I.Theme – Preparing for the banquet to come.
"Parable of the Great Banquet"– Brunswick Monogrammist, 1525, Netherlands
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Isaiah 25:1-9
Psalm – Psalm 23 Page 612, BCP
Epistle –Philippians 4:1-9
Gospel – Matthew 22:1-14
The texts today speak of a universal banquet. Only those who exclude themselves are left out. The people of ancient Israel were on their way out of the banquet through their fashioning of idols.
Isaiah 25 is a hymn of thanksgiving praising God for his redeeming acts (verses 1-5) is followed by vision of the eschatological banquet to which ‘all peoples’ are invited. All who come to the banquet will find fullness of life. Death will be swallowed up (a dramatic reversal for death is frequently portrayed as swallowing up people and God will wipe away the tears from all faces.
The 23rd Psalm has God preparing a banquet in the presence of enemies, a reference to ancient desert wisdom where a strong leader prepares a meal for those quarrelling in the hope of averting war. Only those who exclude themselves are left out.
In the Epistle, Paul exhorts the Christian community to seek peace and unity in the Lord. Above all he urges them to rejoice. Even in their suffering, they can rejoice because the Lord is near. The Christian life is grounded in thanksgiving for what God has done in Christ.
Matthew’s gospel contains the third parable in Jesus’ reply to the question of his authority (21:23-27). The first (21:28-32), the Parable of the Two Sons dealt with the rejection of John’s ministry. The second, Parable of the Tenant (21:33-46) dealt with the rejection of his own ministry. This parable deals with the rejection of the ministry of the disciples and the dire consequences for Israel and Jerusalem.
The parables of the two sons, the wicked tenants, and the king who gave a marriage feast exhibit a progression from John the Baptist to the rejection of Jesus and punishment of those who rejected him through the final judgment, when those without a wedding garment will be cast out.
The target is the legitimacy of the Jewish leadership. They all expose Matthew’s ideology of the true Israel demonstrating the claims of the Pharisees to be false and those of the church true
Who is who ? We recognize the king as God. The king’s son was Jesus. The first guests are those who are hostile to Jesus – the Jewish leaders; the one without the wedding robe represents those who do not count the cost in becoming disciples.
God’s servants were the prophets of Israel and the Christian missionaries
The first part of the parable narrates jumps off immediately from the opening lines: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who had a banquet for his son". This is the first and last time that the son is mentioned. Throughout the rest of the parable until verse 10, the one who acts is the king, the servants and the invited guests.
Invitations are sent to the chosen invitees, but few respond, and some even mistreat and kill the servants (slaves) of the king giving the banquet. God has invited all into relationship with God but few respond–some laugh, some seem to busy, and some react violently. So therefore God has gone out and invited everyone off of the streets and fill the hall with guests. God has opened the invitation to everyone! Yet one guest gets in without wearing a wedding robe, and he is thrown out. God has extended this invitation into relationship to all people–but some think just because the invitation was sent, they don’t need to change their lives.
At verse 11 we notice several shifts. The persona of the king changes from God to Jesus. The feast itself becomes the scene of final judgment. The king’s rejection of the last-minute guest seems particularly harsh and arbitrary; a man pulled from the street to take the place of an invited guest would hardly have time to make himself presentable for a feast. The “slaves” of the earlier verses are replaced by “attendants” (22:13), which, in the Greek, may mean angels.
With the banquet as metaphor for the Final Judgment, however, the king is understandably outraged. In this scenario, the guest had failed to do what was expected and required and thus was unable to respond. The “proper attire” for Matthew has been stated throughout his Gospel: to do the will of God (7:21) and to produce “the fruits of the kingdom” (21:43). The invitation to share in God’s reign goes out to all. Many will want to be included on the guest list; many will respond; but only those who prepare themselves for the feast by genuinely seeking and doing the will of God are invited to remain. Our own actions can set us apart and against that universal call.
