Scripture

Matthew 22:1–14

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come 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. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 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. “But 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.”

Reflection

Information is at our fingertips like never before—at the touch of a keystroke, a phone screen, or even smart glasses, I suppose. If we want to learn something, we can quickly look it up. And I don’t know if this says more about the academic and ecclesial social circles with whom I affiliate, but I really long for the days when more people simply said, “I don’t know.” Maybe it’s the information age or human nature, but so many chase certainty as an ideal.

This also plays out in the ways we talk about our faith. We want things to be clear, tidy, free from ambiguity. Yet in a world obsessed with certainty, we follow a Savior who speaks in parables. Sometimes these parables are on the nose, and others can be quite mystifying.

The parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22 is one of those confounding stories. Just when you think you understand where it’s going, it takes another turn: the king invites people and sends out messengers, only to be ignored; a second message goes out about the delicious meal, and those messengers are killed, prompting the king to send an army in retaliation. Soon after, everyone’s invited—both the “good” and the “bad” (at which point you must wonder how they kept that food warm the whole time?!). The feast finally takes place, leading to that strange final scene where a guest not dressed for the occasion is bound and cast into the outer darkness.

And this is what the Kingdom of heaven is like, says Jesus!

Sure, this parable may reference an internal debate among Matthew’s primary Jewish audience, and perhaps there is a lesson about meeting the King's expectations when he prepares the feast. But nothing seems overtly clear or certain about this parable.

And that’s ok.

Time and time again in scripture, we find that the kingdom of God is surprising, countercultural, not easy to digest, and turns our expectations on their head. Because of this, I long to hear more “I don’t know” when it comes to matters of faith, biblical study, and theology. In that same vein, I invite you to practice lingering in the unknown. Perhaps it’s the unknown in matters of faith, of belief, of health, of vocation, or about the future.

Whatever it is, offer it to God.

Linger in this unknown. It may cause a bit of discomfort, or it may be surprisingly refreshing. Most likely, it’s somewhere in between. The good news is that this is precisely where Jesus loves to show up.

Prayer

God of love, God of mystery

You who are above all, in all, and through all;

Grant us the courage not to have all the answers.

Free us from the bondage of our certainty.

Enable us to linger in the unknown,

not rushing to solve,

but trusting in your steadfastness.

Surprise us with inbreakings of your grace,

of your kindness,

of your Kingdom—

a Kingdom that may be hard for us to recognize,

yet when it appears before us,

we may perceive with clarity

the abundant love and grace of Jesus Christ.

Through Him who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit—

One God, forever and ever:

Amen.