This parable of Jesus is probably hard for most of us at Mt. Auburn to fathom – a party and no one came?!  That certainly does not happen around here!  We like a party and will rearrange our schedules if at all possible to attend. 

But Jesus tells the story of a King who is wanting to celebrate his son’s wedding.  Why was Jesus telling the story?  It was the last week of His ministry on earth, and he had just confronted the chief priests and Pharisees regarding their unwillingness to respond to God’s expectation of them.  They had their system entrenched and refused to see that they were servants of God rather than a law unto themselves.  Institutions have a way of needing to perpetuate themselves and sometimes fail to remember what they were established to accomplish.  The church is often guilty of that, and it ought to give us pause, as we are in transition, to reflect on whether we are simply maintaining the institution or are we enabling the mission? 

At any rate Jesus turns from the religious institution to those who might comprise the membership.  And he tells a story about a king throwing a party for his son.  Some of us remember only too well the significance we have felt when a son or daughter chose to find a life’s partner.  We looked over the guest list more than once to be sure we invited those we wanted to celebrate this event with us.  It’s no small thing to have a son or daughter leave home and find a significant other! 

But I am sure that none of us have experienced what happened in this story – that no one came!  Can we really imagine what a personal rejection that would be?  Maybe we had one or two people who didn’t come and we were troubled or hurt.  But no one?!  And the story reflects how insulted the king was.  But he sends out a second invitation, just in case they misunderstood the original invite.  And this response was even worse.  Those invited blew it off.  Some harassed the servants, and others killed the ones sent to invite them to the party. 

This is another aspect of the story that pushes our level of credulity.  First that there was a party, and no one came.  Now the murder of those who simply were sent to invite them.

But we don’t stop there.  The King then is determined to have guests at the celebration for his son.  He sends other servants out to invite people off the street to come.  It didn’t matter who.  Crooks or upright citizens, all were invited.  And sure enough, it didn’t take long before the hall was full.  Strike up the band and let the fun begin!  Or tell the DJ to turn up the music - everyone is here.  There is going to be a celebration after all!

Then the king arrives, and one would expect “a happy ever after” ending to the story.  But not so fast.  Another preposterous twist occurs.  Upon entering the party, the King saw a man who was not properly dressed.  The King asked him how he got in looking that way.  There was no response, so the king had him tied up and thrown  out  into a deep darkness  where  there  will  be sorrow and anxiety. This is a euphemism for hell.   Many will be invited, but few will be accepted.

As we reflect on this story, let’s remember that it is just that – a story.  It is not to be taken literally, nor are we to find corollaries to every aspect of the absurdity of this story.  So what IS Jesus telling us?

The many points of the story that stretch our credulity prepare us for the unbelievable aspects of the reign of God.  Not only are the religious leaders challenged by Jesus as noted earlier, so are those who think themselves to be religious. 

The focus of the story is obviously not about a concrete party and a guest list.  How much it is colored by Mathew as he recalls the story can be seen in its evident reflection of the events of Mathew’s day some years after the life of Jesus.  The rejection of the prophets and other messengers of God, and finally of Jesus, himself, is parallel with the destruction of Jerusalem.   Those who reject the invitation of God to the table of celebration appear to be dominant in the telling of the story.  Others, the Gentiles, are then invited to the gift that is being offered and they willingly respond.    

The story is replete with apparent contradictions.  A generous, benevolent King who desires to celebrate a legitimate event in his life, turns vindictive and murderous when spurned.  Then becomes open and accepting while the coals of destruction are still hot in the destroyed cities of those who refused his original invitation. 

Another seeming contradiction is that of those who were close enough to the King to be invited, yet so ruthlessly ignore his generosity and even kill his messengers. Wouldn’t you like to have friends like that?!

And then we have the “good and bad” invited, but one not in proper attire is upbraided and sent to hell!  I thought the good and bad were not only invited, but also seated in the party hall.  Was it worse than being “bad” not to be properly dressed.  Maybe some of us here at Mt. Auburn better watch out!  Maybe we will have to set a new dress code!  Boy, wouldn’t that really fly around here!!  Obviously that is NOT what this story is all about. 

So what are we to make of it? 

We need to remember the historical context of Mathew’s day. The Christian church had come into existence, Christians were spread throughout many nations, and the Jews were once again disbursed following the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple.  But there can also be something for you and me to gain from this story.  Let me suggest a couple of possibilities.

God invites us all to a splendid celebration.  While I don’t want to push specifics of the story too much, the idea of new life when we respond to God’s invitation may be further seen in the reason for the celebration – the marriage of the son.  The son is about to begin a whole new life, and a whole new level of community built on intimate love.  God invites us to celebrate love and  wholeness  in   a   new   community.    We  are  not forced into this community, but invited.  We do not become robots of a powerful ruler, but guests who accept an invitation.

There is the freedom to reject the invitation extended.  But we do so at our loss.  It is interesting how this parable was used by John Calvin, the founder of the reformed tradition of Christianity.  He understood this parable as meaning that the church was to go out into the streets and compel people to attend church.  And so he had the police on Sunday morning go out and give people the option to go to church or to jail.  He felt it was the responsibility of civil government to so aid the church.  Separation of church and state as we note it today did not exist in Geneva. 

Grace is writ large in this parable.  But not cheap grace!  The last couple of verses remind us that although the invitation goes out to good and bad, and that all are seated regardless of their social standing in the community, there remain expectations, or standards.  Just how we are to be correctly dressed is not made clear. This continues the puzzling nature of this parable.

Generous Grace and a certain level of responsibility stand side by side.  How they are rectified is unclear.  Jesus complicates it even further by concluding the story with many are called, but few are chosen.  It would be clearer and more understandable if he had said many are called but few accept the invitation.  That we could grasp.  But perhaps that is just the purpose of this parable – to keep us thinking about God’s invitation. 

Today we ordain and install elders and deacons, and we receive new members into the congregation from our confirmation class.  These are functions of the institution on the one hand, but more importantly they are signs of life of an organism.  They offer hope of the continued existence of the institutional church, but let's see to it that it is more than that.  Let’s observe these occasions as celebrations of the ongoing grace of God who invites us to the party. Thanks, oh Gracious One, for the invite!