Matthew 22: 1, 2

“Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.”

Jesus continues telling stories, all to explain the reality and nature of the in-breaking kingdom of Heaven.  I am amazed at the shocking nature of stories like this. In any society it is a singular and coveted honor to be invited to the king’s feast to celebrate the wedding of his son. Who ever heard of someone turning down such an invitation? And even more unbelievable is that all, repeat, all, who received the invitation refused to attend. Not one! It is a great mystery, beyond explanation, that all invitees refused to attend the most important banquet in the kingdom.  Imagine the chagrin of the king who prepared the very best that he had and to be faced with the news that no one among his family and friends agreed to show up to celebrate this once in a lifetime event, the wedding of his own son, no doubt the future heir of the kingdom. Even me, as I read this, am flabbergasted.  The story is the epitome of outrage. How could such be?  I find this element of the unexpected in many of Jesus’ stories – unexpected to me, but no doubt expected in terms of the kingdom of God.

Is this King the God Almighty? Are the invitees the Jews that should have rejoiced in receiving the invitation? Are those who were finally invited not Gentiles!  Is not Jesus the son?

Embedded in Jesus’ stories are keys to understanding what the atoning work of Jesus is – the work of God that Jesus came to do. The shadow of the cross was already beginning to fall.

I think the key words are, those invited refused to come!  This is not a new theme in Jesus’ stories, as readers of the Scriptures know. In this story Jesus did not explain in this case the reason why they refused such a gracious and honored invitation.  The point is, they angered their king by refusing his offer of a seat in his banquet hall to celebrate the marriage of his son.

To heap insult on injury, some who were invited actually mistreated and even killed the servants that the king sent with the coveted invitation.  One can understand the king’s rage when, instead of rejoicing in his hospitality, they showed how much they despised him by killing his messengers.  In his wrath he destroyed them and their homes.

It is up to us to interpret this story. So far, it is clear that the people who were invited actually despised their king. Is this not us? The table of salvation is spread – do we sit down and enjoy it?