“The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.” – Matthew 22:8
The King just wanted them to have a good time. That was why He had invited them to the wedding feast. It was going to be a fantastic shindig, a wonderful feast. But when invited, they would not come. When invited again, they become rude, dismissive, or even violent and murderous. It is so bad that the King ends up sending troops to wipe out the rebellious district (Kings didn’t mess around with rebellion).
The summation, the description of these lout is interesting. They were not “worthy”. This seems odd to us because they didn’t do anything to prove their worth – it wasn’t that you got an invite after you went on a quest or donated so much to the King’s fundraiser. After all, the servants turn around and invite people off the street, both good and bad. What is up with that description?
The Small Catechism actually gives the answer. “Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training. But that person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.’” The simple fact is that the folks in the parable had no faith in their king to throw a decent feast. Later on, the fellow who refused to put on the wedding garment didn’t trust the King either.
Christ Jesus your Lord wants to give you precisely what you need with His preaching and with His Supper. He wants to give you forgiveness, life, and salvation. And we get told that this isn’t worth all that much – it isn’t what the world wants or often what our flesh wants. But it is vital, it is wonderful, and He sends forth the call week in and week out to come to His feast in His Church. And to be prepared for it isn’t a matter of how wonderful you are – rather, it is there because of how good He is to you. You can certainly trust Him on that.
