Many are Called

 

Sermon Matthew 22:1-14 October 11, 2020

Many are Called

We used to think hosting birthday parties and banquets was challenging figuring out how to invite people and where to seat them and if we invited enough or the right people. We used to fret over the feelings of everyone involved worried that someone would feel left out or we would lose funding if we didn’t seat the right people next to each other.

Parties and banquets in the days of covid have possibly been as turbulent as this allegory given to us by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew.

We have this story for us about a king and his desire to host a fabulous party. 

This is a striking story told by Jesus according to Boring’s commentary in NIB, “in which all invited guests to a dinner party refuse to come at the last minute, so the host rounds up people from the street to come who find themselves at a party they had never dreamed of coming to.”

This parable is the climax of a three parable set. First the parable of the two sons, then the tenants in the vineyard and now this king and his banquet. This is a parable of instruction in the early church.

It’s a message for those who have answered the invitation to the grace given through Jesus Christ. It’s a reminder of the cost and the hardships that those who choose Jesus will have to face.

In the early church the truth of accepting the life as a follower of Christ was to risk one’s life. There was no doubt that the life of the people post destruction of Jerusalem was turbulent, confusing, full of distrust, difficulties, an upheaval of religion, it was scary!

Remember the gospel of Matthew was written after 70 AD, after the destruction of the Temple.

The Jews had no central place for faith.

And Christians were just beginning to figure out their identity.

Life was hard.

Folks had trouble figuring out who to trust and where to go. 

Sometimes in harsh stories like this it’s troubling to find the message of the love of Jesus.

Yet, it begins with overt hospitality.

The king wants people to come to a party that celebrates his son!!

What a gift!

A wonderful opportunity is laid out for many to come and be in the presence of the Father and the Son.

And at the last minute his guests refuse.

And at the second invitation the guests treat the messengers of the invitation in the same manner the prophets of the Old Testament were treated as well as the early church missionaries,

they were killed for brining good news,

they were killed for bringing the truth.

 

This story presents a strong indictment to those of us who read it even centuries later.

Even though this was written to a specific group of people in a specific time during a specific traumatic historical period, it has perhaps, the possibility to place before us this question. “How might we come to acknowledge specific things in our lives that might indict us?” (Working Preacher)

The truth is that a king who loves his son wants to celebrate his joy with everyone.

How often have we hoped to share our joys with others only to be rejected?

Our heavenly Father not only wants to celebrate his son with everyone

but wants us to receive this gift and then go out and live it.

Notice how he sends his messengers into the streets to invite everyone to come-so similar to the Great commission we will read in Matthew 28.  

How do we receive the invitation from God to come to the banquet?

The invitation is always there and yet, it is more often rejected than it is received.

In the 10 commandments we hear in the very first commandments that describes our God “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.” It is no wonder that the Matthew allegory shows an enraged God of the OT carrying out wrath at the refusal of his people to love him in return.

It begs the question for we the people of the new covenant of God’s love in Jesus Christ, how do we embrace our accountability to the love freely given to us?

Will we disregard the invitation with arrogance?

Will we reject the hospitality of our Lord?

Will we refuse to be clothed in Christ?

Even though all sinners and saints have entered into the house of the king, there is one who still refuses to receive the gift of identity in Christ and sits there in disdain in the kings own home mocking him by not donning the robe of his child.

And so the king has no choice but to throw out the one who mocks him.

One who mocks,

one who refuses to be identified with the son

cannot serve the king

for the father and the son are one.

 

You see, friends, many are called!

From the beginning of creation God has called us.

God has never given us the choice.

God has proclaimed, “You shall be my people.”

And again, in Jesus Christ God proclaimed, “From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

 We are not our own.

God has claimed us with a life of purpose. We have a responsibility.

It is time to accept the truth that many are called.

It is time to accept the truth that being called is to be loved.

It is time to accept the truth that you are one of the many that have been called.

Put on the clothes of Christ.

Accept him and celebrate him at the banquet with the Father.

In these days of covid we’ve found some fabulous ways to celebrate our Lord with-drive by birthdays, outdoor worship, virtual communion, painting work days, video Sunday school.

God has not stopped calling many, let us accept his invitation with our whole lives.

Let us sing the new song of joy and let us serve with love. Amen.

Rev. Monica Gould 

Resources: NIB Eugene Boring; Working Preacher Matthew Skinner; Feasting on the Word Year A