The Lord said this parable, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.’ But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 22:2-14
Last week, reflecting on the parable of the vineyard, we focused on God’s mercy. This week, as we read the parable of the wedding feast, it is fitting to speak more about judgment, since the parable presents it so explicitly.
When speaking of the judgment of God, it is important for us always to hold the mercy of God on equal, or even greater, footing. When hearing the message of the Gospel, some of us need a stronger emphasis on judgment in order to seek salvation, while others are already harsh enough on themselves and need a stronger emphasis on mercy.
Yet regardless of the emphasis, judgment and mercy from God go hand in hand, reminding us that God uses both to call us toward repentance, the gateway to the gift of His salvation.
God goes above and beyond to offer us salvation, yet in the end, we are free to choose whether to accept the gifts He offers or reject them. His Kingdom is open to us all, yet our personal choices—how we live and how we respond—determine whether we will become full participants in it, urging us to examine our own decisions and priorities in life.
Looking at the parable itself, we first hear:
“The Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come.”
God, like the king, has prepared a marriage feast for Christ, His Son and our Bridegroom. Through Christ sharing our human nature, we see that we have become one flesh with Him, just as we see a husband and wife become one flesh in Christ through the sacrament of marriage.
God cherishes and celebrates this union by inviting us all to it, so He sends us His prophets and saints to invite us to the banquet. Yet in the parable, those initially invited would not come.
This speaks to all who are called yet choose not to do what is necessary to enter the sumptuous feast of the Kingdom.
In sending servants and having them rejected, we see a motif that continues throughout Scripture. Humanity rejects God and the gifts He offers as He repeatedly sends His messengers, calling us to repentance.
Yet even after this rejection, we hear:
“He sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.’ But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.”
In this second invitation, we hear that the request is made light of. Some tend to their farms and their own affairs indifferently; others respond with hostility, shamefully killing the servants.
This parallels last week’s Gospel. In response to God’s gifts, some are indifferent, while others become utterly hostile.
After hearing what had happened, we hear:
“The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.”
In the parable, we see the result of their actions: they killed the servants and rejected their invitation, and destruction followed.
Herein lies our emphasis in today’s Gospel, for it highlights the cost of fully rejecting God’s gifts.
The table is prepared for us, yet when we neglect God with the whole of our lives, or become hostile toward Him, a destruction of self begins to take place.
God is not the One destroying us. Rather, our actions of separating ourselves from Him are what lead to our ultimate condemnation. He is our source of life, and through our actions, we are the ones who run from true life.
When we become enemies of God, this does not mean that God removes our ability to be saved. Rather, we choose to reject that gift fully.
God’s mercy extends to us as long as we have breath in us, allowing us to repent. Yet if we continually reject that gift throughout this life, how can we expect that disposition to change in the life to come if we have rejected Him with the whole of our lives?
After the rejection of those first and repeatedly called, we see that the king’s invitation expands:
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.”
This shows us that God’s love and invitation are for all, regardless of our past or status, offering hope and reassurance to everyone.
God does not give up on humanity, even when some of us act wickedly. When we reject the call of our Lord, we see that there is still a further extension of His gifts being offered.
Some of us may reveal through our actions that we are unworthy of the gifts God offers, yet despite our unworthiness, He calls all to His wedding feast.
He invites the bad and the good, the destitute and the highborn.
The table is set for all to partake in the wedding feast.
Our calling is not related to lineage or immutable characteristics. Rather, the table is set for us all.
The call began with Abraham, and now, with the coming of Christ, we see more being accepted into the wedding feast.
This does not exclude particular groups of people, for Christ, as a Jew, is not making an antisemitic statement here. Rather, we as individuals must remember that when we reject God’s gifts, our actions separate us from God.
We cause our own condemnation, for when we want nothing to do with God and the gifts He offers us, the end result is our eternal separation from Him.
After the feast begins, we are told:
“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.”
In this part of the parable, we see that those invited through the third invitation are also called to come prepared for the wedding feast.
When it comes to judgment, it is vital to recognize that our actions and readiness matter. Being prepared reflects our respect for God’s invitation and calls us to live in ways that honor Him.
The guest does not come prepared, and the king’s response may seem rather harsh.
He is asked why he did not come prepared. In response, he is speechless, telling us that he has no excuse, and this is what leads to the condemnation that follows:
“Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
The king calls the man a friend in his questioning, showing compassion toward him.
Yet in the man’s speechlessness, we see that he does not regard the king in the same way. This disposition is also highlighted in his lack of a wedding garment.
The man has rejected the hospitality of the king to his very face, and like those who killed his servants, he too is bound and punished.
Yet he is not killed. Rather, we hear that he is cast into the outer darkness. He is cast out from the radiance of the palace, where he and others weep and gnash their teeth.
The description of the outer darkness tells us that rejecting God ultimately leads us to reject His light.
In the weeping and gnashing of teeth, we see represented the condition of a person torn between anguish and hostility. Part of the person cries out, while the teeth remain bared toward God and the light of His Kingdom.
Thus, what we see depicted here is the state of someone who, in the life to come, continues to resent and reject God and the light of His Kingdom.
Truly, many are called, for our Lord offers to us all a place in His Kingdom.
Yet few are chosen, not because our Lord desires us to fall, but because the path toward salvation is narrow and difficult.
If we are indifferent toward God, we still continue to reject the gifts He is offering us. We may not appear as hostile as those who kill or openly mock God, yet we still bear responsibility for our actions.
From this perspective, indifference refuses to give God and the gifts He offers us any serious attention.
Ignoring God means ignoring the gifts He offers us, and it becomes difficult to see His great gifts when we do not care enough to give them the time of day.
When we hate God and show it through harming His people, we continue to make ourselves enemies of the Lord.
This is obvious: when we hate or harm others, we do the same to God.
Remember:
“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”
—Matthew 25:40
Our Lord identifies Himself with the least of these. Therefore, in hating or rejecting those He sends to us, we do the same to Him.
Now, showing up unprepared reminds us of who we are within the Church.
Christ has called us to salvation. We have chosen to take up this calling, and yet if we do not live lives aligned with it, we ultimately reject God and the gifts He offers.
This may be the worst of the three fates.
If we are indifferent toward God, we do not know how great the banquet is.
If we reject God before even entering the feast, this is a great evil, yet it still lacks the context of what we would have received.
However, if we accept the invitation and then mock God by showing up unprepared, we have intentionally taken the gift He has offered us and cast it aside.
Truly, in such an example, we are left speechless.
Judgment is a reality for us as Christians, yet God does not vindictively impose judgment upon us.
Repeatedly, God tells us that He does not desire to see us perish:
“For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”
—Ezekiel 18:32
Likewise:
“It is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
—1 Timothy 2:3–4
And again:
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
—Luke 19:10
We have a responsibility to accept God and the gifts He offers us. This is our role in our salvation.
Yet we also need to realize that our Lord is offering us every opportunity to receive the gift of salvation.
Yes, many are called, but few are chosen. Yet this scarcity is rooted in the hardness of our hearts rather than in any lack of mercy on the part of God.
Our Lord has set the wedding feast before us all.
He has wed us to His Son so that we may no longer be bound by fallenness, and now we are left with the continual choice to live lives commensurate with the glory of salvation offered to us.
God gives us everything we need to become full participants in salvation through all of His gifts.
And for all that He offers us, truly to Him be all glory, honor, and worship, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
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