Sermon - Trinity XX 2023 - Matthew 22:1-14

Parable of the Invitation to the Wedding, Bernardo Strozzi, 1636

Who will be saved and how will they be saved?

1. God calls all to be saved

2. However, only those who are worthy are saved

3. Worthiness isn’t just a matter of external appearances, but of faith in the heart

With more war breaking out, and talk of this escalating to World War III, tensions rise. So remember these words from Proverbs: “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be safe.” Those words are a comfort not only in wartime, but throughout our entire pilgrimage on earth. This world isn’t safe. In peacetime we are lulled into a false sense of security about life. Paying no attention to God’s invitation, we go about our worldly business as if everything were ok. But in times of crisis we are awakened from our stupor and we see the seriousness of our eternal situation. We begin to ask the important questions, who will be saved and how will they be saved?

To answer these questions, let’s begin by talking about an issue which has recently arisen: Zionism. Whenever Israel is involved in a war over the past century or so, the issue of Zionism is also involved. In general, Zionism is the belief that there is a particular Jewish race which should possess the land of Israel so that the Jews might be fulfilled and all the world will be blessed through them. Among Christians, there’s also Christian Zionism, which is the belief that the Jews have to possess the land of Israel in order for Jesus to return. Another subsequent belief has also arisen, related to all of this, that modern day Jews will be saved apart from faith in Christ. 

So, what are we to think about all of this? Firstly, Zionism isn’t supported in the Bible. It’s fine to support the modern day country of Israel, but we’re not divinely mandated to support Israel because Jesus was a Jew anymore than we’re divinely mandated to support Germany because Martin Luther was a German. Secondly, the reconstitution and maintenance of the country of Israel isn’t going to make Jesus come back sooner. The Lord Himself makes it clear that no one knows the day nor the hour, and so just because something is happening in the modern day country of Israel that doesn’t mean Jesus is necessarily going to come back because of that event.

Then to our third point, which is much more germane to the Gospel reading today, I’ll state it simply: the Jews aren’t going to be saved apart from faith in Christ Jesus. This is specifically what the first half of our text is about today. So let’s dig into this text. (v.2) “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding for his son.” The king is God the Father, and the son is Jesus, the Son of God. Then the time for the marriage feast of the Son of God arrives, so the King “sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.” Here the servants are those prophets sent to proclaim liberty to the Israelites. We can also include John the Baptist, the apostles, and Jesus among those who go out and declare that everything is ready and invite the Israelites to the wedding feast. 

“But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.” Many of those in Israel rejected the invitation. Some of them just casually ignored the whole thing, but others reacted violently. Jesus was killed at the insistence of the Jewish leaders and people in Jerusalem. Sure, the Romans did the dirty work technically, but it was the Jews, Jesus’ own people, who demanded that He be crucified. The same is true for many of the apostles, who were martyred by other Jews who rejected Jesus.

As a result of their rejection of Jesus, God sent a swift punishment upon the Israelites. “The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.” Jesus here spoke prophetically of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. God will not be mocked. The Israelites had received the invitation first, before the Gentiles, to enter into God’s kingdom. Some of them did receive Jesus, but many rejected Him. For that the king said “The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.” But what does that mean? What does it mean to be worthy?

Notably, in the book of Revelation at the wedding feast of the Lamb of God and His bride the church, the angels sang out: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.” Thus, worthiness is found in the crucified Jesus. We receive His worthiness through faith in Him, since we are declared righteous through faith in Christ. “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Even in the Old Testament, prior to the incarnation of Christ, their faith was in the coming Messiah. Adam and Eve had faith in Him who would crush the serpent’s head. Abraham most notably had faith on the mountain when he was instructed to sacrifice his son Isaac, with faith that God would provide the sacrificial lamb and spare his son. So when the Christ became incarnate in the person of Jesus, the faith of God’s people was given a clearer object to believe in: Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Son of God. Thus, he who has faith in Jesus is declared worthy of eternal life for the sake of Christ.

So, with the Israelites rejecting Jesus, God opened up the invitation to all peoples. “‘Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.” No longer is it just Israel invited to the wedding, but even the Gentiles are invited to the feast. So here we’re talking about our ancestors! In a sense we’re Gentiles because we’re not Jewish, we’re outsiders who have now been brought inside because the invitation has been extended to all.

But in another sense, we’re not Gentiles anymore. “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” So of course we’re still male and female, we have northern European ancestry, we have certain unequal stations and duties in life, nevertheless, in Christ we are all one. We’re not saved by our ancestry nor by our various differences, but through Christ.

This is powerful stuff! All are invited into God’s kindgom. God desires that all would repent and believe in Christ. He desires that all would be saved. This is especially important to remember in times of war. God invites Ukrainians and Russians, Israelis and Palestinians and Iranians and Chinese and even Americans! Even Iowans! God wants all to come to Him in faith, both bad and good.

The end of this parable gives us another stark reminder, that just because we’ve been invited that doesn’t mean that we are saved. “When the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Without the wedding garment there is no salvation. What is the wedding garment? Again Revelation tells us about the wedding feast: “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb… blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” The wedding garment is Christ’s righteousness that cleanses us from all sins. Without the garment of Christ’s righteousness we don’t belong in the wedding hall, and will be cast into the outer darkness. Salvation is through Christ alone.

So there is a stark warning here for us, that if we presume to enter heaven by some other means, without faith in Christ and having His righteousness, then we will not be saved. Just because someone says they believe in a god, or calls themself a Christian, or is a member at a church, that doesn’t mean they will be saved. Without faith in Christ and His righteousness, we are lost and condemned.

But, there is also a strong word of comfort here as well. God wants us to come to heaven. He doesn’t want to condemn anyone. He wants His wedding hall, the heavenly kingdom, to be filled. Without Christ we’re not worthy, but God shed His own blood for us in order that we would be worthy and enter in. If you’ve made mistakes, even really really big mistakes, God still loves you and wants you to come to heaven. He wants to take you out of the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, He wants to take you out of the sadness in this world where there are scary stories both abroad and at home, and bring you into His heavenly mansions to dwell with Him forever. So it’s true: Whoever trusts in Jesus Christ will be safe.