Daily Bread

Once more Jesus spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees 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 my 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. Then the king said to the attendants, “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.’

This parable is an allegory of God's kingdom — a kingdom that was first freely offered to a few, but was rejected, then opened up to all (good and bad) — and there is only one way into this kingdom and that is to wear the wedding robe of the 'son'.

Parables are not didactic teaching where you are told what to believe, but designed to make you stop, think, and reflect, asking who is God in the story and who am I in the story? For example, are we those who have made light of God's invitation, ignored it, disregarded it, or even scorned it? Are we wedding crashers, only here for the party, receiving God's goodness and gifts without acknowledging the bride and groom? Or are we are those (good and bad) that God has found and gathered, and who have been dressed for the occasion? Hopefully, we are the latter!

There is this seeming paradox between God choosing us and us choosing God, where in the biblical world-view, both are true. All are invited into God's kingdom and those who respond are the chosen! We can understand this if we look at it from the two perspectives — God's and our own. From God's perspective we are called and chosen, and from our perspective we are called and choose.

Either way, the point is that we can ignore the invite or respond to it. The invite is from God though Jesus Christ and there are no qualifications required, other than to trust. God really does want good things for us.

King of kings, Majesty
God of Heaven living in me
Gentle Saviour, closest friend
Strong Deliverer, beginning and end
All within me falls at Your throne

Words by Jarrod Cooper

Holy God
Thank you that you have invited me
to the heavenly wedding banquet,
and that you have robed me and honoured me,
even though I do not deserve it.
May I continue to serve you with
all my heart, mind, strength, and soul.
This day and forever.