesus starts off talking about comparing the kingdom of heaven to this king who gave a wedding feast for his son. The king sends out his slaves to let the INVITED guests know that it was time for the wedding feast and they refused to come. Now, I have read this passage I don’t know how many times, but I don’t think I ever really stopped to think about it in real life terms before. A king, invites a group of people to a marriage feast for his son, the prince. So this is a royal wedding. Who in the world is going to refuse to show up for a royal wedding feast? Or even an invitation to the royal estate itself? And then the Holy Spirit nudged my brain and it went, “Oh!” That’s exactly the point. Jesus is inviting each and every one of us to partake in ‘the marriage feast’. But it is up to each and every one of us to decide to actually show up. We are given a choice. When we turn our back on God, our King, we are refusing to show up to the marriage feast that He has prepared for us.
In a way this parable is such a spot on metaphor. How many times did God invite the Israelites to come to Him? How many times has He proven Himself as King to them only for them to turn away? He saved them from the hand of Pharaoh in Egypt, even so far as dividing the sea so that the Israelites could walk safety across the sea bed. Then as soon as God went quiet for two minutes, they immediately ditched Him for an idol they built with their own hands.
These are literally the same people who just watched this giant body of water rise up over their heads and trusted Him to not dump that water back over on their heads as they walked miles across the sea floor. The same people who took that first step out into what should have been an incredibly mushy, murky, sea bottom and found solid ground. People who walked miles across the bottom of a sea, trusting this same God to carry them through and hold back these waters that roared over the heads in an effort to crash down on them. Yet, even after that act of faith, even after they personally witnessed miracles beyond their comprehension, they immediately turned against Him and turned to false gods, denying Him the role of King in their lives.
This pattern of behavior continues over and over throughout the Old Testament. The Israelites are in a bad situation-often through their own actions or lack of action. They cry out to God. God steps in a saves them from the situation and invites them back to Himself-only for them to turn around and run off to do their own thing again. They are unwilling or unable to see that throughout everything that God has been extending to them an exclusive invitation to a wedding feast. Even after He straight up tells them that He has chosen them. That they are His people. Still they turn their noses up and walk away. This just blows my mind. These people were seeing miracles that defy imagination and yet they still chose to turn away.
Then we look at Matthew 22 and see that God has decided to change the narrative. Here He is showing through this parable that He is not just opening up the wedding feasts to the Israelites anymore. Because they have continued to reject His invitation, He is going to extend that same invitation to EVERYONE. Jews and Gentiles alike. He is no longer going to keep His guest list exclusive, but He is inviting ANYONE who is willing to accept the invitation that He is offering to the marriage feast. To accept a place at His table. To rejoice at the wedding reception of His Son.
But like the Israelites before us, we have a choice. To accept and receive that invitation. Or to reject it. To be welcomed with joy at a royal wedding or to get caught up in what the world says we should be doing right now. Each day we have that same choice. To accept a place at God’s table and at the royal wedding, choosing what God has for us first. Or to choose the little the world has to offer us.
Today we have a choice. Will we choose to attend the wedding feast or we will choose to reject the invitation that God has offered and allow the distractions of the world to pull us away? Will we joyfully accept His messengers when they come or we will ignore them or reject them? Possibly even bring them to harm for their audacity in approaching us with such an invitation. We see these distinctions around us every day. Those who seek to draw near to the Lord, who approach the marriage feast with joy and gladness, knowing that they are unworthy, but thankful for this gift. Those who turn a blind eye to the invitation, allowing the cares and distractions of the world to pull them away. Then there are those who actively reject the invitation, actively choosing to keep their eyes on the promise of this world alone, even if that means that this world is the only riches they will ever see. Lastly, there are those who reject the invitation with such vehemence that they turn on the messengers-tearing them down, figuratively and some times even literally, like in the case of Charlie Kirk, where his invitation was rejected, even to the point of death.
Imaged created by Mel Seeley in collaboration with Google Gemini
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