II. Summary
Old Testament – Isaiah 25:1-9
Isaiah, chapters 24-27 deals with the judgment of the world and the ultimate deliverance of Israel. It follows a more specific section dealing with judgment on the pagan nations, those nations which sought to destroy Judah and Israel, Chapter 25 is a song of praise for God’s deliverance, 25:1-5, and salvation for all the nations in Mount Zion, 25:6-8.
The chapters surrounding Isaiah 24-27 refer to the late period of Isaiah of Jerusalem and to the Assyrian destruction of Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. They could be from the period of Babylonian exile or more likely from the time of disillusionment that developed in the post-exilic setting
The chapters fit exactly into the entire Vision’s view of God’s relation to history. The view is optimistic: the best is yet to be. It is forward-looking and sees God’s goals staked out in the future. There are 3 parts but only the first two are in this week’s reading.
A song of praise. (1-5)
A declaration of the gospel blessings. (6-8)
The destruction of the enemies of Christ’s church. (9-12)
Part 1 – Song of Praise
The first five verses are a song of praise, hailing Yahweh for his destruction of a strong enemy city and being a refuge for the poor and needy. All ruthless nations will eventually be forced to acknowledge Yahweh’s greatness.
A song of praise for God’s deliverance. This poem expresses the joy felt by God’s people as they are delivered from the power of the enemy. Isaiah could easily have written this poem following the retreat of Sennacherib from Jerusalem in 701BC
He speaks of the city made “a heap; the fortified city a ruin;”
It is not the cities themselves that are important here, but what they stand for. They have represented an era in which cities dominated the political scene. They were the seats of influence and of wealth, and they were often the real power within the small nations. Sometimes foreigners simply seized the city and were thereby able to control the larger countryside for generations
Such were the “walled cities” of the Canaanites that faced Joshua, the cities of the Philistines, the Phoenician cities, Damascus, Haran, Carchemesh, and even Babylon. Such also was Jerusalem. Each of these was stronger and more important than the territory it dominated—territories which fluctuated in size depending upon the particular strength of the reigning “king” of the city
For well over a thousand years cities had been the most stable and persistent elements in a political picture that was otherwise very turbulent and changing. Of course urban life would continue under imperial rule. Indeed it would flourish with new vigor
and meaning in the Persian period, while the Hellenistic city would come to be the measure of a cultured lifestyle unknown to earlier times. Similarly, the Vision foresees a new role for Jerusalem within the providence of God. It is to be a Temple city, drawing pilgrims from the entire Empire and beyond
As God weakens the strong who are proud and secure, so he strengthens the weak that are humble, and stay themselves upon him. God protects his people in all weathers. The Lord shelters those who trust in him from the insolence of oppressors
We can praise God because He is a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, and even the strangers (aliens) are blessed by His goodness.
The righteous judgment of God has two effects. First, the strong people will glorify You. The people of the LORD see His work and glorify Him. Second, the city of the terrible nations will fear You. The unrighteous fear God when they see His righteous judgment
Part 2
Verses 6-9 describe an eschatological banquet served up by Yahweh. Promissory passages like this have contributed to the imagery now associated with the Eucharist. Those invited to the banquet include all peoples and they are served an abundant helping of the finest foods and the finest wines.
Verses 7-8 promise that Yahweh will destroy the shroud of death that is cast over all peoples. While this passage does not mention resurrection explicitly, it implies it. In the Canaanite world, the god of death (Mot) is depicted as a beast who swallows up everyone. Now the swallower will become the swallowee when Yahweh swallows up death forever. The surety of this promise is based on Yahweh’s word: "The Lord has spoken."
Verse 9 enunciates a beautiful statement of thankful praise: The is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation
Psalm – Psalm 23 Page 612, BCP
There are 3 parts of this well known Psalm:
v 1-3 – Testimony of psalmist – third person. Shepherd
V 4-5 Psalmist experience – second person . Host
V 6- Acknowledgment of God aid in praise and confidence for secure future
This Psalm is almost universally recognized as a Psalm of Trust or confidence.
