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R.S.V.P. ASAP Matthew 22:1-14 |
March 6, 2005 Pastor Tom Marcum |
While you may not yet be aware of this, in fact, a new cultural phenomenon has emerged on the east coast and is now moving rapidly across the country. Consequently, it is quite possible that in the very near future you will receive an invitation to attend your very first Cuddle Party. Have you heard about this?
What is a Cuddle Party, you ask? Well, in layman's terms, a "Cuddle Party" is an informal gathering of people for the purpose of holding, snuggling, hugging and cuddling with a small group of friends and strangers. For further clarification, let me read a small except from their website. "Our society has gotten weird about groups of people touching one another and it's taking a toll on us. We are touch and snuggle deprived. In today's world, many of us aren't getting our Recommended Daily Allowance of Welcomed Touch. In other words, cuddling. These years of 'Cuddle Oppression' have become explosive. Cuddle parties seek to change that in a way that is conscious, healthy and nutritious. So come to the Cuddle Party and get back in touch."
If you'd like more information you can either visit their website at cuddleparty.com or talk to Pastor Neil who, I believe, is actually hosting a Cuddle Party later this month.
When we began our journey through Jesus' parables back in January, we noted that parables by definition are stories that are rooted in the common experiences of everyday life. And to this point we've listened as Jesus has told us stories about things as common as farming, fishing, family squabbles and tensions in the workplace. And the parable we're going to look at this morning is built around an equally common experience, namely, receiving an invitation to a party. And in case you're wondering, no, it's not a cuddle party but rather a wedding party. A joyous, festive feast in celebration of a new marriage.
Now, since the parable is built around such a happy occasion you would likely assume that this is going to be a very upbeat and happy story. But if you do so, you will be wrong. In fact, this is one of the most disturbing of all of Jesus' parables. In fact, some of the things that happen in this story are downright bizarre. And since Jesus does not explain the meaning of the parable, it is also one of the most challenging to interpret. Even so, our confidence is that he wouldn't have told the story if he didn't intend to teach us some valuable lessons through the story. So, let's jump in and see what happens.
At the beginning of Matthew 22, Jesus says,
"The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. Many guests were invited, and when the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify everyone that it was time to come. But they all refused! So he sent other servants to tell them, 'The feast has been prepared, and choice meats have been cooked. Everything is ready. Hurry!' But the guests he had invited ignored them and went about their business, one to his farm, another to his store. Others seized his messengers and treated them shamefully, even killing some of them.
"Then the king became furious. He sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their city. And he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren't worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.'
"So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?' And the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, 'Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."
Folks, through the years I have seen some pretty strange things happen at wedding receptions but, I gotta' tell you, this one takes the cake. And if we're going to rightly identify the lessons that Jesus is teaching in the midst of all the strangeness it's going to be very important for us to keep a couple of things in mind.
First, remember that the point of this story is to give us some insights into the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of God is that place where God reigns. That place where God is the ruling authority.
--So, the Kingdom of God refers, first, to those of us who have chosen to submit our lives to God's rule right here and right now. When we trust Jesus as our Savior and begin to follow Him seeking to live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to God, God's Kingdom is established in us right now.
--And, the Kingdom of God also refers to God's eternal reign in heaven. That place that will ultimately be the eternal home of everyone who acknowledges Jesus as Lord and submits to God's authority.
So, strange as it is, we need to remember that Jesus is telling this story to give us some insights into the nature and establishment of God's Kingdom.
Second, it's also important to remember that one of the easiest ways to misinterpret parables is to over analyze their details. As I've said previously, Jesus typically uses each parable to offer just a couple of key insights into the Kingdom of God. So, we don't have to look for great and profound meaning in each and every detail within the parable. In fact, if we do so we'll likely go astray. Instead, we need to be careful that we don't get so transfixed by the strange details of this story that we end up losing sight of the big picture.
And here's the "big picture." A king is throwing a wedding party for his son. He sends out a bunch of invitations and the recipients of those invitations respond in a wide variety of ways. That's the "big picture" and within that "big picture" Jesus is offering some important Kingdom lessons. I want to call your attention to four that I think we should not miss.
Lesson #1 is this--The Kingdom of God is like a party. Jesus uses the imagery of a grand wedding feast to illustrate what God's Kingdom is like. Now, folks, just let that soak in for a moment. The Kingdom of God is like a party. Wherever the Kingdom of God is established a party breaks out. Folks, think about the implications of that vision of God's Kingdom for your life.
The first implication is obvious and that is that heaven is something that every Christian can be looking forward to. Death is not something that Christians have to fear. We can face the reality of our own death with peace and confidence and even joy knowing that the moment this life is over, God will welcome us to an eternal party called, "heaven." Folks, that's good news.
And there's a second implication here that is also very much good news, but it is all too often overlooked and that is that God's Kingdom established in your life right here and right now is also like a party. In other words, when we stop running from God and stop rebelling against God and stop resisting God and simply yield our lives to God and begin to live our lives on His terms, the quality of our lives takes a dramatic turn for the better.
Now, folks, sadly there are an awful lot of people out there who have looked at the church and the people they know who go to church and they have concluded that getting to know God brings an immediate end to the joys of life. That God is the great squelcher of happiness. That God's great desire is to make sure that people stop enjoying life. And it's heartbreaking to realize that they have oftentimes gotten that impression from personal experiences that they have had with Christians and with churches. And I'm guessing that some of you have had experiences like that yourself. Have any of you ever met a Christian or been in a church that gave the impression that the Kingdom of God was more like a funeral than a party? I sure have.
