WHO ARE EXCLUDED FROM SALVATION?
This Sunday’s parable gives an answer for a basic question, which so many people ask: Who is saved? Or who is excluded from salvation? The parable is very clear: the ones who will not find salvation are the ones who excluded themselves by refusing to accept the invitation to the feast of salvation, which is the feast of the wedding of the king’s son – Jesus Christ.
God does not reject anybody and he wants everybody to rejoice and to celebrate. He invites us time and again, but he will not force us to accept his invitation. If we prefer our own business to the honour of being God’s guest, then we will find what we chose, discovering that nothing will be able to satisfy us and to give us joy. True joy and true feast are possible only in the Lord.
The parable warns us that to accept the invitation is not enough: we must answer it with honour. Otherwise, we will be thrown out.
THE BANQUET OF THE GREAT FEAST OF SALVATION
Isaiah is a great prophet with passages that are simply marvellous, unforgettable. The beginning of chapter 25 is one of such passages. It is remarkable by its universality, proclaimed in vivid, powerful and imaginary language to a closed and nationalistic society, as it was the nation of Judah.
According to Isaiah, God offers salvation to all, because he is the ruler of all. Even the enemies of Israel are not excluded.
And what is salvation? It is celebrating and rejoicing. It is a feast, where a big banquet is offered to all, with the best foods and the best wines. People are gathered together to exult and rejoice, because “he has saved us”. God has taken away the shame of his people. Salvation is a feast, because we regain our dignity and our honour.
And more than that: salvation is a feast, because God has destroyed death forever, removing “the mourning veil covering all peoples”. God is the Lord of life, a life that he shares with all who recognise him. Salvation is a feast in which we celebrate life received as a gift. In God’s kingdom, there will be no more suffering, because God himself “wipes away the tears from every cheek”.
Isaiah’s words are full of promise and full of hope. They were proclaimed to a people who live in fear, in order to restore their confidence and their courage. That’s why they are important for us today, in this world where so many people are lost in despair. God is offering us life and joy.
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