Over the past few Sundays, the theme of the Gospel readings has been the kingdom of God. Each Sunday for the past three weeks, we’ve heard a different parable that Jesus told about the kingdom. Three weeks ago, we heard the parable of the labourers in the vineyard, in which Jesus said that God will reward everyone who does the work he requires in the same way, regardless of how long they’ve been doing that work. Two weeks ago, we heard the parable of the two sons whom the father asks to work in his vineyard. In that parable, Jesus tells us that it’s not those who say they’ll be about God’s work who will enter the kingdom, but those who actually do what God asks of them. Last Sunday we heard the parable of the tenants in the vineyard, in which Jesus tells us that the kingdom will be given not to those who think they ought to have it, but to those who do the work and produce the fruit that God wants. And today, that kingdom theme continues with the parable of the wedding feast.
In one sense, the parable we heard this morning is different from those we’ve heard over the last few weeks. For one thing, all the other parables speak about the kingdom as vineyard whereas this morning’s parable speaks about the kingdom as a wedding feast. The other parables speak about entering the kingdom in terms of the reward for doing the work, and the kind of work that God wants, whereas this morning’s parable speaks about the kingdom in terms of simply accepting an invitation to enter and enjoy the rewards of the kingdom. Nevertheless, this morning’s parable does still strike a warning note because Jesus tells us that receiving an invitation to enter the kingdom is no guarantee that we’ll actually get in, or be allowed to stay in.
Those Jesus speaks about in the parable as being ‘not interested’ or ‘making light of it’ and going off to do other things were, of course, the Jews of his own day. But we still have people today who act in the same way. Through Christ, everyone has received an invitation to the wedding feast of God’s Son, to the kingdom of God; we call that invitation, the Gospel. It’s through the Gospel that we’ve received our invitation to the kingdom, and the Gospel tells us what we have to do to accept the invitation.
When we receive an invitation to an earthly party of some sort, it usually says R.S.V.P. at the bottom doesn’t it? R.S.V.P, ‘respondez s’il vous plait’ or ‘please reply’ and there’s an address to reply to. Of course the Gospel invitation has no address to reply to, so we have to reply through our actions, by doing in our lives what the Gospel invitation asks us to do. And through our actions, God, who sees and knows all, knows what our reply to his invitation is.
But, of course, just as with any other kind of invitation, some people are not interested in accepting. They’re too busy with other things to go to the wedding feast of God’s Son. These are the people who are more concerned with earthly things and things of the flesh than with heavenly things and spiritual things. Perhaps these are the people who don’t think the invitation is real, people who think that earthly things are all there is, and that there is no kingdom of heaven and no wedding feast of God’s Son to go to?
Then there are those who make light of the invitation. These are the people who believe that the wedding feast is real, or at least say they do, but who can’t be bothered to reply. These are perhaps the people who would like to go to the feast, but who think it’s too much effort to reply, too much like hard work to reply in the way God wants us to reply? These are perhaps the people I spoke about in another sermon recently, those who think it’s enough simply to call themselves ‘Christians’, people who think it’s enough simply to go to church on Sunday, or enough to have been ‘Christened’? These are perhaps the people who think it’s enough to say they’ll do what God asks of them rather than actually do it. These people might also then be those whom Jesus speaks of as trying to get into the wedding feast without the proper attire, without a ‘wedding garment’ or ‘robe’. But what is the proper attire to wear at the wedding feast of God’s Son?
In his Letter to the Galatians, St Paul says,
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
So, in St Paul, we have this image of putting on Christ, as though Christ was a garment. And, in fact, that’s why those being baptised traditionally wear white, to symbolise the holiness and purity of the new life as Christians they’re about to take on. But in baptism, there is an explicit commitment to Christ and to that life, a promise to live according to Christ’s teaching and example. In many Churches, that’s a promise usually made by parents and godparents on behalf of children, and taken on by those children when, hopefully, they’re confirmed in the Christian faith later in life. So baptism alone does not make us Christians, we have to fulfil the promises we make at baptism, or confirmation, before we can really call ourselves Christians and say we’ve ‘put on’ Christ. And St Paul makes that clear too. In his Letter to the Romans he says,
“So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarrelling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
And to the Colossians he says,
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”
So we have this image of putting on Christ, an image of wearing Christ as though he was a garment, through living the kind of life that he taught us to live, the life we promise to live at our baptism or confirmation. And that is no doubt the attire, the wedding garment, that Jesus is speaking about in the parable we heard this morning, it’s Christ himself. And isn’t that what we read in the Book of Revelation?
“I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes”
And that those wearing them are those who
“have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
And whom Jesus himself says are “blessed” that is, made happy by God.
The Book of Revelation tells us that it’s those who wear robes washed white in Christ who will enter the kingdom and remain in the kingdom for ever. It’s those who wear robes washed white in Christ who will share in the heavenly banquet prepared for them, the wedding feast of God’s Son.
Jesus ends the parable of the wedding feast by saying that
“many are called, but few are chosen.”
That can be quite worrying, maybe even frightening, because it suggests that not many of us will be allowed to enter the kingdom and enjoy the wedding feast of God’s Son. But that doesn’t really fit with what we read in Revelation about a multitude that no one could number does it? So perhaps we could re-phrase it and instead of saying, ‘many are called, but few are chosen’ and say, ‘everyone is invited, but not everyone accepts or does what’s necessary to gain entry’? And we might also say that many of those who do accept, don’t bother to dress properly for the occasion, and turn up for the feast, only to be turned away.
We’ve all been invited to enter the kingdom and enjoy the wedding feast of God’s Son, the question is, what are we going to do about it? Are we going to ignore the invitation because we’ve got other things to do? Are we going to make light of the invitation and not reply because it’s too much like hard work to get ready? And if we do that, are we then going to expect that we can simply turn up and get in, even though we’re not properly dressed for the occasion? Or are we going to look at that R.S.V.P on our invitation to the wedding feast of God’s Son, and see and take note of how to reply so that, when our time comes to go to the feast, we can go dressed appropriately, wearing the only acceptable attire, the white robe of Christ, so that we can be chosen to enter the kingdom and take our place at the feast?
Amen.
You will find the Propers for the 28th Sunday (Trinity 18) here.
Parish Church of St Mark Chadderton 