INVITED TO THE WEDDING FEAST OF THE LAMB

XXVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 22:1-14

This Sunday’s readings deal with are about a wedding and a banquet, two important themes in the Scriptures. The Bible presents us with the marriage of Adam and Eve at the beginning and the marriage of the Lamb at the end. In the beginning, after creating man, God created the woman “and brought her to the man” (Gn 2:22). In the end, there will be the wedding feast of the Lamb. The New Jerusalem is “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Rev 21:9). The parable of this Sunday’s gospel is about the wedding feast of the royal prince, the Messiah. 

A royal wedding is always a great feast with many guests invited to the banquet. The first reading, taken from Isaiah, speaks of a lavish banquet prepared by God for all peoples (Is 25:6). Nobody will be ignored and excluded. Surprisingly, Isaiah was already aware of the universality of God’s plan of salvation. This universality of salvation takes into account the role played by the people of Israel, who were the first ones to be invited. The parable speaks of the difficult relationship between God and Israel, the people He had chosen to bring about redemption to all nations.

The parable informs us that the Father, the King, prepared a grandiose and magnificent banquet, having invited beforehand a lot of people. On the actual day, the king sent his servants to remind the guests of the banquet. They refused to attend the wedding and participate in the banquet. The king insisted, sending some more servants. Despite the king’s plea, they refused to come, going so far as to insult, ill-treated and even kill the servants. The king was furious and punished harshly all those who had behaved in such a criminal way.

Then, the king sent his servants to the streets and roads to bring “everyone they could find, bad and good alike”.

In the parable, Jesus denounces the self-righteous leaders of the people, who contemptuously refused to accept the invitation. Then, the invitation was addressed to people of all kinds and nations who filled the kingdom hall and sat at the king’s table to eat the royal food.

Everybody is invited. However, to sit at the king’s table, one must answer the invitation. We cannot present ourselves anyhow. Nobody goes to a wedding feast in shabby clothes. 

“I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;

my justice was like a robe and a turban.” (Job 29:14)