[Is.
25:6-10; Phil. 4:10-14, 19-20; Mt. 22:1-14]
Once
a king had invited his guests for a feast, but he did not tell them the exact
date and time. He told them that they must wash, and anoint, and clothe
themselves that they might be ready when the summons came. The wise prepared
themselves at once, and took
their places waiting at the palace door, for they believed that in a palace a feast could be prepared so quickly that there would be no warning. The foolish thought that it would take a long time to make the necessary preparations and that they would have plenty of time. So they went, the mason to his lime, the potter to his clay, smith to his furnace and went on with their work. Then suddenly the summons to the feast came without any warning. The wise were ready to sit down, and the king rejoiced over them, and they ate and drank. But those who had not arrayed themselves in their wedding garments had to stand outside, sad and hungry, and look on the joy that they had lost.
their places waiting at the palace door, for they believed that in a palace a feast could be prepared so quickly that there would be no warning. The foolish thought that it would take a long time to make the necessary preparations and that they would have plenty of time. So they went, the mason to his lime, the potter to his clay, smith to his furnace and went on with their work. Then suddenly the summons to the feast came without any warning. The wise were ready to sit down, and the king rejoiced over them, and they ate and drank. But those who had not arrayed themselves in their wedding garments had to stand outside, sad and hungry, and look on the joy that they had lost.
This
story tells of the duty of preparedness for the summons of God, and the
garments stand for the preparation that must be made. Today's readings from the
Book of Isaiah, [Is. 25:5-10] the Letter of Paul to the Philippians [Phil.
4:10-14, 19-20] and the Gospel of Matthew [Mt. 22:1-14] speak of an invitation
to the Great Feast.
It was Jewish custom that
when the invitations were sent out for a great feat the time was not stated;
and when everything was ready the servants were sent out with a final summons
to tell the guests to come. So the king in the parable had long ago sent out
his invitation; but it was not till everything was prepared that the final
summons was issued – and insultingly refused.
This parable has many
meanings. First of all, Jesus refers to the Jews who did not accept the
invitation of God. Ages ago they had been invited to be the chosen people of
God; yet they had time and again refused to accept the messengers sent by God.
The final summons came from Jesus to leave their unjust ways and enter into the
Kingdom of God. When this invitation was rejected, the invitation of God went
to the highways and byways.
The parable also speaks of
the consequences of rejecting the invitation. The people of Israel had
experienced the tragic consequences of rejecting the ways of God. The remnants
of those bitter experiences were remained with that generation too. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by
the Neo-Assyrian monarchs, Tiglath-Pilser and Shalmaneser. In 722BC, nearly
twenty years after the initial deportations, the ruling city of the Northern
Kingdom of Israel, Samaria, was finally taken by Saragon. In about 587 BBC
again they were captivated by the Babylonians. These were terrible experiences
of the Israelites, and they had been passed on to the succeeding generations.
Before Mathew composed his Gospel the Roman armies had destroyed Jerusalem.
Even today the violent nature and man-made disasters remind us constantly about
the consequences of rejecting the invitation of God.
As Jesus referred to his
contemporaries. Through this parable the church today points out to its members
who get drowned in the daily hustle of life, and lose priorities. The things
that made men deaf to the invitation of the king were not necessarily bad in
themselves. One man went to his estate; the business. They went off on the
excellent task of efficiently administering their business life. It is easy for
a man to be so busy with the things of time that he forgets the things of
eternity, to be so preoccupied with the things which are seen that he forgets
the things which are unseen. The tragedy of life is that it is so often the
second bests which shut out the best, that it is things which are good in
themselves which shuts out the things that are supreme.
A professor of philosophy
stood before his class with some items in front of him. When the class began,
wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it
with rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar
was full.
They agreed that it was full.
They agreed that it was full.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly and watched as the pebbles rolled into the open areas
between the rocks. The professor then asked the students again if the jar was
full.
They chuckled and agreed that it was indeed full this time.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand
filled the remaining open areas of the jar. "Now," said the
professor, "I want you to recognize that this jar signifies your life. The
rocks are the truly important things, such as God, family, health and
relationships. If all else was lost and only the rocks remained, your life
would still be meaningful. The pebbles are the other things that matter in your
life, such as work. The sand signifies the remaining "small stuff"
and material possessions.
If you put sand into the
jar first, there is no room for the rocks or the pebbles. The same can be
applied to your lives. If you spend all your time and energy on the small
stuff, you will never have room for the things that are truly important.
Pay attention to the things in life that are critical to your life. Take care
of the rocks first – things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest
is just pebbles and sand.
What are the priorities at
our house? We are early for the game but late to the worship. We see to it that
our children do their homework but never check to seek if Bible lessons are
completed. We will not let them miss school even though they do not want to
attend, but we cater to their whims and let them miss Bible Class. We know the
names of their school teachers, but cannot call the names of the Bible Class
teachers at church. We will serve as room mother or president of the PTA at
school, but what about helping with a function in the Bible Class! They see us
go to work even though we do not feel well but stay at home from church under
the same circumstances. They see us look at and study their school work but
never pay any attention at all to their handwork brought home from Bible Class.
Yes, with such situations prevailing, what priorities are established in the
hearts of our children! (Wendell Winkler).
The parable reminds us that
in the last analysis that God's invitation is the invitation of grace. It is
true that the door is open to all men, but when they come they must bring a
life which seeks to fit the love which has been given to them. Grace is not
only a gift; it is a grave responsibility. So, the moment we accept the
invitation, we accept the inevitable responsibility and commitment to change
ourselves. Hence, when we go to the house of God let us put on the garment of
humble penitence, the garment of faith and the garment of reverence. So that
when the king comes to see his guests we will prove ourselves worthy of the
invitation extended to us.
Satish