How To Enter God’s Heavenly Kingdom.

Introduction:

Years ago, I was introduced and became fascinated with the topics on the kingdom of heaven, however if I was to introduce or even describe this kingdom, I would not use this morning reading to do so, because although this reading appears relatively easy to follow, it is rather complex, and it has had many theologians in disagreement; however, the overall meaning to this parable I think is quite clear although quite disturbing, as I will now explain.

What is the kingdom of heaven?

And before we begin … we are in disagreement, as not everyone agrees with this, but what exactly is the kingdom of heaven? … Well, for some, it is where you go when you die … for others, it is the day of the return of Christ, that day “when he shall come again in glory, to judge the living and the dead” … for others, it is that heavenly kingdom right in front of our eyes, it is in the present, its a kingdom that we cannot see, but a kingdom that Jesus revealed on the mount of transfiguration … and yet for others, it is that place where they go, when they are deep in prayer or meditation … and of course, there may be other definitions.

So, already we are in disagreement, or confusement, but … I don’t think that really matters, because whatever you believe, it all still adds up, it still makes sense, because we are talking about a kingdom that is so complex that even Jesus struggled to describe it, and that is what today’s reading, or parable is about, it’s an attempt by Jesus, to describe a complex but very real kingdom, a kingdom that Jesus said at his trial in John 18:36 that was not “not of this earth”.

Who is who in this Wedding.

So, in this kingdom, which we are told is real, but we cannot see, hear, feel, smell or touch, is somehow related to a king organising wedding banquet, for his son, and invited guests.

Who does the king represent?

Nothing difficult about that … but who is involved in this wedding, and I think it is safe to say that the king represents, and is symbolic for God the father, whether he may be male or female … (another layer of complexity), although the son is definitely masculine in Jesus, for now.

What does the wedding represent?

And, what does the wedding represent, well the wedding itself is symbolic of the kingdom of course, as some may refer this wedding to Revelation 19:7-9, which says, “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb”.

Who are the servants?

… And who are the servants in verse 3, the servants that we see the king sending out to call forth the guests. … Well, it generally accepted that these servants are the prophets of old, whom God sent to the people, however, they could also be interpretated as our modern- or latter-day preachers and evangelists in their various manners, and means which is ok.

Who do the first guests represent?

… And finally, who are the guests, in particular, who are the first guests? … Well, and again, this can be a bit subjective, but the first invited guests are generally symbolic of God’s chosen people, the Jews themselves. Those people whom God set apart as a nation … his nation, to learn his laws and regulations, and to worship him as their God of Israel. There are other interpretations of guest, but that is well beyond this sermon.

The scene is set.

Now, with all these difficulties, (sort of accounted for), the scene is kind of set, and we can move on and explore the narrative which starts with the “king giving a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come”.

Now, to the Jewish people, this part of the story wasn’t new, because they knew the book of 2nd Chronicles 36:15-16 which reads, “And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers … because He had compassion on His people … But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.” The Jews in the past had already rejected the calls or appeals from the Lord in their various cycles of discipline, and so Jesus knew, they would reject him, which they did.

“He sent out other servants,

So, what did the king do after he was rejected, well, and this is absolutely brilliant, the almighty God of heaven and earth showed compassion, he shows mercy and grace, because verses 4 to 7 tells us that “he sent out other servants, to plead and encourage the invited, by promises of goodness, but they not only rejected and made light of these new servants, but reacted against them, abusing them, and some they killed, which displeased the king so much that in his wrath, “he sent out his armies, to destroy those murderers, and burned up their city”.