The psalmist first makes a present confession of trust. It is usually considered a more specialized type of thanksgiving or todah psalm. God provides, guides and protects. First, it is a metaphorical way to express the psalmist’s own experience and faith in terms of the exodus tradition, which had become a paradigm of God’s care and grace for humanity
Associated with Exodus tradition to express Psalmist own experience and faith. Almost moves beyond personal experience in a larger conception of God and the experience of others that shaped community faith as a response to the exodus
This dual level of imagery allows the psalm to be intensely personal, which is why it is so beloved by so many people. Yet at the same time it places that personal experience in the larger context of reflecting upon and understanding the nature of God as revealed and affirmed in the experience of the community through istory.
God as a faithful shepherd provides for his sheep, and constantly cares for them. God as your Shepherd: 1) He provides for you (this is understood from verses 1-3a); The expression "I shall lack nothing" (v. 1b) recalls God’s provision for the Israelites in the exodus journey toward the land: "These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing The "pastures" or "meadows" (v. 2) that represent a place of security and plenty recall the "holy habitation [of shepherds]" in the Song of the Sea (Ex 15:13), a variation of the same word referring to the land of Canaan to which God led the Israelites after slavery in Egypt.. 2) He guides you (verse 3b), and 3) also associated with the exodus tradition, He protects you (verse 4).He revives our very lives (“soul”, v. 3), and guides us in godly ways (“right paths”).
He guides us into a righteous life for the sake of His own reputation and He protects us, not by shielding us from difficulty, though He does at times, but by permitting in our lives only what is beneficial to us according to His good purpose for us
Even when beset by evil (“darkest valley”, v. 4), we have nothing to fear. God’s “rod” (a defence against wolves and lions) protects us; his “staff” (v. 4, for rescuing sheep from thickets) guides us. The feast (v. 5) is even more impressive, for it is in the presence of his foes. Kings were plenteously anointed with oil (a symbol of power and dedication to a holy purpose). May God’s “goodness and mercy” (v. 6, steadfast love) follow (or pursue) him (as do his enemies) throughout his life. He will continue to worship (“dwell …”) in the Temple as long as he lives.
Notice the pilgrim trusted God not only to fill his need, but reveal loving care as he provided such need (“green pastures and safe waters”). The loving care extended to the “dark” times of danger, stress, and lack. The pilgrim trusted God would be always present in every situation, for that was the true meaning of pilgrimage: a journey to a specific religious shrine in response to the call of God.
In short, the shepherd "keeps me alive". In the second section of the psalm (verses 5-6), the gracious host also provides the basic necessities of life – food ("a table"), drink ("my cup overflows"), and protection ("you anoint my head with oil") – leading to a situation of safety and security, or in short, life as God intends.
Epistle – Philippians 4:1-9
Paul encourages his readers to apply the seven steps to peace: keep a joyful heart; be reasonable to all; stay conscious of the Lord’s presence; avoid over-anxiety; live a prayerful life; think beautiful thoughts; and practice Christian understanding
There are several possible interpretations of the two worker mentioned
1. It seems that “Euodia” (v. 2) and “Syntyche”, two workers for Christ at Philippi, differ in their understanding of what the way of Christ is, and that this is causing disunity in the community. Since most scholars detect no conflict within the church at Philippi, something suspicious is going on when the same phrase spoken to two women suddenly becomes a sure sign they are arguing.
2. These verses might be read as a miniature letter of recommendation by Paul to the church at Philippi on behalf of Euodia and Syntyche, something like his writing for Phoebe in Romans 16:1-2. The help that he wishes the church will give to them has nothing to do with settling an argument. Rather, it is a matter of financial supportHe then folds Euodia and Syntyche into his own apostolic status; they are worthy of the same financial support he has received. He highlights their status as leaders in three ways.
