Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.
– Matthew 22:1-6
The parable in this text is the third in a series that Jesus told that He directed at the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem. The first parable dealt with the religious leaders' rejection of God's authority over their lives, demonstrated by their rejection of Jesus Christ. The second symbolized the religious leaders' foolishness in rejecting God's way to righteousness through His Son. Now the continued theme of rejecting God's revealed will in the gospel of His Son is found in this present parable.
In our culture, we are accustomed to a wedding and reception lasting for a few hours. But the ancient custom of wedding feasts often lasted for as much as a week. In the case of a royal wedding, the celebration might go on for two or three weeks. The party in this parable is no ordinary party. To be invited by the king as his guest for the wedding of his son - the anticipated heir to the throne - would have been the opportunity of a lifetime. Such an invitation usually came by a personal envoy of the king. Once invited a citizen felt a deep obligation to attend the wedding feast or face the displeasure of the king. We might say that it was an invitation that you could not refuse! Nor would anyone want to refuse an invitation to a celebration in which the King Himself provided everything.
But then again, it is not inconceivable that a person would refuse a royal invitation. As a mater of fact, there have been more than a few famous people to do so. British authors C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl both rejected invitations to be honored by the Queen of England. Actor and comedian, John Cleese, and astrophysicist, Steven Hawking, both turned down offers of being knighted by the queen. NFL linebacker James Harrison refused to join his team in visiting the White House after winning the Super Bowl. Some folks even admire a person who would turn down such an invitation for reasons of personal conviction or political principle. There is something is each one of us that resists the idea of being subject to a sovereign authority. We don’t like the idea of a king (even a benevolent one) telling us where we have to go or what we have to do.
This is the truth that Jesus is driving at when He describes the reactions of the invited guests in the parable. The original guests refused to come, and in that culture, to reject the invitation of a king was tantamount to treason. This was a serious offense. Notice that some of them are indifferent, some of them are too busy or preoccupied with their own concerns, and some of them are openly hostile toward the servants of the King. The first invitation was actually not the first; an advance invitation would have already gone out telling of the coming feast (like a wedding "save-the-date" card). This is not pictured in the story, but it is understood as part of that culture. It might seem strange to us that guests would react this way, but those who had received the advance invitation had ample time to prepare for the feast. They had no legitimate excuses.
How do we account for such a strong rejection of the king's invitation? Jesus is giving us a picture of what God had done in preparing Israel for the coming of the Messiah. Just as in Jesus’ day, there are those who are indifferent to Christ, those who are too busy trying to do things their own way, and there are those who are openly hostile toward Him.
The prophets had come in previous centuries announcing that God would send the Messianic King. John the Baptist boldly announced that the time had arrived; the Messiah was present. The arrival of the Messianic Kingdom had come. A new age for humanity had dawned. God had come among His creatures to redeem a people for Himself for all eternity. Jesus Christ Himself came announcing the advent of the kingdom and calling people to repentance. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the good news" (Mark 1:15). This is the invitation of the King, calling upon all to repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ. Whether you want to believe it or not, there is something inside each one of us that resists the invitation of Jesus. We are all indifferent, too busy, and even hostile toward God. Yet, despite our resistance, the King of all creation invites you to come to Him by believing in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Jeff Frazier
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