St Matthew 22:1-14/Isaiah 55:1-9/Ephesians 5:15-21
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The Kingdom of Heaven is not compared to a wedding feast. It is like a King who gave a wedding feast. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Master of a house who owns a vineyard and goes out to hire laborers. It is like a King who has mercy and forgives the payment of His debtors. It is like a Merchant in search of fine pearls. It is like a Man who sows good seed.
The Kingdom of Heaven is not found in abstractions. It is found in a Man, even our Lord Jesus Christ, a King above all kings. He is the Son, the Prince of Peace, the Bridegroom at this wedding banquet. For Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, so that He might present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Eph 5:25-27).
He is the Shepherding Merchant who acts strangely to the reason of men; and the Kingdom of Heaven comes in Him. This is why St John the Baptist cried, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, when Jesus appeared. He was saying, “Repent, Jesus is here. The end of time is upon us. The Messiah has come in our flesh. Salvation has arrived in a virgin-born, sinless Man.”
John’s preaching was a call to those who were invited to the wedding feast. Notice this: the invitation had gone out before the telling of this parable. For the prophets of the Lord, the holy men of God sent by His command to proclaim His Word, preached as you heard in Isaiah, Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. This preliminary invitation had gone out to the chosen people of God before the arrival of Messiah; but they would not come.
Again [the King] sent out other servants; that is, He “apostled” others. As the Father sent the Son, so the Son sends the Twelve, His Apostles, His servants: Go once again to those who were invited. Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation (Mk 16:15). The feast is ready. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world has been offered in sacrifice; by His death He has destroyed death, by His rising to life again He has brought life and immortality to light. Everything is ready! Come!
But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized His servants and treated them shamefully and killed them. They made their excuses. “I must tend to my garden, my housework, my chores.” “I have to work.” The feast is on the table, the time is now, but still they refused the invitation!
Worse still, others took the servants, beat and killed them! Jesus said to His apostles, They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me (Jn 16:2-3).
The wedding feast of the King’s Son is no ordinary party. This is a great occasion of the state. Consider the wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate. Attendance is expected out of honor to the king and loyalty to his successor. Political allegiance is at stake here. To refuse the invite is tantamount to rebellion. This isn’t just the snubbing of a party. It is a deliberate contempt for the king and his authority. This is insurrection and they know it.
And so the king responds as kings do when confronted with rebellion. His good will was rejected. His ambassadors were murdered. He does not go and apologize for the tone of the invitation. Rather he executes vengeance on the wicked: He sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city!
But the feast cannot be canceled and the King desires guests. Then He said to His servants, Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find. Sound familiar? Hear the words of our Lord, the Bridegroom, at the end of Matthew, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The Israelites have refused. In the hardness of their hearts they reject the Lord’s Christ. But everything is ready and so the servants are sent to the streets. To the Gentiles; to the prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners. To the outcast and downtrodden. To the lame and crippled, the poor and weak. To miserable, no account wretches. It is as Isaiah prophesied, Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you (Is 55:5). So the wedding hall was filled with guests! (Mt 22:10) This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Time 2:3-4).
It is written, When the chief priests and Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables they perceived that He was speaking about them (Mt 21:45).
The question is, do you? Have you eyes to see and ears to hear? Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Do not think lightly of the invitation of our Lord. Do not despise preaching and His Word, paying no attention and going off to your garden or your job. Do not rouse the anger of the King by rejecting His call and ignoring His invitation. Jesus said, The one who hears you hears Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me, and the one who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me (Lk 10:16).
Do not think this invitation will never end. Do not think you can spit upon it with impunity. Do not think the Word of God belongs to you and will always be here. Ignore it, abuse it, neglect it and it can be taken away. Consider our Lord’s words following this parable. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate (Mt 23:37-38).
Be warned. The King in the parable sent His army to those who refused Him. He destroyed them and burned their cities. It is a call to repentance.
