An Invitation to the Feast (Matthew 22:1-14)
Rev. James Barton
10/15/23

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. (Psalm 19:14)

I am calling this sermon “An Invitation to the Feast” - but it’s not like the “Feast of the Hunter’s Moon” - the big event just celebrated in our community last week. Jesus is telling a parable related to heaven, and He says that the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king (our Lord God) and his son (Jesus Christ), and a feast.

Jesus likely used this parable, this picture story, because of the great prophesy in our Old Testament lesson for today (Isaiah 25:6-9). The Lord Himself had spoken through Isaiah and promised that He would “swallow up” the veil that is spread over all nations - the veil of sin and its consequence, death. He would “swallow up death forever” and “wipe away tears from all faces” and “take away the reproach” (the disgrace and blame) “of His people.” He would “save” his people “who wait for Him” and take them to “be glad and rejoice in His salvation forever” in heaven, with “a feast of rich foods” - many, many blessings forever. And this was a salvation available “for all people.”

This was, of course, a prediction of the coming of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Savior - by the perfect, righteous life He lived, all His life, in our place, where we do not always do so well; by His death on the cross as a sacrifice in payment for all our sins, where we can pay for none of them; and by His resurrection from the dead, “swallowing up death” and its power. (We won’t see the fullness of all this, of course, until we reach heaven ourselves. But what Jesus did makes all of this certain for us in the future.)

Jesus had not yet completed all of that work when he spoke in our text during Holy Week, just days before His crucifixion. But here, in this parable, He is especially telling people how they can be part of His heavenly feast and kingdom.

God had already invited His chosen people, the nation of Israel, to be His people and receive His blessings - and way back in the book of Exodus (24:3), the people had said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Some did trust in the one true God and follow Him, but many did not; and there was much sorrow and trouble for God’s people, as a result, in the Old Testament.

Finally, God’s Son did come into the world to do His saving work. He came through the line of God’s faithful people who were still trying to follow God’s will; and His coming was announced by John the Baptist. We hear in Matthew 3:1, “In those days, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And John pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Some listened to John and trusted in Jesus and followed Him, but many did not.

It is exactly as Jesus described in the parable. The King called His own chosen people to follow His Son and to come to the feast, but they would not come. The King did not give up, though. Jesus and His disciples went out for three years among His chosen people and preached and taught the Good News of His love and the saving work He would accomplish. Some trusted in Jesus and followed Him, but for many it was exactly as Jesus said in this parable: The king sent other servants, saying, “Tell those who were invited, See, I have prepared my dinner. Everything is ready. Come!” But they paid no attention, and went off, one to his farm, another to his business.”

Many of these people had no interest in Jesus at all, or were too busy, or just wanted to do what they wanted to do with their lives and time. “And others seized the servants and treated then shamefully and killed them.” John the Baptist was arrested and killed, and Jesus Himself would soon be arrested and crucified. And some of the early Christians were treated badly and killed by some of God’s Old Testament chosen people.

As the parable goes on, “The king was angry and He sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.” This was simply a prophecy of what was to come. Jesus added to this prediction in Matthew 24:1-2, when the disciples were admiring the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

It was actually the Roman government that became tired of rebellions against them and sent troops to destroy Jerusalem and the temple, in 70 AD. The temple has never been rebuilt, to this day. (Rebellions continued until the Romans came again in 135 AD and destroyed what was left of Jerusalem and banished Jewish people from Jerusalem and Judea, and they were scattered many places.)

The verses that follow tell that the Good News of the King and His Son would go out then to every place possible and ultimately, all over the world. Everyone possible is invited to the heavenly home and feast, through faith in Jesus. More of God’s Old Testament people were invited, too, again and again.

Note especially who was invited. It was all whom they found, both bad and good! The important thing is not who we are and what we have been, but what we can be by the grace of God and being brought to faith and trust in Jesus. That is why there is still hope for everyone alive, as the invitations to heaven through Christ are still going out, until Jesus returns on the Last Day. Sharing such invitations is still part of our job as churches and individual Christians. 

And very important is the last part of this parable, as well - the idea of the wedding garment. In ancient times, a king would provide wedding garments for all those who were invited to such a celebration - as people wouldn’t have and couldn’t afford such garments.

The Bible also often pictures sinners, which we all are, as having filthy garments, because of our sin. In the Old Testament book of Zechariah, even the high priest, Joshua stands “clothed with filthy garments.” And the command is given, “Remove the filth garments” from him 
. Behold, I have taken your iniquity (your sin) away from you, and I will clothe you with pure garments.” (Zechariah 3:3-5) These promises and gifts are given to everyone who is brought to faith in Christ through the Word of God and the gift of baptism. Another prophecy of the prophet Isaiah says, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; 
 for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom ducts himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10)

There is the picture image in the Bible of not just a feast in heaven, but a wedding feast. Revelation 19:7 speaks of “the wedding feast of the Lamb (Jesus) and the bride, clothed with fine linen, bright and pure.” The bride is the church in heaven, the new Jerusalem, all believers, like a bride, adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:1-5) 

Even now, in this world, the Scriptures say, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27) When God looks at us now, as baptized believers, He sees not just us, but Christ and His robe of righteousness He has put on us. Through Christ and His gifts to us and His forgiveness for us, our sins are covered, and we are worthy, not by anything we do, but by Christ and His saving work and the robe of righteousness, the wedding garment we wear.

Obviously, then, no one can actually sneak into heaven without faith in Christ. The last part of the parable is a solemn warning to people who think they can though, (if they even ever think much about heaven.) Such people assume that if they are decent people and have never done anything really bad, they’ll be OK and can get into heaven. They are like the man who has refused Christ and His robe of righteousness, His wedding garment, in this life and then tries to enter into heaven, as he is, with his filthy garments. We hear that he is “cast out into outer darkness, where there is only weeping and gnashing of teeth - the opposite of heaven.

We, by the grace of God, know better. That is why we are here today, centered in Christ Jesus and His Word and His promises in Scripture. We still face sorrow and tears and death and a very troubled, uncertain world; but we have certainty in Christ and the eternal future ahead for us and for our loved ones, past and present, who live and die in Christ too.

As Paul wrote in our epistle lesson for today (Philippians 4:4-13),

  • we rejoice in the Lord always;
  • we let our requests be made known to Him, casting all our anxieties upon Him, for He cares for us and He is at hand to help us;
  • we focus on what is true and honorable and just, as God directs us through His Word and not on all the crazy things of this world;
  • and we can do all things that we face through Christ who strengthens us.

Now I ask you to rise and join with me in the prayer for peace, also in our epistle lesson, as we close this sermon. “Now may the peace of God, which surpasses all (human) understanding, keep your hearts and minds safe, only where they can be safe, in Christ Jesus and His robe of righteousness for you. Amen.” (Philippians 4:7)