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.
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 feast 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.
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