Anatomy of A Disaster II (Divine Arrogance)

22^nd Sunday after Pentecost (Oct 12, 2008)

Rev. Steven D. Spencer – Pastor Messiah Lutheran Church, Salem, OR

Matthew 22:1-14

Again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention 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 feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads 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. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Grace, peace and mercy from God our Father and our Lord who is the Savior Jesus the Christ, Amen!

            It was the Olympics of 2004. One of the greatest marksmen of all times was shooting for the U.S. team a young man named Matt Emmons. He was the junior world record holder for the 50 meter 3 position rifle shoot. The gold metal was his to take. Only one shot left to take the metal. All he had to do was hit the target somewhere close to the bull’s-eye. This was his match; he held 2 world records in this event. Matt took a deep breath and gently squeezed the trigger taking his final shot. The crowd stood looking at the scoreboard. After what seemed to be an eternity finally the score, ZERO! How could it be? It’s not uncommon to have scoring equipment failure in shooting. It must have been a malfunction Emmons’ thought. The score was protested and the judges and Matt walked 50 meters to visually verify the score.  Matt had hit the bull’s-eye all right. Matt had hit the bull’s-eye 1 lane over. What seemed like a sure thing was turned into disaster. You see when you aim at the wrong target, regardless of how good a shot you are; it’s still a miss.

It’s the same way with a parable. If you read a parable with preconceived notions, in other words with the wrong target in your sights, you’re going to miss the point of the parable. As a general rule, it seems that people start out wrong. Starting out wrong means to focus on what all the sinful people are doing in the parable, trying to find a moral lesson to follow. But when Jesus tells a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven, the focus of the parable is the King of Heaven. Jesus isn’t telling you what to do, but proclaiming what great things God has done. Therefore, as we look at today’s parable, we don’t focus on all the wedding guests, even though we will get to them. No, this parable is about the king.

The story is a simple one. The king has arranged a marriage for his son, and he’s sparing no expense for the festivities. He sends out invitations and who’s going to say no? He’s the king! Of course you’ll accept because you want to make sure the king knows you showed up. But even better, this is going to be the celebration of a lifetime. The main course won’t be chicken, and it’s not going to be a cash bar. The band won’t be some garage band and needs work. There will be food and drink of kings. Everything is going to be perfect. Everything is going to be provided. You don’t want to miss this party.

But the guests don’t want to come. So the gracious king sends out servants to invite them personally: “All the work has been done, and all things are ready! It’s free! Come to the wedding feast of my son!” Once again, who would say no? Yet some decline his invitation, saying things like they must keep working on the farm or at the business: it’s crazy but some people prefer to do chores than to spend a day with the king. And this is where the story takes a really ugly twist: rather than just say no to the servants, some seize them, treat them terribly and kill them.

The king invited them to a party to celebrate great joy, and they respond to his invitation with the blood of his servants. Such evil must be dealt with, so it comes as no surprise that the king sends out his army and destroys those who killed the messengers of the good news, those subjects who want nothing to do with him.

But what now? The plans are set. The marriage has been arranged and declared, and the king will not go back on his word. Even though the guest list proved hostile, he still wants guests at his son’s wedding. He says to his servants, “The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find” (Matthew 22:8-9) The servants go out and find whoever they can. And no doubt, this is a diverse group, not the sort you’d normally find around a king. Many lower class and with checkered pasts, held back by one problem or another. Nevertheless, the servants extend the king’s invitation, and the wedding hall is packed with guests. They would be a pretty scruffy looking lot, maybe even laughable to the king’s enemies, but the king takes care of everything. As goes the custom of such weddings in Jesus’ time, the king even gives each guest a wedding garment to wear. This is his son’s wedding, and he spares no expense. Whoever receives his invitation and comes to the wedding receives clothing, food and drink by the king’s doing. It they need to be bathed and groomed that is provided. Once they’re in the feast, they’ll all look like the king’s own children, because the king provides all. And it’s all theirs to keep.

And yet, when the king examines the wedding hall, there’s one man who just doesn’t fit in. He’s not wearing the provided wedding garment. Please remember this is not a matter of poverty on his part, because the king has clothed all. Rather, the guest has said, “I will go to the king’s hall, but only on my terms.” His appearance is a sign of disrespect and spite the king, and the king doesn’t take the offense lightly. “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” And when the man has no response, the king commands his servants, “Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It is an honor to be in the presence of the king, and certain decorum is required; it’s a great pity that the man is unprepared, since the king sought to give him everything he needed. But if he doesn’t desire to be the king’s guest, then he has no place at the wedding.

It seems odd, but the king will come under attack. He will be criticized for destroying the first set of guests, even though they killed his servants who came with good news. The daily headlines might even condemn him for throwing out the arrogant guest into darkness, even though it was the man’s own fault. In fact, while many notice such aspects of the parable, they’ll miss the amazing, wonderful point: the wedding hall is packed full of people who had no idea they would be guests of the king. If you’re one of the guests who scoffed at the king’s generosity, then you’re not going to like this story. But if you started out as a commoner on the byways, this parable has a very happy ending. When the day began, you were out there somewhere, a nobody. Now, the king has given you all good things. And as long as this feast lasts, you are one the king’s people, a member of his household.

