Sermon Matthew 22:1-14 Come to the Feast

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Churches

Sermon Matthew 22:1-14 Come to the Feast

October 12, 2014

Today we continue our look at Jesus' teachings in the Jerusalem temple. His audience is a group of religious leaders who are wondering why Jesus overturned the tables of money changers the day before. In today's conversation Jesus will the consider God's invitation list to the great banquet that the Messiah will have at the end of time to inaugurate the new Kingdom of God. We will get to this, but first lets pray.

“On this new day, O God, I thank you for clean air that fills my lungs, for water to drink and stream over the rocks, for light that creates life and shines on my path, for soil that grows fruits and vegetables, fashions hills and valleys, and makes homes for creatures in burrows and trees. Let me see Earth today with gratitude and feast my senses on its beauty; in Jesus’ name. Amen”.¹

^{NIV Matthew 22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4 "Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' 5 "But they paid no attention and went off-- one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. 13 "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 "For many are invited, but few are chosen."}

Jesus' story about a wedding feast refers to a great banquet that will be served to all believers when the Messiah comes. The prophet Isaiah talked about this.

Isaiah 26:6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines.

Notice that Isaiah says that all people are invited to this banquet. God's invitation is to everyone. But in the first century, the religious leaders thought that God's invitation would go only to a few. They had a saying.

^{Matthew 22:14 For many are invited, but few are chosen.}

So which is it? Does God invite everyone to the banquet or are just a few chosen? In the story Jesus told the King said this.

^{Matthew 22:9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.}

^{Jesus agrees with Isaiah everyone is invited. We will be invited to a great feast when Jesus returns, and the dead are resurrected, and the Kingdom of God is fully realized on earth. The church is only a partial realization of this Kingdom. The monthly meal we serve at the this table with the bread and wine is a foretaste of this banquet. But the time will come when our graves are opened and we are invited to real thing.}

^{But, according to Jesus, not all of us will accept the invitation. As astonishing as this sounds, there will be some people who decline the offer. They will choose not to attend the great messianic banquet at the end of the age. Why would some people make this choice? Well, Jesus has given us the answer. There are two reasons why people will reject Jesus when he returns. Here is the first.}

^{Matthew 22:5 But they paid no attention and went off-- one to his field, another to his business.}

^{So some people will be too busy to bother with the great feast celebrating Jesus' return. They will be too busy with their farms, and businesses, and other demands on their time. We see this today. Some people are too busy to come to church. Some people are too busy to pray and meditate on scripture every day. Some people are too busy to attend Bible studies. And so they will be too busy to come to the feast when Jesus returns.}

^{Jesus also gives us a second reason why some people will not attend the banquet. Let's listen.}

^{Matthew 22:11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?'}

^{So we have to be dressed right. There is a dress code for those who desire to attend the great feast when Jesus returns. This is what you must wear.}

^{Revelation 7:14 … "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.}

^{To attend the messianic banquet we must be dressed properly. We must be wearing white robes that have been bleached by the blood of Jesus Christ. This means that we must believe in Jesus Christ and accept his offer of forgiveness of sin through his sacrifice on the cross. Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe that your sins are washed away by his blood? If so don't worry, you will be dressed properly.}

^{So what happens if we are too busy to attend this great banquet or if we are not wearing the right clothes. What will God do with people like this. Jesus tells us what will happen.}

^{Matthew 22:7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.}

^{Matthew 22:13 "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'}

^{Not a pretty picture! So I urge you do not be too busy to attend to the things of God. Accept Jesus as your savior to be clothed with the robe of forgiveness. Do these things and you will be richly blessed. You will be resurrected to eternal life. You will be invited to the great banquet when Jesus returns. You will live forever in his presence. You will be a citizen in the Kingdom of God.}

^{Let's pray.} 

 ^{Lord Jesus thank you for your invitation to the banquet. Nothing will keep us from coming. We will be clothed in your righteousness. We look forward to seeing you. Amen.}

1Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 2 © 2014 Westminster John Knox Press p205.