Wedding Banquet Devotional

 March 12th, 2023

Devotional

“Wedding Banquet” - Matthew 22: 1-14

Monday: “Would Not Come” - Matthew 22: 1-3

Perhaps what makes this parable difficult is that we cannot imagine not attending a wedding banquet that you were invited to. But is that really case? Imagine that you were asked to attend a wedding for someone who you did not know personally, is the decision still as easy? Or invited to a wedding feast when it meant you would need to give up a day of what you enjoy?

Jesus is speaking in parables, once again starting with a topic that everyone hearing could understand - wedding banquets. But when the invitation came from the king, people were not as eager to respond. We aren’t told what their reasoning was - simply that they would not come. 

Jesus was, of course, speaking more than about a wedding banquet. He was trying to call attention to the prophets who had been sent out as servants of God, but who were rejected by the people. He was speaking, chiefly, to the religious leaders. Those who knew the words of the prophets, but probably would have rejected them as so many others did, if they heard their message.

If we start out from a position of assuming that there isn’t a reason that anyone would fail to attend this banquet, we miss the greater point that many had rejected the message of God across time. 

What are some of the reasons you can think of that people will not come to God today?

Prayer: Loving God, we confess that often we read this parable from a place of superiority instead of compassion, forgetting the time when we too were far from you. As we sit with this parable this week, soften our hearts to both hear from you and to respond. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Enraged” - Matthew 22: 4-7

  When the king failed to have people respect his invitation the second time, we see flashes of anger and judgment upon the people. If this parable is trying to explain the Kingdom of Heaven, it is not the same image that many of us hold in our minds. 

Which causes us to ask - what caused the king to be enraged? Was it just that he wasn’t listened to or was it more than that? 

It could be that the king’s invitation was disregarded. But it could also be why it was disregarded in the first place, because it wasn’t treated as worth much, which was a reflection of the level of respect that people had for their king.

We might accept the invitation to be part of the Kingdom, but we aren’t always great about accepting Christ’s call to pick up our cross and follow him every day. What does this say about our level of respect for our Savior and King?

What is something sacred that you have not treated with the respect it deserves from time to time?

Prayer:  Lord, we may not understand those who reject the call of your Kingdom, but when we take time to honestly reflect, we realize that there are times we miss your daily calls in our lives as well. Forgive us, O Lord, as we come to you with a repentant heart and spirit. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Invite Everyone” - Matthew 22: 8-10

When the king sends out the invitation a third time through his servants it becomes scandalously broad. Invite everyone. Good or bad. Everyone you see. 

The grace of God is still scandalously broad in its reach. God does not limit certain people from hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ. He does not say that there are certain people who are not worthy to come to the house of God.

The problem is that sometimes we say that as the body of Christ by our words or actions. The church is to be a place where all are welcome to come and hear the Gospel, but we put up barriers of our own making that make the church smaller and smaller in order to be with people we feel are deserving and worthy. 

But that isn’t how this parable works. The king didn’t want the wedding banquet to be sparely attended or be as small as possible. By this third invitation he wanted the wedding hall to be filled. And it was. 

How do we limit who we share the Gospel with, knowingly or unknowingly?

Prayer: Lord, sometimes we are not the best representatives of your kingdom. In fact, at times we make the church the opposite of what you express that the kingdom is about in this parable. Forgive us, and renew in us a commitment to your message. Amen. 

Thursday: “Noticed a Man” - Matthew 22: 11-12

We need to be careful to note that there is a distinction between hearing and receiving. We may be the ones who share the message with everyone, but that doesn’t mean that everyone will respond. That, however, is not our work. We cannot make people respond to the Gospel message, as much as we may desire to. We are simply called to be those who share the invention, as the servants in the parable did.

Which brings us to this odd part of the parable where the king notices that someone is present who is not wearing a wedding robe and becomes distressed. Didn’t the king say that everyone could come? 

Yes.

But the king also desires those who come to be prepared.

This parable is about equipping the faithful for the coming days. Thus, in this oddity to the story we find a statement saying pay attention and be prepared. 

What does it mean to be prepared for Jesus?

Prayer: Lord, teach us what it means to be prepared for you. Help us to set aside that which is false and pick up your truth as we trust you more and more in our lives. Amen. 

Friday: “Called/ Chosen” - Matthew 22: 13-14

While this parable may be confusing and even distressing at times, at the end it is the king who determines who is part of the banquet and who is not. The servants do not make that decision - only the king.

Lest we forget, we are not the king. We may be the servants. We may be the guests. But we are not the king. Therefore, the question remains, how will we respond to the unmerited grace that we have received in the invitation? With humility? Gratitude? Obedience?

And let us receive this reminder as word of caution. The setting of this parable is an intense debate between Jesus and the religious elite of the time. Those who may have thought they were closer to the king than others. Let us examine our own hearts to see what this parable has as an invitation for us, here and now today. 

  Who do you identify with in this parable and why?

Prayer: God, help us to go about the work of your kingdom, not ours. Helps us proclaim your message, not our agendas. Put us to work for your purpose alone, mighty God! Amen.