“Preoccupied and Pretending: Guests Unworthy of the King’s Banquet”

Oct.30, 2011 Mt.22:1-14  Play AUDIO (32 kbps mp3)

WAITING AND WEAR FOR A WEDDING

•    expensive clothes, extensive time preparing for matrimony: honouring the other

THE KING’S COMPULSION FOR HIS PEOPLE’S JOY

•    lavishness of preparation - best meal prepared
•    persistence of invitation - several stages
•    enjoys seeing guests banqueting
•    climax of Biblical narrative Lamb’s wedding supper (Rev 19:7ff)

OUR ASTONISHING REJECTION OF PROFFERED PLEASURES

•    Passive Indifference: priority of field / business
•    Active Resistance: king’s servants mistreated, murdered
•    Inexcusable Infiltration: speechless when caught without provided wedding clothes
•    modern parallels: pursue materialism, atheism, hypocrisy
•    Bible teaches us to be totally ‘clothed with Christ’ (Rom 13:14; Gal 3:27)

RANT WITHOUT WARRANT?

•    R.Mercer on Teen Suicide: right to be concerned about bullying’s deadly effects
•    moral longing for ‘assembly’ / police / payment void without recognition of absolute moral standards
•    parable reminds us of coming judgment at the ultimate ‘assembly’