First, he associates them with Clement, himself, and the rest of his co-workers−and to be clear, co-workers are not subordinates.
Second, in other translations he says that the two women have been "co-athletes" with him in the gospel.
Paul’s nickname for the church in 4:3, "genuine yokefellow," is more than an endearing touch. The yoke in ancient literature was an important symbol of cooperative effort. Friends were yokefellows, as were married couples. In 2 Corinthians 6:14, Paul warns the community against accepting the leadership of Christian missionaries whom Paul disapproves; the church is not to be "misyoked."
In the earliest days of the Christian movement, there was a tension between two groups of believers. One took seriously Jesus’ demand to be rid of possessions and follow him. These were the missionaries who travelled from city to city preaching the Kingdom of God while relying upon owners of houses for food, lodging, and other travel needs. Their authority came from a radical commitment to poverty and their freedom to travel from severed family ties, or the refusal to enter into marriage in the first place. Paul was this kind of Christian. The other group was composed of urban dwellers, some of whom owned houses and property, engaged in everyday business, and maintained families. Converted to the movement by the wandering missionaries, these urban dwellers could come in for criticism for their easier way of life and engagement with the world. The missionaries, on the other hand, were often accused of free-loading and religious huckstering.
The yoke became a symbol of reduced tension and cooperation between the two groups. The two are yoked together when the urban dwellers support the missionaries who in turn travel to spread the gospel.
Here Paul encourages a show of goodwill toward all people. The word "gentleness" means something like: goodwill, fairness, friendliness, forbearance. It is opposite to claiming our rights over another. The exhortation is supported by the truth that Christ will soon return.
Then v. 6: rather than worrying on their own, the Philippians should ask God to help them, through prayer, both of “supplication” (petition) and “thanksgiving”. God’s peace will protect them against their own failings and external threats.
The cares of this age can very easily squeeze in on us and affect the stability of our lives. Jesus even warned that the cares of this age ("life’s worries, riches and pleasures") can choke the life-giving Word from our lives. For this reason, we need to pass those cares onto the Lord and leave them in his keeping. We can then respond with thanksgiving in the knowledge that he will carry our load. Paul defines the business of prayer in the terms of: "by prayer" – by supplication or request to God; "petition" – asking; "with thanksgiving" – with a grateful acknowledgment of past mercies. The real peace is beyond our rational understandings and can only be achieved from God
That sense of the presence of God, the awareness of oneness with the compassionate one who is engaged "up to the neck" in life, is bigger than our imaginations and our solutions.
Paradoxically the love which makes itself vulnerable, the joy which both flares and flickers, and the peace which gives no rest as long as there is injustice and need, all belong together inseparably as the fruit of the spirit. As Paul writes to the Galatians, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…"
Gospel – Matthew 22:1-14
This is the third parable in Jesus’ reply to the question of his authority (21:23-27). The first (21:28-32), the Parable of the Two Sons dealt with the rejection of John’s ministry. The second, Parable of the Tenant (21:33-46) dealt with the rejection of his own ministry. This parable deals with the rejection of the ministry of the disciples and the dire consequences for Israel and Jerusalem.
The parables of the two sons, the wicked tenants, and the king who gave a marriage feast exhibit a progression from John the Baptist to the rejection of Jesus and punishment of those who rejected him through the final judgment, when those without a wedding garment will be cast out.
The target is the legitimacy of the Jewish leadership. They all expose Matthew’s ideology of the true Israel demonstrating the claims of the Pharisees to be false and those of the church true
Who is who ? We recognize the king as God. The king’s son was Jesus. The first guests are those who are hostile to Jesus – the Jewish leaders; the one without the wedding robe represents those who do not count the cost in becoming disciples.