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Forsake your wicked ways. Return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on you; to God who abundantly pardons.
And rejoice, for the King is still inviting. I have been sent here on His behalf, as His servant, in His stead and by His command. This parable is fulfilled today in your hearing. Come to the Wedding Feast of the Son! The good and the bad, the greatest and the least, sinners all, come to the feast. He is a King without discretion. He is no respecter of persons. He wants you. It does not matter how bad you have been, what you have done, what you have said, who you have hurt, or how many times you have ignored and spat on His invitation in the past.
He wants you. Rich or poor, smart or foolish, young or old, it does not matter. He will fill the banquet hall, and He wants you there. He wants your children and grandchildren there. Gather the guests, everything is ready! It’s not a pitch-in, there is nothing for you to do. This is Divine Service, God’s Service, His banquet, for you.
Come, eat and drink a food better than that of the kings, the Body and Blood of the Son of God laid before you in the humble means of bread and wine. This is hidden from those who will not believe, who are not worthy to come to the feast. But the one who is worthy has faith in the Word of the King; trusting His gracious invitation and promise.
And do not worry about what to wear. In Christ Jesus you are far more glorious than Solomon or the lilies of the field. God provides His own righteousness for you. He covers your iniquities, all your shame and guilt. You are virgin-pure, immaculate, without blemish, spot or stain. The King destroyed the murderers’ city. But to you He has given a new city, the heavenly Jerusalem. St John wrote, Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Rev 21:9, 2).
You have been called. You are chosen; elect by God in Christ Jesus from before the foundation of the world. And in Holy Baptism you have received the wedding garment, white robes, washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb. You have been washed and clothed with Christ. You are His beloved, in whom He is well pleased. He has shown His love for you in the Cross. There the sacrifice was made. Here the feast is given. There He bought you back out of Hell. Here He gives you heaven as a gift.
The Kingdom of heaven is like a King, a Man. The Kingdom of Heaven is Jesus. So ponder this, O Christian, as you receive your King: Jesus said, The Kingdom of God is within you.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
The Kingdom of Heaven is not compared to a wedding feast. It is like a King who gave a wedding feast. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Master of a house who owns a vineyard and goes out to hire laborers. It is like a King who has mercy and forgives the payment of His debtors. It is like a Merchant in search of fine pearls. It is like a Man who sows good seed.
The Kingdom of Heaven is not found in abstractions. It is found in a Man, even our Lord Jesus Christ, a King above all kings. He is the Son, the Prince of Peace, the Bridegroom at this wedding banquet. For Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, so that He might present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Eph 5:25-27).
He is the Shepherding Merchant who acts strangely to the reason of men; and the Kingdom of Heaven comes in Him. This is why St John the Baptist cried, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, when Jesus appeared. He was saying, “Repent, Jesus is here. The end of time is upon us. The Messiah has come in our flesh. Salvation has arrived in a virgin-born, sinless Man.”
John’s preaching was a call to those who were invited to the wedding feast. Notice this: the invitation had gone out before the telling of this parable. For the prophets of the Lord, the holy men of God sent by His command to proclaim His Word, preached as you heard in Isaiah, Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. This preliminary invitation had gone out to the chosen people of God before the arrival of Messiah; but they would not come.
Again [the King] sent out other servants; that is, He “apostled” others. As the Father sent the Son, so the Son sends the Twelve, His Apostles, His servants: Go once again to those who were invited. Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation (Mk 16:15). The feast is ready. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world has been offered in sacrifice; by His death He has destroyed death, by His rising to life again He has brought life and immortality to light. Everything is ready! Come!
But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized His servants and treated them shamefully and killed them. They made their excuses. “I must tend to my garden, my housework, my chores.” “I have to work.” The feast is on the table, the time is now, but still they refused the invitation!
Worse still, others took the servants, beat and killed them! Jesus said to His apostles, They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me (Jn 16:2-3).
