Sorry, I can't make it

Like last Sunday’s story “The Wicked Tenants in the Vineyard,” this Sunday’s story “The Wedding Banquet” seems to have been allegorized by the early church and Matthew with his agenda. Jesus’ point contrasts the welcoming generosity of the Kingdom with those to whom their daily business is so overridingly important that they turn down their invitation and give up their place to others. Again as before, Matthew’s allegory resorts to anger, terrible threats, violence and destruction that seems less like Jesus and more characteristic of Joshua and the Israelites obliterating cities and residents of Canaan, or even of the horrific story of Achan at Ai. I’m glad not to be preaching.

Anyway, here’s Matthew’s story:    

Matthew 22:1-14 Once more Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. 

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

DThos+ somewhere way downstream in +Time+