In our text today from Matthew 22, our Lord gives another parable about the Kingdom of Heaven. He uses images and descriptions of actions that we can understand to tell us something about the active rule and reign of God in His Kingdom. It helps us grasp, or perhaps more fully appreciate, this Kingdom of which we are all citizens as the people of God. And this story is quite shocking. We are told, “The Kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.” The event had apparently been planned out for quite some time. The guest list had been finalized, and personal invitations had gone out. And it was finally time. The long-awaited moment had arrived. So, the king sent out his servant to call all those invited to the feast, as everything was ready. Now is the time to celebrate his son, to give him the honor he had long planned, but those invited did not come.

Of course, we are not told why they did not come. Perhaps, they did not care much for the son, or they disagreed with how the king was running the kingdom, but no matter the reason, they spurned the king’s generosity and invitation. But the king is not deterred. He sends out 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.’” This time, not only are the servants ignored, but some also begin to beat and shamefully treat them. In fact, some of those invited even kill the servants of the king. In their arrogance and pride, they believed there would be no retaliation, no punishment for their behavior. But they were sorely wrong. We read how, “The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.” His judgment was shocking and swift. Those who rejected his gracious invitation not once but twice and murdered his servants now faced his full wrath.

But here is the thing about this king, this king does not give up on his feast. He will not dishonor his son. The feast will go on, and he will, in fact, fill the wedding hall with guests. He says to his servants, “Go to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.” And off they go, doing just that. They invite to the feast all they encounter, both good and bad. He takes no regard for their lineage. He does not care if they come from some great house of renown. Everyone is invited. And here we begin to see how this story, indeed, reveals to us something of the working of the Kingdom of Heaven.

In the context of Matthew’s Gospel, right before telling this parable, Jesus has been facing increasing hostility from the religious leaders of his day. The parables He has been telling illuminate the rejection He has endured. In fact, they have begun to scheme and plan to have Him arrested. In the next chapter, Jesus will make His cryptic opposition clear when He says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those 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!” These were the ones who were invited to the feast. These were the welcomed guests of the King, but they rejected Him, and they killed the servants of the King. Therefore, now His wrath falls upon them.

But the King will fill His wedding hall. The King will not be deterred from celebrating the wedding of His Son. So, He sends His servants out to call others, to invite all to the feast. He sends them first to Jerusalem, then to Judea, Samaria, and beyond. He sends His servant with His Word of invitation to the world, to make disciples of all nations. The reign of the Kingdom of God is not limited but continues to spread. It reaches across the great country of ours. It invites people, even today, in Ventura County. He does not care about your lineage. Your seat at the wedding feast is not determined by your ethnicity, nation, or race. From the lowly to the great, the wedding hall is being filled. The opposition of man will not deter your King.

But the parable is not quite over. There is a second part to it, a more intimate look, if you will, at the wedding hall itself. This added detail may come as a shock to us, we who are simply excited to be invited to the wedding feast. We are told the king comes out to take in the spectacle of the full house. Not a seat is empty. He glances around the room, and immediately one person stands out to him. His eye is drawn right to him. Why? Because he is not wearing wedding clothes. He is not dressed for the feast. He comes right up to him and asks, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” And the man has no answer. Not unlike those first invited who simply ignore the servant’s call, this man has no reply. So, the king says to his servants, “Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Now, if you have not been paying attention to this point, no doubt you are a little more engaged. I mean, if you are the one invited to the feast, if you are the one who sits at the wedding feast of the king’s son, you might begin to worry a bit about how you are dressed. Are you dressed for the feast? This guy was not wearing wedding garments, was tied up, and was thrown out into the outer darkness. I am not sure what that even means, but it does not sound good. One thing is clear: What you wear matters. So, what are you wearing? Are you wearing your own pride and glory? Are you wearing a sense that you belong, that you deserve to be here? Are you wearing your own works and acts of sacrifice?

It seems to me that being dressed for the feast is being dressed in honor of the Son, not for your own honor. It is to be humbled before the invitation to repent and believe the good news. The invitation goes out to all the world, but those who are chosen are dressed for the feast. That is, they are given the gift of faith. They despair of their own deeds and trust in the King’s grace and mercy. “Many are called, but few are chosen,” says our Lord. To be chosen is to be clothed by Jesus, by His works, by His great deeds. You are chosen in the waters of Holy Baptism where the righteous garments of the Son cover you. You are chosen in the proclamation that your sins are forgiven. You are chosen as you kneel around this altar and the Son gives Himself to you in this foretaste of the feast to come. To cling to the gifts of Christ alone is to be found dressed for the feast. So, let us repent and believe the good news. Let us with confidence celebrate the marriage feast of the Lamb without end.