And here’s some more good news: the feast is going to last forever.

Remember, this parable is about the kingdom of heaven. In Revelation 19:7, heaven is called the “marriage of the Lamb” it’s a wedding feast! And the Lord goes on to say, “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” (Rev. 19:9). Here is your reason to rejoice, today and always: the Lord calls you to that marriage supper.

He has done all that is necessary to prepare it. Rather than kill the fatted cattle, He has sacrificed His own Son. The Son must die for the bride to be delivered. He has also raised His Son, Jesus Christ, from the dead: the wedding will take place. The marriage feast will happen.

Throughout the centuries, He has called out His invitation. To Israel in the Old Testament, He sent prophet after prophet after prophet. The words might have been different, but the invitation was always the same: “Israel, I have promised to send a Savior, and I will keep My promise. Because He will die for you, heaven is yours. Therefore, turn from false gods and idols that cannot raise you from the dead. Forsake those sins that keep you from Me. The wedding feast is coming, and it is all for you!”

You know what happened. Time and time again, the people refused the invitation. When the Lord continued to send prophets to call them to the wedding feast, they began to beat them, persecute them, scorn them and kill them. Eventually, the Lord had enough. He allowed first the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, to conquer and take captive Israel. If people did not want His help and protection, He would not force them to be safe. Because they rejected Him and killed His messengers, they and their cities were destroyed.

The Lord still faithfully sends out His messengers today: not just to Israel, but to all the world. Around the world, pastors publicly preach, in the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus, the Good News that all are invited to the feast of heaven for Jesus’ sake. All around the world, Christians share the Gospel as they have opportunity. All around the world, the Holy Spirit works by that Word. People hear and believe by the Spirit’s work, and so they are numbered among the wedding guests for eternity.

But many do not believe. In fact, many seek to persecute the Church for the message of Jesus. Insulated and protected as we are, it is difficult to believe that Christians suffer, and suffer terribly, for proclaiming the Gospel. Houses are lost, children are kidnapped and Christians are killed for the faith. The king’s messengers still die for inviting people to the feast. In America, we are still quite safe, perhaps we suffering an occational snub in the neighborhood or the loss of a job for our faith. But should you witness such trouble or be its victim, the devil will use it to turn the screws. He will seek to convince you to abandon Christ, lest you suffer hardship for the faith. When you are tempted to restrain your faith to avoid trouble in this world, then confess that sin and be forgiven. For the sake of Christ, the eternal feast is yours.

As you go about your life, beware of one the greater temptations. It’s the temptation of the guest without wedding clothes. When the Lord invites you to the wedding, He gives you all good things. By His Word, He gives you the faith to believe and thus He transforms you into His own. By Holy Baptism, He clothes you with Christ and His righteousness (Gal. 3:27); by water and the Word, you are prepared and robed for the wedding. By His Holy Supper, He keeps you fed and nourished until the marriage feast of the Lamb in heaven; and indeed, each Holy Communion is but a foretaste of the feast to come. Jesus is present here though unseen, His body and blood in bread and wine. In heaven, we will stand in the glorious presence of the risen Savior, and the feast will go on forever.

Therefore, do not sin by seeking to wear your own clothes to the wedding. Old Adam will always tempt you to believe that heaven is yours because you have done enough good, or haven’t done enough bad to be kept out, or you’ve been doing better than others and so God should cut you a break. No matter how you slice it, such temptations say that you go to the wedding by your own efforts. They say that your righteous works are proper attire to wear in the presence of God. Therefore, heed the Word of the Lord from Isaiah: our works are not glorious before God! “We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Is. 64:6). The one who seeks entry into the eternal feast by his own efforts seeks to wear filthy rags to the wedding. In doing so, he snubs the Savior who died to clothe him in righteousness; that person commits divine arrogance, and he will be cast out into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. That is why you rejoice daily to confess your sins and rid yourself of filthy rags; and that is why you daily rejoice in the forgiveness of Christ, who clothes you with white for the wedding day.

For this is the Good News: you have a place at the marriage feast of the Lamb, and the feast will last forever.

There’s more Good News: you’re not just a guest. You’re a member of the Church, the very bride of Christ. St. Paul writes in Ephesians 5, “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:25-27). It would be more than a blessing to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord, but that’s not the Lord’s plan for you. You are not a wedding guest, but God loves you so much that you are the bride of His Son, and He has cleansed and prepared you, made you pure and holy by Christ’s own holy, precious blood, by His bitter suffering and death. You’re not just invited to an everlasting marriage feast. You’re invited to your wedding, where you are united with Your Savior forever. In Christ, your Bridegroom, yours is not an eternity of outer darkness, weeping and the gnashing of teeth. In Christ, the banquet feast of heaven is yours, for He has made it so in Jesus name, amen and amen!

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen