Thoughts for the Day

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, "Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet." But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, "The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet." Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

'But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?" And he was speechless. "Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." For many are called, but few are chosen.'

(New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Well I've been preaching for about 40 years, but I seem to have avoided looking at this parable like the plague! So time to deal with it! Parables, as we know have 'heavenly' or 'spiritual' meanings, and this particularl story has a lot of these.

The custom of the day was to send out wedding invitations with a date on them, but only to give the time to arrive, on the day. Invitations to the wedding of a prince would have been highly valued, but despite being invited these guests choose not to attend and at the second reminder are actually violent to the messengers. Lastly, we are told, one is rejected for not wearing the right clothing.

The story is about the Kingdom of Heaven. God invites people into His Kingdom, but many are indifferent when they hear the message of Jesus and ridicule it; some are even antagonistic about it and kill the prophets and those who preach about the Good News of the Kingdom; and yet others are unchanged, they may join the church but their hearts remain unaffected. (David Guzik). Can you see yourself in this story?

Thursday 20th August, follow up thoughts

Almighty God,
if we are honest
we can recognise the times
that we have ignored Your call;
been angry at the repeated message;
and stubbornly refused to change our ways.
Help us to see that Your call is about
growing and maturing as Christians
and not about lip service when it suits us.
Amen.