Patheos
  • GO
  • Beliefs
    • Buddhist
    • Catholic
    • Contemplative
    • Evangelical
    • General Christian
    • Hindu
    • Jewish
    • Latter-day Saint
    • Muslim
    • New Visions
    • Nonreligious
    • Pagan
    • Progressive Christian
    • More Voices
  • Topics
    • Entertainment
    • Book Club
    • Docs/ology
    • Movie Club
    • Family and Relationships
    • Life Events
    • Politics Blue
    • Politics Red
    • Public Square
    • More Topics
    • Trending Now

    • Identity Politics vs. Transactional Politics
      Gene Veith
    • How Jesus Empowered Women (And Christians Re-Enslaved...
      Keith Giles
  • Columnists
  • Library
    • NEW! Patheos Answers
    • Faith Leaders Database
    • Research Tools
    • Comparison Lens
    • Preacher Resources
    • Teacher Resources
    • Anglican/Episcopalian
    • Baha'i
    • Baptist
    • Buddhism
    • Christianity
    • Confucianism
    • Eastern Orthodoxy
    • Hinduism
    • Holiness and Pentecostal
    • ISKCON
    • Islam
    • Judaism
    • Lutheran
    • Methodist
    • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
    • New Age
    • Paganism
    • Presbyterian and Reformed
    • Protestantism
    • Roman Catholic
    • Scientology
    • Shi'a Islam
    • Sikhism
    • Sufism
    • Sunni Islam
    • Taoism
    • Zen
    see all religions
  • newsletters
  • Ad-Free LogIn
  • More
    • Pastors and Church Leaders Resource Center

    • Church and ministry leadership resources to better equip, train and provide ideas for today's church and ministry leaders, like you.

      visit section now
    • Resources For the Faith Seeker
    • E-Books and Other Special Offers
    • 7 Day Prayer Challenge for Spouses
    • A Different Kind of Christian
    • Jesus Is Love
    • Pastors and Church Leaders
    • Prayer Devotional
    • The Saints We Love
    • Who Is God?
Progressive Christian

The Feast: Reflections on Matthew 22:1-14 and Luke 14:16-24

August 22, 2013 by Alyce McKenzie
0 | Leave a Comment
Facebook Twitter Email

Lectionary Reflections
Matthew 22:1-14; Luke 14:16-24
September 1, 2013

The parable of the Feast is found in the Gospel of Thomas in a simpler form than it appears in either Matthew or Luke. In the Gospel of Thomas version a man prepared a dinner and sent his servant to invite the guests. Each of several guests informs the servant that something has come up (a business meeting, buying a house, marriage, buying a farm) and they ask to be excused. The servant reports this to the master, who then instructs him to go out into the streets and bring back those he happens to meet so that they may dine. The closing line is "Businessmen and merchants will not enter the Places of My Father."

This brief version contains the structure that shows up in all three versions. A man prepares a feast to which guests have been invited earlier. When the servant goes out to announce that the feast is about to begin, the invited guests offer various excuses. The one giving the feast then substitutes for the invited guests people chosen at random.

The version in the Gospel of Thomas is similar to Luke's. Both describe a banquet, not a wedding feast as in Matthew. Thomas' closing comment about businessmen and merchants reveals his theology of rejecting worldly activity. (Donahue, 93)

Matthew and Luke probably received this parable from the sayings collection Q, which may have originated with an itinerant group of Jesus' followers who sought to live by his teachings and spread his message after his death. The urgency of the invitation and the theme of exclusion are thematic in Q. The parable in its earliest form may have pointed to the rejection of Jesus' message by his contemporaries and their substitution by the itinerant group that collected his sayings in the Q collection. The parable in this early form has a double focus. It conveys the vindication of Jesus' offer of forgiveness to tax collectors and sinners after the invited guests (the Jewish leaders) refused. It warns that the decisive moment has come, the feast is near, and a failure to respond will lead to exclusion from the banquet. (Donahue, 94)

Matthew makes this parable into an allegory. The host becomes a king and the feast becomes a feast for his son. The theme of the good and the bad (22:10) recalls Matthew's understanding of the church as a mixed body (13:24-27, 47-50). The parable of the wedding garment, which Matthew adds to the Feast parable (22:11-14), brings in Matthew's habitual themes of discipleship against the constant backdrop of coming judgment.