God’s servants were the prophets of Israel and the Christian missionaries
The first part of the parable narrates jumps off immediately from the opening lines: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who had a banquet for his son". This is the first and last time that the son is mentioned. Throughout the rest of the parable until verse 10, the one who acts is the king, the servants and the invited guests.
The first part of the parable is similar to the previous one on the wicked tenants of the vineyard. Here, we see the king sending forth his servants to call in the guests. It is a banquet in honor of his son but the guests aren’t interested. There are two sendings here. The second time, an announcement is made about the kind of preparation done. But the guests didn’t mind it; they either went their way (5) or treated the servants with violence (6). The king reacts to this latter with a massacre (7), an element that hearers of the second parable would have expected from the owner of the vineyard.
The king acknowledges that the guests have been unworthy of the banquet. He then sends for those whom the servants will find in public places, "both good and bad". With the banquet hall finally filled up, the party did begin. Thus, the first part of the parable (8-10).
Once more the king initiates the action of the story. He goes into the banquet hall to check the guests who were already enjoying themselves. The party is already in full swing. He finds there a man who had no wedding garment.
For an ancient society predicated upon honor and shame, nothing could bestow more honor (to oneself and, by extension, to one’s family) than attending a royal wedding, particularly the wedding of the king’s own son. This is the kind of event for which you make room in your calendar. Circle the date. Don’t forget. Be there at all costs
Among the king’s invited guests are a landowner and a business person (v. 5), definitely members of the elite class.
Notice also the double invitation: “The king sent his slaves to call those who had been invited. . . . Again he sent other slaves, saying . . . . ‘Come!’” (vv. 3-5).
This was a common practice in antiquity. After the first invitation, the guests checked out who was invited or not invited, what kind of preparations were being made or not being made, and who was planning to attend as well as who was planning to stay away. This last point was particularly important. If key people decided to stay away, so would others
The refusal of the invited guests to attend the king’s wedding party shames him. For some reason the guests disapproved of the arrangements the king was making. They offer flimsy and insulting excuses, implying that tending the farm or the business is much more important than the wedding of the king’s son. This is the traditional and indirect or face-saving method of turning down an invitation.
The attendance of the great men of the kingdom at the wedding feast of the king’s son would be expected not only as a necessary expression of the honor they owe the king but also as an expression of their loyalty to the legitimate succession to his throne. Political allegiance is at stake. Excuses would hardly be acceptable, and the invitees offer none. To refuse the invitation is tantamount to rebellion. In refusing it, the invitees are deliberately treating the king’s authority with contempt. They know full well that their behavior will be understood as insurrection.
This is what they intend, and those who kill the king’s messengers only make this intention known more emphatically.
But then the king does something that breaks the rules. He invites nonelites to the wedding feast. Going to the palace, these people will enter a section of the city where they are rarely, if ever, seen.
When the leaders rejected God’s invitation to the Kingdom (i.e., faith in Jesus as the Messiah) with violence, the messengers went onto the by-ways and preach to everyone, Gentile and outcast. Through the rejection of the Jewish leaders, the Kingdom spread to a universal dimension.
The invitation went out in the form of a royal decree which was announced in the marketplace (where the main travel routes converged). [22:8-9] Through this decree, the king broke the social barriers of his kingdom. The seats of the privileged were open to anyone. All were now equal in the eyes of the king. And all, the upright and the outcast alike, took advantage of the invitation.
Who are these people from the streets? There are two possible referents.
A. Because they are presumably common people and numerous enough to fill the king’s hall, they could represent the many people targeted by Jesus’ ministry: "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:6; 15:24).
B. However, because the parable continues Jesus’ indictment against Israel’s leaders, they could also represent new leaders appointed by God, that is, the leaders of the church. This would be consistent with Matthew’s interest in the apostolic/Petrine foundation of the church
God turned the social order upside down in his Kingdom
While false religiosity of the leaders made God look weak, God actually used their facade as a means to spread the Good News to all, outcast and Gentile alike
The important starting point of Matthew’s ecclesiology is that the church is an extension of, and renewal of, the people of Israel
Jesus’ parable was directed against his elite opponents from Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders. He contrasts their rigid observance of exclusivity with the open-hearted inclusivity expressed by the king: “Invite everyone you find” in the city square.
