THE WORD
Ez 36,23-28 / Mt 22,1-14
Jesus again in reply spoke to [the chief priests and the Pharisees] in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”
Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast ‘Whomever you find.’ The servants went out to the streets and gathered all they found bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But then the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
IN OTHER WORDS
In today’s parable, Jesus compares heaven to a wedding banquet. The king is God the Father, and the son at the banquet is Jesus who came on his own but was rejected (John 1:11). It is the Jews that held the invitation to the kingdom, but refused to believe it. Prophets, like John the Baptist, were murdered. The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70 was interpreted as prophecy, as God’s reprisal against the murderers.
The wedding invitation has been extended to the Gentiles, strangers, to us Filipinos, to all, both good and bad. However, the wedding garment is a concern and a point of reflection for us. The man is caught wearing his old clothing and learns about his offense the hard way as he is booted out of the celebration.
For me, this is Jesus’ way of teaching us the inadequacy of self-righteousness. As the king provided wedding garments for his guests in the parable, God has provided salvation for us humankind.
This means that the wedding garment is the righteousness of Christ, and we have to wear it unless we want to miss the celestial wedding feast. The Lord concludes the parable with an unhappy thought that “many are invited, but few are chosen.” In other words, many people get the call of God, but only a few notice it.
- Fr. Jose Rivas Suson, SVD | University of San Carlos
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience. The Word in other words 2016