Just before this parable of the Wedding Feast/Wedding Garment in Matthew we have heard two others parables: the parable of the Two Sons (Mt. 21:28-32) and the parable of the Wicked Tenants (Mt. 21:33-39). This sets up a triad of parables that all deal with rejection or refusal. The setting to which Matthew addressed his gospel was a church that was engaged in missionary activity that was meeting with rejection. The first parable of the triad (the Two Sons) mentions the rejection of John the Baptist's ministry. The second (The Wicked Tenants) alludes to the rejection of Jesus' historical ministry. This third parable (Wedding Banquet/Wedding Garment) refers to the rejection of the preaching of Christian missionaries on behalf of the Risen Christ. The coming of God's reign is often imaged as a wedding feast (Is. 62:1-5; Rev. 19:1-6) or a banquet (Is. 25:6-8; 1 Enoch 62:14). (Donahue, 94-5)

We flinch when we read the treatment of the man in the verses 11-14. It seems so unfair that this poor man be punished for not having the proper garment. I am reminded of the time I arrived from out of town for an ordination service and had not brought the appropriate liturgical robe for the procession. My clergy colleagues did not bind and gag me and stuff me in the closet for this infraction! What is going on with this cruel king?

It was the custom in Ancient Near Eastern weddings, that the guests would wear a garment that symbolized their respect for the host and the occasion. Often the host would provide a rack of such garments at the entryway for guests who had not brought theirs. Not to be wearing a wedding garment, when one could have chosen one on the way in, is a sign of disrespect for both host and occasion. The symbolism of putting on clothing reminds us of Paul's image of "putting on" as a symbol for adopting the life of discipleship to Christ. (Gal. 3:27; Col. 3:12; Eph. 4:24) The wedding garment stands for the Christian life, and the qualities that lead one to hear the invitation, to accept it and show up to honor the host. (Donahue, 95)

The man without the wedding garment is like the son in the prior parable who said he would come, but did not. He is a hearer but not a doer. He does not produce fruits worthy of repentance. He does not follow that higher righteousness Matthew expects of his Christian community, whether former Jews or Gentiles. In Jesus' ministry, it seems as if this parable of the feast summoned listeners to a critical choice to accept the authority of his teachings and to live by them. Matthew has adjusted this parable of the wedding banquet/wedding garment to address his church in its conflict with the synagogue down the street. He wants his listeners to understand that anyone who does not honor the host and the banquet, whether outside or inside his community, will not ultimately enter the kingdom of heaven.

Article Continued On Next Page
Page: 1 of 2
8/22/2013 4:00:00 AM
  • Tagged with:
  • Progressive Christian
  • Edgy Exegesis
  • Progressive Christianity
  • Sacred Texts
  • Christianity
  • Protestantism
more at patheos
1
Here Are 12 Christian Preachers Who Wrongly Predicted Trump's Re-Election
Hemant Mehta
2
Robert Jeffress: Terrorists Storming U.S. Capitol Were Satanists, Not...
Michael Stone
3
Announcing a New Podcast
Sofia Carozza
4
Here's What's Wrong With You Podcast and Links
Anne Kennedy
Get Patheos Newsletters
Get the latest from Patheos by signing up for our newsletters. Try our 3 most popular, or select from our huge collection of unique and thought-provoking newsletters.
Please also opt me in for Exclusive Offers from Patheos’s Partners Privacy and Data Policy
From time to time you will also receive Special Offers from our partners that help us make this content free for you. You can opt out of these offers at any time.
see our full list of newsletters
Editor's picks See all columnists
Evangelical
What Is the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts, and How Do You Discover Yours?
Randy Alcorn
New Visions
5 Ways to Hear What God is Telling You
Tom Rapsas
Muslim
How Awake Are We? When Waking Up is Falling Asleep
Daniel Thomas Dyer
Latter-day Saint
"The Church supports the use of vaccinations"
Dan Peterson
Nonreligious
The GOP's Double Standard on Christianity
Libby Anne
Pagan
How to Keep a Prayer List for Healing
Melissa Hill
Progressive Christian
The POSITIVES of Purity Culture
Matthew Distefano
Evangelical
Luther and the Beauty of Christ
Guest Contributor
Entertainment
The Soul of Gospel Music Explored in New Netflix Series "Voices of Fire"
DeWayne Hamby
Contemplative
Seven Ways to Think About Christian Mysticism
Carl McColman
Join the Discussion
comments powered by Disqus
Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Service
  • Do Not Sell My Data
  • Contact Us
  • Follow Us on Facebook
  • Follow Us on Instagram
  • Manage Subscriptions
  • Unsubscribe From Notifications
Copyright 2008-2021, Patheos. All rights reserved.