Monday, October 16, 2023

October 13-15, 2023 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Matthew 22:1-14 (EHV) “ AN OFFER WE CAN BUT BETTER NOT REFUSE!”

 

PENTECOST 20

October 13-15, 2023

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Matthew 22:1-14 (EHV)

 

“ AN OFFER WE CAN BUT BETTER NOT REFUSE!”

1.     Free Banquet!

2.     Free Clothes!

 

If you have been reading the little Theme of the Day summaries provided in the service folder (and I hope you have been!) you saw the summary of this parable of Jesus as ‘A story of insane rejection.’ I know what the writer means but I personally would like a little more accuracy. We have this way of talking. You see some social media dare or challenge like the superhot One Chip Challenge and you say, “That’s insane!” Or someone tells you they are going to jump out of a perfectly good flying airplane to go skydiving and you say, “You’re crazy!” Probably time to change our speech. Mental health issues are real, just as real as physical health issues. Certain mental health issues can’t be dealt with unless there is proper medical treatment just like certain physical problems won’t just go away without treatment, so if you need help, get it. But my point is this. Someone who truly is crazy or insane and is not treated can’t be responsible for their actions any more than someone who breaks their leg and is not treated is responsible for not  being able to run. I’d say a better title for the theme of the day is ‘A story of idiotic rejection.’ You see, our word idiot comes from the Greek word idios which means ‘one’s own.’ In Biblical context an idiot would be someone who chooses their own way instead of what God gives freely through Jesus. Now listen to Jesus’ story of idiotic rejection!

 

Matthew 22:1-14 (EHV) “Jesus spoke to them again in parables. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent out his servants to summon those who were invited to the wedding banquet, but they did not want to come. “Then he sent out other servants and said, ‘Tell those who are invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and my fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet!’“But those who were invited paid no attention and went off, one to his own farm, another to his business. The rest seized the king’s servants, mistreated them, and killed them. As a result, the king was very angry. He sent his army and killed those murderers and burned their town.“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. So go to the main crossroads and invite as many as you find to the wedding banquet.’  10 Those servants went out to the roads and gathered together everyone they found, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wearing wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. 13 Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

          Jesus’ picture story is easy. A king has invited people to come to the wedding banquet for his son. Now, I am not into royals. I like to remind those who go gaga over British royalty, “You know we beat them, right?” And yet an invitation to a royal wedding. The best of food and drink and pomp and circumstance. All free. You’d have to be an idiot to refuse that. And you got my attention when you said it was free. And yet there were a bunch of idiots. These were the important people in the eyes of the world. Successful business owners. Minor nobles. The movers and shakers and celebrities of the time. They rejected free food. They had other priorities, work or recreation. Some took it a step further. Others mistreated and killed the messengers. They rejected the generosity of their king and went their own way. What a bunch of idiots. What did they think the king would do?

          Remember, earthly story, spiritual meaning. Jesus told this parable right after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The Pharisees and chief priests were there with the people. Jesus was reaching out to them in love to try to help them see that rejecting God’s Son and their Savior was idiotic. Refusing to be a member of God’s kingdom on earth is idiotic. Refusing an eternity of joy in heaven is idiotic. And what do you think the King of Heaven will do to those who mistreated and killed his prophets and rejected His Son? Sadly, history tells us most of these people remained true idiots and chose their own way to try to get to heaven and failed miserably because they lacked their own righteousness and now suffer in Hell. Idiots. But we can still be sad for them.

          Jesus’ parable went on. The gracious King extended the invitation to this most sumptuous and glorious banquet to others, the “little” people of the time. The average day worker, the poor, those considered good for society and those considered bad. All were invited. All were given wedding clothes to wear. Coming in from the highways and byways their own would not be good enough. Everyone gets brand new wedding clothes, for free. You’d have to be an idiot to refuse that and once again you had me at Free! But in the parable someone rejected the free clothes. He chose his own dirty shabby clothes over brand new clothes from the king. As a result he was uninvited from the wedding banquet. What an idiot?

          Again earthly story, spiritual meaning. The Bible makes frequent use of the picture of your clothes or robe as what you look like to God. People on their own have filthy robes because of our sin. And we are filthy. Any of you young people want to disagree with me give me your phone unlocked after service. By the way mom and dad, when is the last time you checked your child’s phone? If you are choosing to provide them with a tool that is dangerous and has been used by Satan for so much wrong and harm, it is your responsibility to check and monitor. The robe or clothes provided by Jesus is His righteousness like we sang in the beautiful hymn. “Jesus your blood and righteousness my beauty are, my glorious dress.” My daughter’s used to call my pastor robe a dress. Daddy’s dress. It’s not a dress. It’s a robe. The main reason we wear it is to cover us and to signify we are in the role of a spokesman for God. Believers in Jesus are covered with His perfect life of a obedience. A robe of righteousness that presents us as perfect people in the eyes of God. You would have to be an idiot to hold up your life next to Jesus and say, “I’m good enough.” Sadly, as Jesus’ parable points out and our fellow Americans demonstrate, there are a lot of idiots out there.

          That’s kind of fun, isn’t it? Calling other people idiots. Try it with me. Idiots. But God’s word has not been given to us so we can look down on and despise other people. It’s to warn and encourage us. First, don’t be an idiot! It’s unlikely that anyone here is going to blatantly say to Jesus, “I’m better than you” or “I think I’m good enough to get to heaven on my own.” And yet we have in us this “I want to do it my way” sinful nature that the Devil wants to cultivate so eventually we do. And here’s how we fall into his trap. Jesus offers us His very body and blood for the forgiveness of sins in the Lord’s Supper and yet, Jacobi members, how often have we responded with a No? “I’ve got business to attend to. Sports things to get my kids to.” Free banquet. Nah. Idiotic, don’t you think?. “Cast your burdens on the Lord” we are encouraged and yet too often prayer is the last resort, ‘all we can do now’ as though we are so important. We have an idiotic tendency in all of us. My way. This parable provides a warning we need.

          And an encouragement. Someone in your life making you feel like you are not good enough? Got your own mom guilt going on? Life’s struggles make you think about your sins and why you should be suffering? Free clothes. You are covered by Jesus. There is nothing you have to do or can do to make the King love you anymore than He already does. He treats you on the basis of grace no matter how you feel or what anyone else says. God invites you to regularly receive comfort, strength, peace, help in His word and Sacraments and through the gift of prayer. It’s an offer we can but better not refuse. And why would we? It’s all free and by God’s grace we are no idiots. Amen.

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