/devotion 10.10.26

Matthew 22

1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants[a] to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The kingdom of God is available to all who believe, and all means all.

Weddings are not something I look forward to at all.

Of course, being born and bred here in Texas, I missed all the Baldner family weddings back in Minnesota, save one (my cousin Joel's wedding). Mom's family was unknown to us because she was orphaned, so we knew little of her family in and around Madisonville, Texas. 

The only weddings I went to as a child or teen were those who were friends or acquaintances, so I did not look forward to them at all to be honest. As I grew older, and we got married ourselves, my outlook changed to a degree. It's fun to go to a person's wedding I know better and can appreciate the commitment he or she is making. All that to say, Christ picked a great theme for a parable because of the cultural importance we place on marriage then and now.

We learn that this important event is rudely rejected by the very people the king (God) felt were important enough to invite (Israel) to his son's (Christ) wedding. Some were rude to the point of seizing the very people he sent out to tell of the wedding and the feast (prophets and soon Jesus and then later the disciples) and harming them, some even killed. The king has retribution on those who did so, and after he destroys their earthly homes and way of life, he invites everyone (all Gentiles).

The point is made and heard by the very people Christ is accusing, then and now, of rejecting him. They will soon plot to kill Christ, growing angry at his words we read today and heed.

We often grow weary and angry at our culture today as it turns away from the Word of God, but stories like this one is Christ's way of saying that's to be expected. Yet, our role as people of faith is to tell every person in every culture the wedding feast is available to all who hear God's Word and turn to God in faith.

Pray we never lose sight of our roles as disciples. Pray we do not grow weary or disheartened. Pray we are renewed daily and given strength to share God's message of grace and forgiveness to the lost. Amen.

Hope Men's Ministry is a ministry in service to Hope Lutheran Church and School. Our purpose is to grow, unite, and share God's Word to all men through meaningful activities. These activities center on fellowship, service, conversation, prayer, study and devotion as we seek to become men of God as He created us to be.