Year A

Matthew 22:1-14

The Very Rev. Denise Vaughn

Let’s Rejoice at the Heavenly Banquet

In 1967, the release of the move ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ a romantic comedy-drama staring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn & Katharine Houghton caused quite a stir as it was one of the first films of the time to depict an interracial marriage in a positive light. It won several awards including an academy award for writing. It addressed the complexities of prejudice, racism and bigotry. If you haven’t seen it, I would highly recommend you do. It’s a great movie but needless to say its message ruffled a few feathers. We could say that today’s gospel the parable of the Wedding Banquet ruffled a few feathers in its day. God’s gracious invitations to people have always ruffled the feathers of those who would rather have picked their own company, especially when it comes to dining. 

We have a tendency to prefer to dine or party with our families and friends. But guess who’s coming to dinner when God throws a party, all the people we would not necessarily choose will be there, too. Yet, this is what the kingdom of heaven is like Jesus says: the expected guests are absent, and the most unlikely ones are present. Luke’s version of this parable takes place at the house of a Pharisee who has invited Jesus to dinner, and emphasizes the inclusion of “the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” Matthew’s version, however, continues the theme of judgment which we have heard in the parables read over the past several Sunday’s spoken in the temple to the Jewish religious leaders.

In the highly charged final week of Jesus’ life, he entered Jerusalem to the shouts of “Hosanna” which means “save us” and five days later the same people cry out, “Let him be crucified!” The Messiah had entered Jerusalem, but in the end the people did not accept God’s invitation to the banquet and failed to show up when the day finally arrived. This story is not a comfortable story especially Matthew’s version. In Matthew’s day, remember he was Jewish, when his gospel was written long after Jesus had ascended back to God, this parable was a reminder to the Jewish people that God had initially invited them to be God’s people. God did so in order to use them as an example of how much God can bless and honor those who do God’s will and heed God’s word above all else. Yet, many of those observant Jews who were invited to the wedding banquet did not share the belief that Jesus was the Messiah which caused tension between the Jews and Christians.

Eventually the Christian’s who were made up of some believing Jews and many non-Jews, the Gentiles. were forced to break away from the Synagogue. This tension between the Christians and Jews was exacerbated when occupying Romans marched in full force, in response to a Jewish patriotic uprising, destroying Jerusalem and the temple. Unfortunately, there always seems to be violence in that part of the world. For the Jewish community, this was a national tragedy. For the Christian church, however, it looked like a vindication of their claim that Jesus was the Messiah. These events and the Christian reading of them are clearly visible behind the parable as Matthew tells it. According to Matthew, this parable says God has rejected the Jews because they have rejected Jesus. Whether Jesus intended it to be read this way we can’t be certain but it would not have been lost on Matthew’s church in Antioch.

A truth stressed over and over in seminary as we were studying the scriptures was that each writer had their own bias and that bias was evident in their writing as we see in Matthew’s take on the text today.  So the story or allegory that Matthew has Jesus telling is about the wedding party for the Son, yet there are no guests present to enjoy the meal and join in the fun. Those on the original guest list, decided for a variety of reasons they had better things to do. This paved the way for a revision of the guest list to include “all whom they found, both good and bad.” Because of their rejection, there was now a bit of guessing about who’s coming to dinner because the party is opened up to “all.”  But not exactly all because the parable concludes with the line, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Apparently even though “all” have been invited to participate in the feast, not “all” fully participate.

Within our own Christian world there are those who like the ones in the parable refuse the invitation from God in one way or another. Those who have the good sense to respond yes to the invitation means we are willing to put on the mind of Christ and to follow his way of behavior. This may entail having our usual set of values turned upside down in some area of our lives where we may not expect it. Yet, Paul reminds the Philippians and us today that we are to stand firm in the Lord and rejoice always and God’s peace will be with us. When we attempt to ‘live’ in Jesus, it should bring an immense gratitude for the community and we respond yes to the banquet. St. Benedict once said ‘Living in Jesus’ means living together with others that can result in rejoicing and bring peace. 

Yet, did you know that on the whole, America is not a happy nation? In a 2023 report we rank only 19th on the World Happiness Index. According to Mental Heal America, 21% or over 50 million of us are depressed. Paul offers us a remedy: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Faith and happiness go together. Martin Luther put it well: Until the heart believes in God, it is impossible for it to rejoice in God. When faith is lacking, mankind is filled with fear and gloom and is disposed to flee at the very mention, the mere thought of God. It seems when our focus is on God or religion we are happier because we are focused on them and we forget ourselves, and all the trials and hassles in our lives we are able to handle. Having God in control makes us more content and confident.

Paul, who had learned to live in Christ in every situation; remember he is in prison right now, his acceptance to the banquet becomes food in Jesus Christ. And this food leads us into the Eucharistic meal, receiving the bread and wine we live in Christ and are lead to realize that every-day life is being caught up into the glory of God as we participate in the heavenly banquet here on earth for unending ages. This deeper meaning of food and of celebration is what Isaiah sings about today. His vision of the heavenly banquet is a song of celebration and of victory for Israel. It speaks of juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines. It then leads into the deeper meaning of that food and drink when it reveals what God has done and will do for the people. “This is the Lord, for whom we have waited: let us be glad and rejoice in God’s salvation.”

The people waited for God, trusting in God’s faithfulness, and God acted, providing salvation for all people. Death itself will be sent away defeated and all who mourn will be comforted. No matter how desperate the circumstances, Isaiah provides us a powerful vision for a better tomorrow. As we remember God’s faithfulness in the past and look for signs of God at work in the present, expect to see God at work in the lives of others, even enemies. As the hymn so aptly states: “All I have needed they hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! In the kingdom that begins with the Day of the Lord, all who decide to attend the party and have clothed themselves with love, like a wedding robe will rejoice in God’s salvation. With a party like that for “all” people, we don’t have to guess or worry about who is coming to dinner we just have to dig in and let the good times roll!