The Banquet You Can’t Afford to Miss
And the Twist That Changes Everything
Welcome to today’s reflection.
Some of Jesus’ stories feel warm and welcoming at first. Open doors. Long tables. A feast prepared before we even arrive.
But every so often, just as we relax into the comfort of inclusion, he turns the story slightly … just enough to make us shift in our seats.
This is one of those parables.
Imagine being invited to the party of the century. The food’s ready, the music’s playing, the champagne’s flowing, and best of all, it’s all free. You’d go, right?
Jesus tells a story written in Matthew where God throws that kind of party, but people refuse to come, and when they do turn up, there’s a shocking twist that changes everything we thought we knew about God’s invitation.
It starts so well. A king, clearly God, is throwing a banquet. In fact, it’s more than just a banquet: Jesus says it’s a picture of the kingdom of heaven. His Son, the Messiah, has stepped into human history. The invitations go out first to Israel, to the religious leaders of the time. These were the very people making life difficult for Jesus. And yet, here’s the staggering thing: none of them come.
“Ah well,” you might think, “I’m not a religious professional, that’s not about me, it’s about corrupt religious leaders”
But the king tries again. He sends more servants, stressing: “Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner… everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet”. In other words: “Look, the kingdom is here, come and get it!
The response? Lame excuses. Worse than that, some of the invited seize the servants, abuse them and even kill them, a stark reminder of how the prophets were treated before Jesus came.
