REFLECTIONS
REFLECTION ON MT11:1-14 – THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING BANQUET
October 11, 2020
The wedding banquet for the Jewish culture is a very important celebration with elaborate preparations such as wedding garments for the guests, food, wine, etc., where its duration could last for several days. Usually, the guests are families, relatives, friends, and those with close connections with the bride and groom.
In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus illustrated the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN to a wedding banquet prepared by the king for his son who sent his servant to summon the guests to the banquet but refused to come. Not deterred by their refusal, he sent more servants to tell them that the dinner is ready with a sumptuous meal but the guests paid no attention and went their way with their usual concerns and businesses while others mistreated the other servants. This depicts the patience and graciousness of GOD, who continuously give chances to those who are called to share in his fellowship, in his Divine Life despite the hardness of heart of those invited.
Having been rejected, the king pronounced an open invitation to all, saints and sinners alike to fill the banquet hall as he ordered the servants,” The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ This signifies the universality of the call to fellowship with GOD.
Surprisingly though, the king singled out among the guests a man without a wedding garment, he asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?” Conveying no answer, he was thrown out from the wedding hall.
According to theologians, being not in a wedding garment is an affront to the king more than those who refused to come since wedding garments are reserved for all the attending wedding guests. So, the man has no reason not to wear a wedding garment.
This invitation to the wedding banquet is a universal call to INTIMACY, COMMUNION OR UNITY with GOD proposed to everyone, first to the Israelites and then to the Gentiles including us but the condition is to BE ROBED in a mantle of justice, righteousness, or holiness. Jesus concluded, “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
All the miracles or ministries of Jesus are a prelude to the Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven where God reigns, no distinction between the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, the wise, and the innocent, the learned and the ignorant, and the like. As Jesus says in the scriptures “The Kingdom of God is at hand”. Every moment God invites me to BE INTIMATE, IN COMMUNION, IN UNITY WITH HIM. The challenge is “How attentive am I to GOD’S INVITATION, to HIS LOVING PRESENCE in the midst of my busyness? Am I doing my work for HIM or WITH HIM? By experience, there was a great difference in the level of commitment and the oozing energy that flows from within to accomplish the mission.
