The British museum has been packed in recent weeks. Huge crowds have turned up to gain a glimpse of the Bayeux Tapestry, now on display in the UK, on loan from Normandy. Waiting times have been high. In contrast, empty seats and a low attendance were the problem facing the king in our parable this morning. A king who had “prepared a great wedding banquet for his son”, yet discovers that none of his original invited guests could be bothered to come. They all declined his generous invitation. He was no doubt sad to think that some of his subjects might miss out on such a great occasion. Sad to think that his delicious food might go to waste.
This is an especially poignant problem when we appreciate that the King in this parable represents God – and when we appreciate that his wedding banquet symbolises God’s Kingdom. To miss out on the King’s banquet means missing out on all the benefits of being a Christian – the benefits of being a citizen of Heaven, a child of God, forgiven forever and destined for glory. For any human being to miss out on such things is truly tragic.
As we look at this parable this morning, I want us to look at the reasons why so many foolishly forsake the king’s invitation – and learn how people can avoid making the same mistake today.
Three negative reactions: Apathy, Ambition and Aggression!
At the outset, it seems that the king in our parable experiences at least three different types of rejection to his wedding invitation – three negative reactions that we may also encounter today, as we seek to share our Christian faith with our family, friends or colleagues. Three negative reactions I’ve called apathy, ambition and aggression.
The first negative response the king receives is apathy. Verse 5 tells us that some subjects “paid no attention” to the King’s generous invitation. These people weren’t interested in what the King had to offer and couldn’t even be bothered to listen to what his servants had to say.
It is tragic when people display a similar attitude to Christianity today. I expect we have all had times when we have told someone we go to Church and seen their eyes glaze over. Or when we’ve tried to explain to a neighbour what our Christian faith is, and heard them reply that “it’s just not my cup of tea”.
Returning to our passage, it seems that people’s personal ambition was also more attractive than the king’s invitation. They preferred to go off to their field or their business than attend the wedding feast (v.5). Again, sadly, this is another common reaction to the Gospel today. Many people still claim to be “too busy” to seriously consider the claims of Christ. Now work is a good thing, of course, and there is nothing intrinsically wrong in seeking to successful at what we do. But ambition can be dangerous if people put their career ahead of a relationship with Christ. It is tragic if people make their ambition to be wealthy, successful and well-respected a higher priority than knowing the Lord of heaven and earth.
In our parable, after apathy and ambition comes aggression. Verse 6 tells us that some of the king’s servants are “ill-treated” and “killed”. Sadly this isn’t just fiction either. Throughout history God’s people have always faced opposition and aggression from some quarters. Faithful servants of King Jesus have always faced aggression from a hostile world, and we must expect more to come in future.
Confronted with such aggression, the King’s patience runs out and in verse 7 of the parable he punishes those subjects who have rebelled against him. He sends his army to “destroy” them and their city – much as the Roman army did indeed come and destroy the city of Jerusalem in 70AD. That verse is a sober reminder that God will not tolerate hostility towards himself and his people indefinitely. A day of judgement will surely come.
One open invitation!
Despite the apathy, ambition and aggression of his rebellious subjects, the king in our parable doesn’t abandon his wedding banquet altogether. The king doesn’t throw in the towel and cancel his son’s marriage feast. Quite the opposite.
Rather than throwing in the towel, the king throws open the doors of his palace! In an amazing act of generosity and grace, the king tells his servants in verse 9 to invite “anyone you find” to the banquet. They are to search the streets and invite anyone they meet to the wonderful feast. It’s the epitome of an open invitation – an indiscriminate offer!
When Jesus first spoke this parable its message would have been particularly shocking. This story was suggesting that socially respectable religious Jews weren’t the only type of people God was calling into his kingdom – Sinners, Tax Collectors and unclean Gentiles were invited too!
In short, everyone in society was invited to the heavenly banquet, and they still are today. God’s grace means those who don’t deserve his favour are still offered it. God’s grace means that a seat at his heavenly table continues to be offered to all.
It follows from this that we should work hard here at St. John’s to ensure we’re reaching out to everyone in our community with the Gospel message. It should be our ambition to see our congregation grow to include young and old, male and female, working age and retired. Please join with me in working and praying for this goal!
Conclusion: Wear the right clothes!
Before we finish this morning, its worth noticing the unexpected ending of our parable. In verse 12 we read that a man had arrived at the wedding feast wearing the wrong clothes. Rather than wearing his best suit and a crisp white shirt, he was under dressed. Maybe wearing a scruffy T-shirt and jeans, or a mud splattered rugby shirt, or oily overalls?! Whatever he was wearing, it wasn’t right! So in verse 13 the King has the man “tied up hand and foot, and thrown outside, into the darkness”.
Like this man who arrived at the royal wedding reception in inappropriate clothes, many people think that they will be able to turn up at “the pearly gates” of Heaven one day and able to get in on their own terms, not on God’s terms. This will be another tragedy, because it will reveal that their spiritual lives have been built on false foundations, not faith in Christ.
But we’re not to despair, because in Jesus’ parable many, many do make it into the Wedding feast! In verse 10 we are told that the King’s banqueting hall was full. But how did they gain clean clothes for the wedding feast? And, more importantly, how can anyone become appropriately dressed in eyes of God?
At home, if we want to clean our clothes, we wash them with Daz Ultra, Persil, Bold or another brand of washing powder. But how do we ‘clean’ our souls? How do we become spiritually ‘white’ in God’s sight?
The answer is given at the very end of the Bible. In Revelation chapter 7, God’s people in heaven are described as those who “have washed their clothes in the blood of the Lamb”.
This unusual expression describes all those have come to Jesus to be cleansed of their sin. All those who’ve had their guilt before God washed away by believing in Christ-crucified. Christ can make anyone appropriately dressed for God’s kingdom, in clean clothes ready for the Heavenly feast to come.
And the same chapter in Revelation provides a glorious vision of what that heavenly banquet will be like. It depicts a countless multitude of people, of every nation, tribe and language, who are rejoicing in the presence of God. Like the Wedding Hall in our parable, Heaven will be packed with a people from every walk of life. So please do hear the message of today’s parable. The King has invited everyone, whatever our background, to put on clean clothes and come to his great feast. And if we have already accepted that invitation, as I hope we all have, then our task is to extend that invitation to others – there are still spare seats in the world to come!