The wedding feast of the King’s Son is no ordinary party. This is a great occasion of the state. Consider the wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate. Attendance is expected out of honor to the king and loyalty to his successor. Political allegiance is at stake here. To refuse the invite is tantamount to rebellion. This isn’t just the snubbing of a party. It is a deliberate contempt for the king and his authority. This is insurrection and they know it.
And so the king responds as kings do when confronted with rebellion. His good will was rejected. His ambassadors were murdered. He does not go and apologize for the tone of the invitation. Rather he executes vengeance on the wicked: He sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city!
But the feast cannot be canceled and the King desires guests. Then He said to His servants, Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find. Sound familiar? Hear the words of our Lord, the Bridegroom, at the end of Matthew, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The Israelites have refused. In the hardness of their hearts they reject the Lord’s Christ. But everything is ready and so the servants are sent to the streets. To the Gentiles; to the prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners. To the outcast and downtrodden. To the lame and crippled, the poor and weak. To miserable, no account wretches. It is as Isaiah prophesied, Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you (Is 55:5). So the wedding hall was filled with guests! (Mt 22:10) This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Time 2:3-4).
It is written, When the chief priests and Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables they perceived that He was speaking about them (Mt 21:45).
The question is, do you? Have you eyes to see and ears to hear? Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Do not think lightly of the invitation of our Lord. Do not despise preaching and His Word, paying no attention and going off to your garden or your job. Do not rouse the anger of the King by rejecting His call and ignoring His invitation. Jesus said, The one who hears you hears Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me, and the one who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me (Lk 10:16).
Do not think this invitation will never end. Do not think you can spit upon it with impunity. Do not think the Word of God belongs to you and will always be here. Ignore it, abuse it, neglect it and it can be taken away. Consider our Lord’s words following this parable. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate (Mt 23:37-38).
Be warned. The King in the parable sent His army to those who refused Him. He destroyed them and burned their cities. It is a call to repentance.
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Forsake your wicked ways. Return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on you; to God who abundantly pardons.
And rejoice, for the King is still inviting. I have been sent here on His behalf, as His servant, in His stead and by His command. This parable is fulfilled today in your hearing. Come to the Wedding Feast of the Son! The good and the bad, the greatest and the least, sinners all, come to the feast. He is a King without discretion. He is no respecter of persons. He wants you. It does not matter how bad you have been, what you have done, what you have said, who you have hurt, or how many times you have ignored and spat on His invitation in the past.
He wants you. Rich or poor, smart or foolish, young or old, it does not matter. He will fill the banquet hall, and He wants you there. He wants your children and grandchildren there. Gather the guests, everything is ready! It’s not a pitch-in, there is nothing for you to do. This is Divine Service, God’s Service, His banquet, for you.
Come, eat and drink a food better than that of the kings, the Body and Blood of the Son of God laid before you in the humble means of bread and wine. This is hidden from those who will not believe, who are not worthy to come to the feast. But the one who is worthy has faith in the Word of the King; trusting His gracious invitation and promise.
And do not worry about what to wear. In Christ Jesus you are far more glorious than Solomon or the lilies of the field. God provides His own righteousness for you. He covers your iniquities, all your shame and guilt. You are virgin-pure, immaculate, without blemish, spot or stain. The King destroyed the murderers’ city. But to you He has given a new city, the heavenly Jerusalem. St John wrote, Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Rev 21:9, 2).
You have been called. You are chosen; elect by God in Christ Jesus from before the foundation of the world. And in Holy Baptism you have received the wedding garment, white robes, washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb. You have been washed and clothed with Christ. You are His beloved, in whom He is well pleased. He has shown His love for you in the Cross. There the sacrifice was made. Here the feast is given. There He bought you back out of Hell. Here He gives you heaven as a gift.
The Kingdom of heaven is like a King, a Man. The Kingdom of Heaven is Jesus. So ponder this, O Christian, as you receive your King: Jesus said, The Kingdom of God is within you.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
RSS Feed