The Grand Party

Matthew 22:1–14 ESV

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

When I was younger, about the age of 12-13 if I remember correctly, my friend was having his 14th birthday party. His mother decided to make it a big to-do so she had every person invited to the occasion write down their 3 favorite songs, and she was going to make a playlist for us to enjoy on our way to our destination. My friends and I sat down and we carefully thought out our favorite songs from the long (in hindsight it was actually limited) list of songs we listened to.) As the day approached I became more and more excited to celebrate my friend with our entire group of friends out on the town, but when the day arrived for our departure something quite odd happened. No one came. No one expect for me. Now this was one of my dearest friends, and at the time we were all quite close. No one was angry at each other to my knowledge, and no one was put out that I could tell, but I was the only one to arrive for his birthday.

I was a little flustered that no one else could come celebrate my friend, but you could tell that his mother was upset that her son was not going to receive the celebration that she had envisioned. So she said this, “Well, Colter, since you are the only one here to party I am going to take care of your weekend.” (Or something along those lines. It was a long time ago) But she made it clear that because I was there, she was going to pay the bill.

Everyone likes to feel important. From the poorest of the poor, to the most wealth person on the planet, we all like to feel that we are valued. Some of us it takes a lot, while others are very simple, but being valued it high on our list of things most desirable.

This king was no different. He had a son who he wanted to throw a lavished party for his son’s nuptials. The king orchestrated this grand party, and being as prominent as he was, he had very influential friends that he beckoned to come celebrate his son. One by one he sent his servants out with a list of names telling them “Call my friends and tell them the marriage supper is ready.” So these servants of the king went far and wide. Up hills and into the valleys spreading the news of the supper. Knocking on ever Lord and Ladies door telling them “the king has requested your presence at his son’s wedding feast.”

— As a little heads up, these wedding feasts were usually massive celebrations that lasted days on end. So this was something that if you could merit an invitation, you did not want to miss it. —

What do you think the Lord’s and Ladies responded with? They ignored the invitation.

> Once again the king sent out the call for invitation saying “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calf have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”

The messengers were sent. This time some ignored, going about their own business, while others seized the messengers treated them shamefully and killed them. Why? I have no idea why other than these people were dark and misguided. Selfish and calloused. This infuriated the king. His feast was ready, his son was set to be praised, the invitations were sent, and they were rejected! How can you reject a king!? The king set a blaze to the Lord’s and Lady’s cities, and he laid waste their properties. Nothing was left of their dishonor.

But the banquet was still set, the meat was cooked, the hall was decorated. The party would go on.

So the king grabbed remaining servants and told them “Go. Wherever you find someone, whoever you run into, call them. Tell them to come to my son’s wedding feast. I do not care who they are, I do not care how they look, nor how they smell. I do not care if they are foreign or local, I want them. Pack this hall with as many people as you can. It is time to celebrate.”

And so they did. The servants went along highways and byways, they searched the alleys and the city streets. The bars and the brothels. Everywhere the people were commissioned. “Come” there were told, and arrive at the feast they did.

What a wonderful time was had. Parables are stories that have a deeper meaning, and the meaning of the parable is this. The Lord’s and Lady’s who rejected the kings first calls were the religious people of Israel. They were important, they were desired, they were placed in prominent positions, but when they were called upon, they spat at the presence of the king. Much as they did in real life. God established them, He gave them a purpose, and when He sent His messengers, they treated them poorly and turn to their own desires. They even went as far as to kill the messengers who would not let them live in their own flesh. All God wanted to do was draw them close and they did everything they could to push Him away.

So God opened the doors to His kingdom and let all those who would come, come in. That is where you and I arrive on the scene. You and I were the men and women on the highways and byways, we were the ones found in the bars and the brothels. We were in fields and factories. We were in gardens and on playgrounds. God sought us out where we were, and He called us to walk closer to Him. He invited us into His kingdom.

But there is one last issue to address. When you are invited to a wedding, you don’t just wear whatever is available. You wear the best clothes you can, or at least something suitable for the situation. Now mind you these guys were rounded up pretty quickly, some may have been far from home, and many probably lacked attire fit for a king anyways. Which would mean this. Those who were brought in were given a wedding garment to present themselves in the palace. But we have the issue here of the man who is without a garment. If he did not have one, yet everyone was presented one, how is it that he is still without??

He rejected the kings offer for being made presentable. You see, if the Lord’s and Lady’s would have came they would have worn their best. Those who came converted into the best for the party, but this man sought to party it up while remaining disrespectful to the bride and groom.

He was bound for his disrespect, and he was cast out into a pit of destruction.

This man symbolizes those within the church who appear to have Jesus on the outside, but inwardly there is not change. I am afraid that hell is lined with people who attended church on a regular basis. They said that they had a relationship with Jesus, and on the outward appearance it was easy to persuade those around them that it was true, but the king knows that there is nothing of substance there. Going to church will not keep you from hell. Going to camps, and doing Bible studies will not save your soul. Are those things good? Yes, yes they are. They are great, but it is not what punches your ticket into the wedding feast. Those who will enter the kingdom are those who have heard the call of the gospel, they accept it’s invitation, and they allow it to transform their lives.

You can hear the call, you can have some emotional responses to it, but if there is not change, then there is no salvation. Jesus never leaves a person like He found them. He will always turn their lives around from the inside out.

If you are one of those sitting there tonight and you know that on the outside you look like a Christian, and you may even have the entire world thinking that you are one, but deep down you know you are not, then I want you to get a hold of me sometime soon and lets talk about it. We all have Friday off, the weekend is open, and many have Monday off as well. I am here tonight, I am here tomorrow, I am here whenever you need to talk, but the longer you go, the hard it will become. Talk to me for a minute.

There is no shame in not being saved. Every man and woman that was ever born was born lost, and in need of a Savior. You are no different. Do not feel ashamed, but come to terms with it. Let me show you the Way

Fast for Good Friday. Those who participate need to get with me tonight. Right your name and your parents number down here on this paper.