Matthew 22:1-14

Come and Eat!

            “He’s making a list. Checking it twice. Gonna find out who’s naughty or nice…” No, it’s not Christmas yet. And I’m not talking about Santa. But we are talking about a list… and we are talking about those who have been naughty or nice. For perhaps one of the most difficult teachings for us to understand is the doctrine of Election or Predestination. As it’s taught, God has chosen from before the foundation of the world who will be saved. He has predestined or elected them to eternal salvation. Thus, when the bible or a study addresses those who are “the elect”, this is the general meaning. It’s the list of those whom God has chosen for eternal grace. But here is also where the difficulty comes in. For as in normal human thinking, we take the next step and say God must have also chosen (directly or indirectly) those whom he would condemn. This is what we call double predestination. But this doesn’t hold up in Scripture. God is not the source or cause of our condemnation, should we be condemned. However, He is the sole cause of our salvation, should we be saved. It’s a tension that must be maintained. And let’s also address the false teaching that being “elect” or “predestined” means “Once saved, always saved.” It’s clear that God’s people, the “elect” can and often do fall out of grace. For a better way to start thinking about God’s election is to look at his actions in time. While God may have chosen before the foundation of the world, election happens in time. That is, election or predestination is something that happens to us in our life.

            For today, as Jesus tells us a parable, we’re meant to see just how long the guest is. Even so, it’s not the guests who are the main focus of this parable, but the event they attend. So, let us not be amiss to the reality of this parable as we come to learn today:

YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED FOR THE WEDDING FEAST!

I.

            I don’t know as though there have been any weddings that I’ve been invited to throughout my life, that I haven’t gone to if I was free and could make it. It may be also that we don’t make as big of a deal about people not being able to come to a wedding. Yes, we’re always mentioning just how busy everyone is today. It’s work. It’s school. It’s family activities, sports, music groups, drama performances, and so on that take all our time. But this isn’t just any wedding. It’s not just any regular person getting married either. As we read, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,” Matthew 22:2. A royal wedding is a big deal and to be invited to such a wedding should be treated with honor and respect. Yet, this is the problem with the guests. They don’t care. Again, as we read, “But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them,” Matthew 22:5-6. Even if you do decline an invite, you should do so gratefully, not with flippant disregard as these guests do.

            But you’re probably realizing this text isn’t just about how to respond to a wedding invite. It’s actually about a much more important “invite” that you’ve received. The invitation of faith. Just like the parable, we hear, “The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find,” Matthew 22:8-9. God has issued a universal call to faith. For his own people have spurned his call. They turned away from him. Thus, he invites you and me. He calls us all to faith in Christ so that the “wedding feast” may be full! Yet, how many people still treat this call with indifference or apathy? May it not be you also! For this is what kills faith. Acting like faith and God and his church are unimportant. For faith is a matter of actions. Faith is what you do in good times and bad. Faith is the way you walk and talk. Faith is meant to be the very fiber of your being. If we can’t take faith seriously, if we can’t take God’s call seriously, then we too risk facing God’s wrath. 

II.

            For this is why we need to understand the doctrine of election, as this parable teaches. Election isn’t meant to be a secret. It’s not meant to cause us worry or anxiety either. It’s meant to comfort us. For election begins with God’s universal call. He invites ALL people, good and bad. Yes, he invites even you and me, us poor miserable sinners. But election doesn’t stop there. For the king provides everything necessary for the feast. This is the issue with the wedding garment, as we read, “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment,” Matthew 22:11. This is the garment which the king provided. This is our baptismal garment by which God has clothed us, covered over all our sins and their stain. To remove the wedding garment is to denounce one’s baptism and the very grace which God gives. Thus, we learn that election and faith are purely dependent on God who calls. It’s dependent on God who washes. It’s dependent on God who clothes us and provides for our every need.

            What election means then is that God chose before the foundation of the world to give you every opportunity to know him and Jesus as your savior. That is, before the world began, God had already predetermined to send Jesus to become man, to suffer and die in your place. He predetermined that he wouldn’t charge your sins against you but rather charge them to Christ’s account. God determined that he would offer up his own Son as the sacrifice for the feast. For this is what the host does. God makes the sacrifice for the feast. He doesn’t require you to bring anything of your own. Yes, before the foundation of the world, God had determined to give Jesus over to death on the cross so that you may have eternal life! But that’s not even the end of it! For so, God has provided his church to proclaim the Gospel into your ears so that by his word, he may make you one of his elect! This is what happens in time, throughout our life. It’s all the ways and ordinary means by which God uses to speak faith into your heart. Ordinary means which can also be rejected. For as Jesus says, “For many are called, but few are chosen,” Matthew 22:14. It’s the chosen, or elect, who shall partake of the wedding feast that has no end! For the elect are those who hear his gracious invitation and are given the wedding garment to dine at the eternal feast.

            For take heart in the doctrine of election, for God has elected you to grace in Jesus Christ. And this we know for certain because it’s his voice which continues to call us to dine at the table of our Lord who feeds us a heavenly feast, his own body and blood! In Jesus’ name! Amen!