Banquet
Read Matthew 22.
Everyone loves a good party. The food, the friends, the food...did I mention the food? There is nothing like a good party to celebration something important: a marriage, an anniversary, a birthday, a promotion, or even a funeral. There is nothing quite like a party where something significant is celebrated or memorialized.
The ancient Hebrews loved parties, too. More than we do, it seems. A good party would go on for seven days or so, though the emphasis was not on getting drunk or practicing gluttony (as it would seem to be in our culture) but on the celebration. Excess in eating and drinking were condemned.
However, for a good party to be successful, the host had to make the guests feel comfortable and welcome. An invitation went out early, and then a second invitation was sent out on the day of the party. Servants would come to the guests' homes and escort them to the banquet, and the host would lavishly provide for his friends, even down to the robes that were to be worn for the festivities. By providing the same robes for everyone, the host guaranteed that everyone felt comfortable, welcome and "on the same level."
Guests would be welcomed by having their feet washed, they would be given a kiss, and their heads would be anointed with oil. If it were a formal banquet, people would be seated in order of their rank, but everyone had a place at the table. A "governor of the banquet" would taste the food and wine to make sure it was up to the standards of the host, and sometimes portions of the food were even sent to friends who weren't able to attend the feast. Everything was done so that radical hospitality was demonstrated and experienced.
And all of this is in the background of Jesus' parable here in Matthew 22. A king invites people to a wedding banquet he is throwing, but in a crazy reversal, those invited refuse to come. Who would refuse to come to a week-long party? No wonder the king is upset. Okay, so he's a but more than upset. He burns down the city of those who refused to come. Yeah, he could use some anger management classes. But once he calms down, he invites others to come..."anyone you can find." I don't know that I'd want to be in that category (second choice), but I guess I'd be glad to be invited anyway. And by extending that "y'all come" invitation, the wedding hall is filled.
There is one guest that stands out, though. He is at the buffet table, but he's wearing street clothes. Did he think no one would notice? Remember, the wedding robe is provided free of charge by the host. That means this man, who would have been included in the "y'all come" invitation, refused to wear the king's clothes. He wants into the party, but without having to abide by the king's instructions. He is thrown out, for having refused the king's generosity.
Here's the point (remember, parables generally make one point): grace is free, and God offers grace (everything we need to come to the party). But it's always our choice to refuse it. However, if we refuse it, we shouldn't expect to get into the party. God has given everything we need to enter the party of the kingdom. Do we accept it, or refuse it? The answer to that question makes an eternal difference.
Do you want to come to the banquet table? Then accept and put on the king's robe of grace.
Everyone loves a good party. The food, the friends, the food...did I mention the food? There is nothing like a good party to celebration something important: a marriage, an anniversary, a birthday, a promotion, or even a funeral. There is nothing quite like a party where something significant is celebrated or memorialized.
The ancient Hebrews loved parties, too. More than we do, it seems. A good party would go on for seven days or so, though the emphasis was not on getting drunk or practicing gluttony (as it would seem to be in our culture) but on the celebration. Excess in eating and drinking were condemned.
However, for a good party to be successful, the host had to make the guests feel comfortable and welcome. An invitation went out early, and then a second invitation was sent out on the day of the party. Servants would come to the guests' homes and escort them to the banquet, and the host would lavishly provide for his friends, even down to the robes that were to be worn for the festivities. By providing the same robes for everyone, the host guaranteed that everyone felt comfortable, welcome and "on the same level."
Guests would be welcomed by having their feet washed, they would be given a kiss, and their heads would be anointed with oil. If it were a formal banquet, people would be seated in order of their rank, but everyone had a place at the table. A "governor of the banquet" would taste the food and wine to make sure it was up to the standards of the host, and sometimes portions of the food were even sent to friends who weren't able to attend the feast. Everything was done so that radical hospitality was demonstrated and experienced.
And all of this is in the background of Jesus' parable here in Matthew 22. A king invites people to a wedding banquet he is throwing, but in a crazy reversal, those invited refuse to come. Who would refuse to come to a week-long party? No wonder the king is upset. Okay, so he's a but more than upset. He burns down the city of those who refused to come. Yeah, he could use some anger management classes. But once he calms down, he invites others to come..."anyone you can find." I don't know that I'd want to be in that category (second choice), but I guess I'd be glad to be invited anyway. And by extending that "y'all come" invitation, the wedding hall is filled.
There is one guest that stands out, though. He is at the buffet table, but he's wearing street clothes. Did he think no one would notice? Remember, the wedding robe is provided free of charge by the host. That means this man, who would have been included in the "y'all come" invitation, refused to wear the king's clothes. He wants into the party, but without having to abide by the king's instructions. He is thrown out, for having refused the king's generosity.
Here's the point (remember, parables generally make one point): grace is free, and God offers grace (everything we need to come to the party). But it's always our choice to refuse it. However, if we refuse it, we shouldn't expect to get into the party. God has given everything we need to enter the party of the kingdom. Do we accept it, or refuse it? The answer to that question makes an eternal difference.
Do you want to come to the banquet table? Then accept and put on the king's robe of grace.
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