The last part of the parable is the wedding banquet.
Wearing festal garments indicated one’s participation in the joy of the feast. To appear in ordinary, soiled working clothes would show contempt for the occasion, a refusal to join in the king’s rejoicing. What are the possible interpretations?:
A. Readiness for the Kingdom. As an original parable of Jesus, the story of the man with the wedding garment, like many other parables, would be an exhortation to readiness in face of the coming kingdom of God. The invitation came sooner than the man expected, and it caught him unprepared.
Clearly, these details reflect the events of A.D. 66-70, the Jewish war and the destruction of Jerusalem. With these accretions, the parable is used by the post-A.D. 70 Church as an interpretation of the debacle of those years—they were a punishment of Israel for rejecting the gospel, for persecuting the Christian messengers, and for putting them to death. Israel has failed again. Israel’s temple has been destroyed again. Repent!
In the other versions it is simply a great banquet given by a private individual; but in Matthew it is the story of a wedding feast given by a king for his son. The king is equated with God, and the son with Jesus, the Messiah.
It is a judgment on Jesus’ contemporaries who rejected his invitation to the coming kingdom, and an assurance to the outcast, with whom Jesus celebrated the great banquet in advance.
B. Those who try to enter the Kingdom without baptism
Entry into the Kingdom, however, began with conversion. One said ‘No’ to a former life of sin, and said ‘Yes’ to God’s new life. The white baptismal garment of the Christian neophyte represented the life of conversion. Long and white, like the wedding garment portrayed in 22:11, the baptismal garment served as an outward sign to the believer’s inner assent. Without conversion (represented in the white garment), anyone who tried to enter the Kingdom would be rejected by God. As Jesus stated, "Many are called (by God), but few are chosen (by saying "Yes" to his call). [22:11-14
C. Requirement of Love and transformed attitude
It is Matthew’s theme (Jesus’ theme, John the Baptist’s theme) returning: no privilege on the basis of status, not even the status of having joined the Christian community. Only a life of transformed attitude and performance counts. Matthew undermines the ‘them and us’ approach. There can be no sectarian righteous elite.
D. Grace of God and acknowledging God’s authority by doing God’s will
It is not enough just to know God, to accept the goodness of God, to come to the banquet for all the good food — or, in more theological terms, to understand and appreciation justification by grace; the key is to also acknowledge the authority of God over one’s life
E. Power and maturing of faith, a requirement of salvation
The proper garment, besides indicating a willingness to fully join into the king’s celebration, could also represent (1) "putting on" the Christian life, e.g., bearing the proper fruit which is a theme in many other Matthean references; and/or (2) receiving the "garments of salvation" from God.
Sharp warning to the new community! It is not sufficient to hold membership, to sit at table as invited guest, to have said yes instead of no. What is being promoted here is doing the Father’s will, bearing fruit, being properly garbed
F. Final Judgment – related to “E” above
The expression "wailing and grinding of teeth" is a signal that here, we are dealing with Judgment.
The man symbolizes someone who should have been in the eschatological banquet but was found lacking in some quality.
In other words, the man symbolizes one who has entered the kingdom but in the end had to be thrown out because he failed to mature in faith.
In the light of the parable of the banquet, it also becomes a warning to those who seem to be favored by the two previous parables (about the two sons and the wicked tenants). The kingdom of heaven has been opened to all, but there are still requirements to be met. It is not really a problem of entering, but a problem of persevering and maturing in it.
III. Articles for this week in WorkingPreacher:
Old Testament – Isaiah 25:1-9
Psalm – Psalm 23
Epistle – Philippians 4:1-9
Gospel – Matthew 22:1-14