But, folks, Jesus' word to us here is that that vision of God's Kingdom and that vision of a relationship with God could not be further from the truth. What Jesus wants us to know…what Jesus wants the world to know is that moving through life in a healthy relationship with God is like sitting down every day to a sumptuous banquet in the midst of a wonderful party.
Now, that brings us to a second lesson that we shouldn't miss and that is that--People reject God's invitation to join the Kingdom Party for a variety of reasons. People come up with all sorts of reasons to say, "no," when God's invitation arrives at their door.
--For some, the primary reason is apathy. Some of the people invited to the party simply ignored their invitations and, as Jesus says in verse 5, "they went about their business, one to his farm, another to his store." These are people who are so caught up in the day to day business of life…advancing their careers, accumulating stuff, running the kids around to baseball, football, soccer, piano lessons and so forth…that they just don't have time to be bothered with God. If you talk to them, they'll say things like…
…"You know, I'm in the middle of a big deal right now…"
…"This is a really critical time in my business…"
…"Once the season is over I'll have more time…"
And on and on it goes. And of course the reality is that nothing ever changes. There's never enough time for God. Somehow building a healthy relationship with God just never seems to make it on to today's "to do list." It's always something that, "I'm going to do later."
--So, some people reject God's invitation out of apathy, but there are others who respond to God's invitation with out and out hostility. Remember that in the story, Jesus said that some of those who were delivering God's invitations were treated shamefully and even killed by those receiving the invitations. And while Jesus doesn't explain the reasons for their hostility and while it might seem odd to us that people would become so hostile over an invitation to get to know God, in fact, it happens frequently.
In recent days the political humorist, Bill Maher has been at the center of a controversy created by some remarks he made while appearing as a guest on the cable news show, "Scarborough Country." Maher has never attempted to disguise his disgust of all things religious, but his contempt for all people of faith was boldly evident on a recent show when he said that people who believe in God suffer from "a neurological disorder." A "neurological disorder." There is something drastically wrong in the head of anyone who would actually believe in God and think that you could somehow know Him.
Maher proves the point that Jesus is making and that is that some people will respond to God's Kingdom invitation with anger and hostility. I'm guessing that you've probably bumped into some of that yourself.
--And that brings us to the truly bizarre turn of events described in verses 11-12. Let's read them again. The wedding party is now underway and Jesus says, "But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how is that you are here without wedding clothes?' And the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, 'Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"
So, here's the situation--an invited guest shows up at the wedding party in his street clothes and when the host notices that the man is dressed inappropriately, he has him tied up and thrown out of the party and out into the street. I'm guessing that most of us would judge that to be a bit of an over-reaction to a fashion faux pas.
So why in the world do you suppose that Jesus would insert this weird twist in the story? What is the kingdom lesson that Jesus is teaching us here?
I think that Jesus is illustrating for us, here, one final way in which many people reject God's Kingdom invitation, namely, that there are some people who initially give the appearance of accepting God's Kingdom invitation and yet, ultimately they miss the party because they are only willing to participate if they can do so on their own terms. In this case, the guy refused to change his clothes, but he represents those folk who are interested in God right up to the point where He asks them to change something they don't want to change. So, ultimately, they reject God's Kingdom invitation because they refuse to submit to God's authority. They want to come to God's party on their own terms. But, folks, in the Kingdom of God the only terms that matter are God's.
God's role is to set the agenda. Our role is to accept His agenda.
God's role is set the standards. Our role is to live by His standards.
God's role is rule. Our role is to submit. And there are some people who simply refuse to submit to God's authority.
So, some people reject God's Kingdom invitation out of apathy, others out of hostility and still others because they refuse to submit to God's authority.
And that brings us to a third critically important kingdom lesson, namely, that God wants everyone to come to the party. A key point in the story comes in verse 10 where Jesus says, "The servants brought in everyone they could find, the good and bad alike…"
Folks, one of the most common and most tragic misconceptions out there is this idea that once we cross a certain point that God is not interested in us anymore. This idea that God could not possibly want in His Kingdom a person who has done the bad things that I've done. Folks, nothing could be further from the truth.
The truth is that God wants you in His Kingdom so badly that He allowed Jesus to pay, with His own life, the penalty for your sin precisely so that He could forgive your sins…not some of your sins, but all of your sins and welcome you into His Kingdom. Folks, the bottom line is that God's Kingdom is not going to be filled with good people…God's Kingdom is going to be filled with forgiven people. And God's forgiveness is sufficient even for your sins. No matter how many or how bad.
Folks, I want to real clear about this.
There is nothing you can do to make God love you any more than He already does.
And there is nothing you can do to make God love you any less.
God's forgiveness is available to even you. And it's available right not. And it is completely sufficient to wipe away all hint of guilt for all of your sins.
And that brings us to our final lesson…by far the most important…and that is that your response to God's Kingdom invitation will determine your destiny. Those who accept God's invitation will be completely forgiven and spend eternity with God in heaven and those who reject God's invitation will live with guilt of their sins now and spend eternity, as verse 13 says, in "the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth." In other words, in hell, permanently separated from God.
Folks, God's invitation has gone out. And it's gone to each and every one of you. All that remains is for each of us to decide how we will respond.
© Copyright 2005 Pastor Tom Marcum