You Are Invited!
In the Gospels, Jesus commonly compares the kingdom of Heaven to a wedding feast – the best party in the ancient world.
The idea had already been around for a long time. It was a common belief in the first century that the messianic age would be an extravagant feast, as foretold in Isaiah 25. The messianic banquet was expected to be marked by several features: a supernatural, sacrificial, universal, and salvific event.
Supernatural because it is provided by God, but differently than he provides food in the natural order of creation. He will destroy “the veil that veils all peoples.” The original text says “shroud,” the garment used for burial, clarifying that “he will destroy death forever.”
Sacrificial because of “rich food.” The reference is a little obscure, but the Hebrew says “fat parts,” the tastiest parts of animals that by the law of Moses were reserved for God (Leviticus 3:16). Those parts would only be eaten if God shared his portion of a sacrifice.
Universal because “for all peoples.” God had made a covenant with Abraham and his children, but from the very beginning the promise was for all the nations of the earth to be blessed through his descendant (Genesis 22:18).
Saving because the Lord will “remove the reproach of his people” who will “rejoice in his salvation.” The celebration entails being saved from the calamities that resulted from their sins.
To this understanding of the messianic banquet, the parable of Jesus adds that those God invited ignored the summons or mistreated or killed the messengers. (Don’t forget that this was a royal wedding feast, and treating the king this way was treason; thus, the king sent his army to destroy the murderers and their city). Among the second round of guests, the man who showed up without a suitable garment (a robe of righteousness provided by God himself in Isaiah 61:10) was cast out into the “outer darkness.” Jesus makes clear that there is a standard of admission to this party.
God has promised an eternal banquet, and we already have a foretaste in the Eucharist. The Church has always emphasized the need to approach sacraments in freedom and prepared with the robe of a clear conscience and a moral life. Approaching this supernatural, divinely provided, universal, sacrificial banquet that brings us to the gateway of heaven is something that calls for a response. We respond by faith in the true presence of Jesus and by living as he taught us. In the fullness of the heavenly banquet, “the veil that veils the peoples” on earth will be removed, death destroyed, and the truth of everything made known. So let us always approach the banquet with a clear conscience and upright life that prepares us to be welcomed into the eternal banquet of the Messiah.
-Rev. Nathan Marzonie
