Sermon - Trinity 20

Matthew 22:1-14And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4Again 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.’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 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.11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 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.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.” ESV

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

A wedding feast… that’s what Jesus says the kingdom of Heaven is like. For a king to kill one fattened calf or a single ox would have been quite a celebration. But this king was a generous king. Many oxen AND many fat calves were prepared. This was the feast of feasts. The king had done the ALL work… and he offered to give it away as a GIFT… free of charge… it was a feast so lavish that no one…. Absolutely no one could even begin to reimburse the king. Imagine a banquet given by the most wealthy man in the entire world, who has sacrificed all that he had…. EVERYTHING…. To give His guests a luxurious feast.

Every last penny had been put into the banquet, then the king sent his servants saying, “Come to the wedding feast! You’re invited! I’ve chosen you by name. Please come be my guest. I’ve prepared everything for you. This is no pitch in. All the food you could ever want will be there.”

BUT EVEN MORE…. The parable should be understood this way. This banquet was a banquet with eternal consequences. Not only would this banquet be a banquet that would provide enough food for the noon meal, but even more. Wedding feasts in 1st Century Judaism would have lasted several days. But the implication of this banquet was much more than that. It was a feast that would last longer than the typical banquet… this banquet was so extravagant that the king was offering them a banquet that would never end. In effect, what the king offered them, was a life without having to work to put a single piece of bread on the table for the rest of their lives! The King would provide for all their wants…. Forever and ever!

It was this kind of wedding feast to which some paid no attention. They didn’t care. They were okay with working for their food. Others thought there were more important things to do. Some had farming to do…. The harvest had to come first. Never mind that the king offered them an opportunity to never have to harvest again. Some were too caught up in the joys of this world. They didn’t want any free hand-outs from a King. They wanted to earn their own living and find their own way. Others became angry that the King would be so generous to offer them a different life. They became so angry that they mistreated the King’s servants and even killed them.

So the King considered them unworthy and offered His eternal banquet to others. Many received the gift with joy and celebration. Those who were poor and neglected came to the banquet and feasted.

But don’t miss the point of this parable. This King is God the Father, Maker of Heaven and earth. And while the Father is certainly the generous Giver of food and drink, clothing and shoes, house and home, wife and children, and every other good thing, the Gift of the Kingdom of Heaven is more than these. The gift of the Kingdom of Heaven is the Son Himself… Jesus Christ. Jesus has earned the Feast for you through His innocent sufferings and death.

Jesus once said, “My Body is real food and my Blood is real Drink. I am the Living Bread come down from Heaven. If a man eats my Body and drinks my Blood He will live forever.” Jesus is the Feast.

But just as some turn up their noses to what Mom puts on the table and says, “I don’t like peas and carrots and broccoli” or whatever it is people complain about. So, there are those who say, “I don’t care for Jesus and His forgiveness and salvation. I’d rather have something else.” But there is no room for these picky eaters in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The real food in the Kingdom of heaven is the Word and Sacraments. This how Jesus comes to you. Christ’s Word and Sacraments is the only eternal food. This is God’s good food for you. Food that will last forever. Food that gives eternal life…. Food that makes you healthy and strong. God’s Holy Word is the Bread that has come down from Heaven so that you who feed on it will live forever. Jesus’ Body and Blood is the food of immortality that if a man should eat of eat, He will live forever.

One man in the parable, tried to find a seat at the banquet table without His wedding garment. He is like those who despise God’s Means of Grace. Like those who want to come into the Kingdom another way without hearing the Word of Christ and without their baptismal robe. But the Father will NOT stand for those who think their way into the kingdom of Heaven is better than God’s way. For those who want to earn their way into heaven, God says they will be cast into darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Today God’s kingdom come to you again. Inviting you to hear His Word, which has the authority to create the faith which believes the invitation. Today, His mercy calls you to eat and drink His Body and Blood at this altar so that you might have a foretaste of the Feast to come.

Come, eat and drink! The feast has been prepared for you!

In Jesus’ Name. AMEN.