Homily, August 18, 2011, Thursday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
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Jesus' parable of the wedding feast contains two stories. The first has to do with the original guests invited to the marriage feast. The king had sent out invitations well in advance to his subjects, so they would have plenty of time to prepare for coming to the feast. How insulting for the invited guests to then refuse when the time for celebrating came! They made light of the King's request because they put their own interests above his. They not only insulted the King but the heir to the throne as well. The king's anger is justified because they openly refused to give the king the honor he was due. Jesus directed this warning to the Jews of his day, both to convey how much God wanted them to share in the joy of his kingdom, but also to give a warning about the consequences of refusing his Son, their Messiah and Savior.
He gives a similar warning to us. In becoming man, God made the ultimate sacrifice for our participation in the heavenly banquet in the kingdom of God. Our refusal to participate in the grace—the unmerited favor—that he has provided for us at great cost, will have dire, eternal consequences.
On the other hand, the second part of the story focuses on those who had no claim on the king and who would never have considered getting such an invitation. The "good and the bad" along the highways certainly referred to the Gentiles and to sinners. This is certainly an invitation of grace – undeserved, unmerited favor and kindness! But this invitation also contains a warning for those who refuse it or who approach the wedding feast unworthily. Grace is a free gift, but it is also an awesome responsibility.
The noted Lutheran Bonheoffer said something about cheap grace that I think reflects the people that insulted the king:
"Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves, the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."
My brothers and sisters, God invites each of us as his friends to his heavenly banquet that we may celebrate with him and share in his joy. Let’s not take the invitation lightly because it costs far too much. In fact the cost of the invitation is priceless. Are you ready to feast at the Lord's banquet table? Make sure you RSVP—everyday. Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for and received daily.
