05.05.12
Matthew 22.12 12 ...and he said to him, ‘ Friend, how did
you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. NASB
Okay, confessional time: I looked at the commentary on
this parable because I’ve always been somewhat stumped by the comparison the
Lord was making. First: the Lord was making reference to a long held Jewish cultural
belief that when (the Real) Messiah came the next step would be an eternal
feast of sorts (a wedding banquet) in which the Messiah (God’s Chosen One) would
be wedded to His chosen Bride (Israel.) It would be an exclusive event in which
only the chosen ones (Israel) would be invited. No Gentiles, no un-chosen ones.
So Jesus’ audience understood the banquet simile.
What His audience couldn’t handle was the terms of the banquet: in the (real)
feast, they were to accept their invitations on God’s terms: that Jesus was the
Messiah He was claiming to be all along. So Jesus tells them about a King (God)
who throws a party and invites all of His chosen ones (Israel) to show up – His
listeners are happy about that. But when Jesus says they ignore the invitation
– to their farms, to their businesses – and then, horror of horrors, they even
mistreat and kill the King’s messengers – His hearers are now starting to take
an even dimmer view of this renegade Rabbi who seems to be poking holes in
their theology. Is that what He’s really saying: that we’d reject the feast!?
And so, then Jesus tells them the King (God) quickly
invites outsiders (i.e. Gentiles and the unclean) to come to the banquet
leaving the chosen ones (Israel) out. Horror of horrors! We have to come to the feast: we are the chosen ones! It’s between us and our God! Then Jesus
gives them the coup de gras: The wedding feast is filled with both evil and
good (who accept the party on God’s terms) but one is found who doesn’t have on
the right clothes: he accepts God but
doesn’t accept God’s Messiah – by implication: the very Messiah sharing
this very parable with them at that very moment.
Yes, chosen ones,
the feast is all about you and your God – make no mistake about it. But don’t
think for a minute that because you are chosen that you can dictate the terms
of your Chooser’s choice. And your Chooser has chosen His Chosen One and you
are to come to the banquet because you choose to believe He is the Chosen One.
The parable was for them and it’s also for us. They
needed to know – on the eve, eve, of the crucifixion – that they would attend
their precious wedding feast that they so hoped for only if they would choose
God’s Chosen One – the One who was headed for the cross for them.
Today, many want God, but have little or no use for
Jesus. To them, Jesus is unnecessary and they feel their own good works and
best behavior will be sufficient to get them into the feast (or whatever
preferred future they have). But like the character in the parable, the right
clothes are what ensure the invitation, and the right clothes are the choosing of
God’s Choice. In this sense, clothing does make the man…
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