Sorting out the guest list for a wedding is always a logistical headache. Firstly, we want to invite those we think are the right people, those we think deserve to be invited; those who we consider are worthy of our lavish generosity as hosts. We agonise over who to leave off the invitation list because “it’s not their sort of thing”. Maybe we create a second division of those we will invite if one of our “first class” choices cannot come. For those we do invite, we ponder who needs to be seated next to, or apart from, someone else. Maybe we won’t invite someone because they never invited us to their party. Maybe we will invite someone and deliberately sit them next to someone they don’t like as payback for a previous slight. Weddings are complicated things, I’m glad my involvement in them these days is only in an official capacity!
In our reading today, Jesus tells the parable of the wedding banquet. A king has prepared a wedding banquet for his son. Despite sending out invitations to attend, those that were initially invited all find some reason not to come. The king is undaunted, he has already prepared the celebration and it will not go to waste so servants are sent out to invite anyone at all they can find to come in along. Those who would never have been considered the “right sort” of people for a royal banquet are now those specifically targeted to attend. Many take up the invitation, but the king’s attention is drawn to one man who has refused to wear wedding clothes. In those days, for an important event like a royal wedding, the host would supply festal garments for the guests to wear. This means they would both look and feel the part. This man, whilst turning up, has not entered the celebration fully so the king has him removed.
This is a warning for us. Firstly, we must invite anyone and everyone to join in the celebration of the kingdom of God. We can’t just invite those who are of a similar view or social group to us or those we simply prefer to be around. The wedding banquet is marked by the diversity of those who respond to the invitation. Just as the king sends his servants to the “wrong” parts of town to invite the “wrong” sort of people, so must we do likewise in our evangelism. The second warning is that if we respond to the invitation, we are expected to participate fully. Following Christ is more than simply turning up at a church. We must change and fully participate in His mission of reconciliation and love. We must do as He did. We must go to everyone, not just those we like, to tell them what is happening and encourage them to respond to Jesus too.