“Behold, I have prepared my dinner…everything is ready; come to the wedding feast,” Jesus in Matthew 22:4
"Heaven is totally overrated. It seems boring. Clouds, listening to people play the harp. It should be somewhere you can't wait to go, like a luxury hotel. Maybe blue skies and soft music were enough to keep people in line in the 17th century, but heaven has to step it up a bit.” Los Angeles Times columnist Joel Stein
"For whatever the tortures of hell, I think the boredom of heaven would be even worse." Science fiction author Isaac Asimov
"Jesus, unlike the founder of any major faith, holds out hope for ordinary human life. Our future is not an ethereal, impersonal form of consciousness. Rather we will eat, embrace, sing, laugh, and dance in the kingdom of God, in degrees of power, glory, and joy that we can't at present imagine." Tim Keller, from his book Prodigal God
At the top of the list of recent headlines was the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Some experts say the wedding was seen on TV by 2 billion people. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, gossip ran high as to who was invited and who was snubbed. Yet Jesus tells us of even a greater wedding with a bigger invite list that has been largely ignored. Instead of treasuring this greater invitation, most responded with indifference and even murderous anger.
Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast and they were unwilling to come” (vv.2-3). Those that were invited “paid no attention” (v.5) and some even “seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them” (v.6).
“The king was enraged…and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire (v. 7).” Once again, this parable is historical, meaning the parable retells actual events. Most commentators say this parable points to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 by the Roman army. Over 1 million Jews were killed in that siege, according to the Jewish historian Josephus.
It must be remembered that Matthew is writing his gospel as a polemic to the Jews, providing evidences that Jesus is the promised Messiah. And Matthew shares three consecutive parables here (of which this is the 3rd) that all speak of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God’s covenant with them. “The Messiah has come,” Matthew’s point is, “and you have rejected Him and even killed Him. Just as you did to the prophets who were sent before Him. Judgment will be the result.” The invitation to be in a covenant relationship with the Lord will be taken from those who were invited but not worthy (v. 8) and opened to all peoples, even to those found along the “the main highways” (v.9) and “streets” (v. 10).
A wedding feast is the most frequently used metaphor in Scripture when it comes to a description of heaven. Isaiah speaks how the “Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples” (Isaiah 25:6). “He will swallow up death for all time and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces.” Those at the banquet will turn to one another and say, “This is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation” (Isaiah 25:8-9). Even John the Baptist uses this figure of speech and calls himself a “friend of the bridegroom” and how his joy “has been made full” (John 3:29).
There is a Far Side cartoon that shows someone bored and sitting on a cloud. The caption reads, “Wish I’d brought a magazine.” Although funny, it shows an ignorance, even a hard-heartedness, toward His wedding banquet. For those accepting His invitation, we will feast, we will fellowship, we will rejoice and we will dance on the streets that are golden! There will be no greater party, no greater dance, no greater banquet than the marriage feast of God’s Son! This marriage feast will make William and Kate’s wedding look like a commercial time out during the taping of Romper Room.
This parable goes on to say that both evil and good will be in the wedding hall as dinner guests (v.10). For the Pharisees, evil and good was very clear cut: if you could not trace your lineage to Abraham, you were evil. If you were a Jew, you were good. But the Lord has thrown open the wedding hall to all who would come. Regardless of race or ethnicity, whether one has done evil or good, everyone is invited. This is a wedding that you do not want to miss. Don’t be content to watch this one on TV from a non-air-conditioned room. You have been invited! Will you be there?
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