What in the world caused some of those who were invited to the king’s banquet to mistreat and even kill the servants extending the king’s invitation? I’ve heard of shooting the messenger for delivering bad news, but this is way out of hand and completely incongruous. The servants were inviting them to a royal party with a sumptuous banquet. I’m sure there was even an open bar! 😅 So why did they behave this way?
The servants in this Sunday’s Gospel in the Parable of the Wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-14) represent the prophets who, in the time before Christ, invited the Jewish people to repent and turn to God. The prophets were often met with hostility, ignored, or exiled. Most recently and expressly, St. John the Baptist. John came before Christ to invite others to the “wedding feast of the lamb” (Revelation 19:9). John speaks here of Christ as the bridegroom and himself as the best man: “The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice” (John 3:29).
John pleaded for the people to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2), but his cries were not received well by the chief priests and elders. They later fulfilled the parable and had Jesus arrested and crucified (John 19:6). But Jesus is not only referring to the chief priests in this parable; He’s pointing out that all people are invited to His wedding feast—which is heaven! Yes, all are invited, but free will allows each of us to choose to attend or decline in their RSVP.
Why did many of the people ignore and reject God? They mostly were going about their daily lives: “Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business” (Matthew 22:5). We can ask ourselves if we, too, can let our everyday lives get in the way of our spiritual lives. There is so much to be done, yes, but we can ask ourselves a key question: what is most important? This week, take some time to consider what might be getting in the way of what God is inviting you to in your relationship with Him, then let Him help you make the right change so you can RSVP: Fiat, Yes!