Oct 15: Come to the Feast

Why would invited guests refuse to come to a wedding? Free food and drink, music and dancing—what’s not to like? Apparently the king in Jesus’ parable had the same questions. By this time, Jesus knew that many of the Jewish leaders would not accept the invitation to follow him. As we know, after the Resurrection, the disciples began to spread the good news not only to other Jews, but to anyone who would listen. The church began to grow, much faster than they expected.

One reason the leaders in Israel did not accept Jesus was his association with sinners. They did not understand that God calls sinners to repent and be forgiven. Since they thought of themselves as holy, they were not interested in forgiveness. Ordinary people, who knew they were sinners, were attracted by the offer of forgiveness. Many of them repented and came to be baptized. As the parable says, they filled the banquet hall.

Jesus calls us today to come to the same feast. But there are still people who think they have no need for Jesus. So what about the man in the parable who came in street clothes? The wedding garment was a symbol of the baptismal gown, the sign of new life in Christ. This man symbolizes those who “come to the feast” without repenting of their sins.

We can be like that man sometimes. We come to church arguing with our spouse on the way. We bring our prejudices, lies, anger, and selfishness—with no intention of doing anything about them. We come with the attitude that says, “I’m here, aren’t I? That should be good enough.” But it isn’t, for the feast we come to is not a wedding to join husband and wife. It joins God to humanity. God’s Son came to unite us all to himself. By dying for our sins, Jesus calls us to come back to God. So repentance is not just a change of clothing; it is a change of heart, a change in how we live. It is our ticket to the banquet. It is our way of saying, “I know I don’t deserve this, but thanks for letting me share the feast.”

Tom Schmidt