Am I Invited or Not?

Passage: Matthew 22:1-14

A photo from one of my older sister’s childhood birthdays includes a kid who wasn’t invited. When one of my sister’s friends was being dropped off, the girl’s older sister was so upset that a party was going on without her that she threw a tantrum. I assume my parents, wanting to spare the other parents any extra grief, said it was okay to leave both daughters. I don’t remember many of the details; just the tantrum and the uninvited guest, smiling brightly in all the pictures. In Matthew 22 Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a party. And according to the story, the host of this party has the opposite problem my sister did. His guests don’t show up. The wedding day rolls around. The reception begins. And the tables are empty. The host is creative, however. He sends his servants out and they haul in anyone and everyone they find. They pack the reception hall, and it’s a party.

Jesus’ parable is compelling. It’s nice to think of Heaven as a party rather than an ethereal choir rehearsal (no offense to those of us who like choir rehearsals). It’s refreshing to think of God filling Heaven in creative and persistent ways. And it’s gratifying to know that there might be a place at God’s eternal party for ordinary people like you and me.

However, the Heavenly DJ’s needle comes to a screeching halt at the conclusion of the parable. The party’s in full swing when the host (a.k.a. God the Father – bear in mind, this is the host who just went to great lengths to pull people in from the bus stops and alleys to join his party) encounters a guest who is inappropriately dressed. He collars this guest and says, “How’d you get in looking like that?” The guest stammers something incoherent, to which the host responds, “Tie him up and throw him out.” A shocking about-face for someone who seemed so eager to get people to show up in the first place. If the whole story is about how people end up in Heaven, how do we interpret this last twist that Matthew includes?

It seems as though Jesus is saying that even after the final, “Judgment Day” cut there are still those who are going to get weeded out. This isn’t inconceivable, though it’s inconsistent with Jesus’ other teachings about the ultimate separation of the righteous and the wicked (see Matthew 25:31-46). Another way to read it is thus: When Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Heaven, he’s referring to a reality that is present as well as future. He addresses an audience that has entrenched ways of thinking about who belongs in the company of God and who doesn’t. Jesus debunks the idea that religious piety and moral purity are prerequisites for God’s invitation. God even now sends his servants to the “highways and byways” inviting people in.

That being said, responding to God’s invitation means accepting a new set of clothes. Removing the trappings of your life before, and putting on party clothes. This is a metaphor that wouldn’t have been lost on Jesus’ first century audience, who were familiar with the custom of wedding hosts providing garments for those coming in to the banquet. Offered the new clothes, it would only be fitting to put them on. It would be an offense to one’s host to refuse. Jesus points out that not everyone responds to God’s invitation in the first place. Then he adds that there are many who, though compelled by the buffet table, don’t care for the party clothes. Many who want God’s love and mercy don’t want their lives to be reshaped in response to them. The way people respond to God’s Kingdom ethics now is indicative of the way they will posture themselves toward God for eternity. Life in the Kingdom follows an ethic. Our relationship with God, like any other intimate relationship, is shaped by rules. If you want to join the party, you put on the clothes.