Looking into the lectionary
20th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 23)
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Matthew 22:1-14
October 11, 2026
My wife and I recently received a “Save the Date” postcard for an upcoming wedding. While no RSVP was requested at this time, we let our friends, the parents of the groom, know we marked our calendars. Imagine the consternation of our friends if, having already indicated our intention to attend the wedding, we declined the official invitation at the last minute with some feeble excuse. Our friends would likely not respond in the same manner as the king in Matthew 22, but they would understandably be disappointed, perhaps angry, and possibly at a loss — seeing as how I am to officiate the wedding!
Despite the hyperbole of Matthew 22:1-14, most of us can understand, if not sympathize with, the king’s reaction. It’s not as if the final invitation came as a surprise. The story tells us that “He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet” (v. 3) and “Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited…” (v. 4). The time to get ready for this wedding banquet was between the first and second invitations. Dinner’s ready, the oxen and fat calves have been slaughtered, everything’s ready. Come to the wedding banquet! The party’s on!
Inexplicably, those who had been invited begged off with what they surely thought were reasonable excuses. Even more dumbfounding, they insulted the king by not taking the invitation seriously and mistreating and killing his slaves. In turn, the king turned from being a gracious host to a man bent on revenge. On top of that, the king confronted and banished one of the guests from the second list because he didn’t have appropriate wedding attire.
What a difficult parable, especially when introduced: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son” (v. 2). As always, context plays a crucial role in understanding and interpreting this parable.
Matthew places this story in Holy Week, during which Jesus’s authority is directly questioned and tested by the religious leaders (see especially Matthew 21:23-27). In response to that challenge, Jesus tells four parables against the chief priests and Pharisees: the parable of the two sons (21:28-32); the parable of the wicked tenants (21:33-44) (note the similarities between this parable and the parable of the wedding banquet); and the two parables in today’s gospel lesson (22:1-10 and 11-14).
Also, it is important to remember that Matthew’s intended audience was a Jewish community increasingly divided over the question of Jesus’s identity and authority.
Let’s return to Jesus’s opening words to the chief priests and Pharisees about “a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.” The primary characteristic of this king is that he is a gracious, generous host. The parable begins and ends with the king persistently pursuing people, both good and bad, to join him at the party. The initial invitation, the preparations, the second invitation, the excuses, the third invitation to the people in the streets, and the encounter with the man without a wedding robe, all speak with a sense of urgency on the king’s part — “Everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet” (v. 4).
What shall we do with the guest who had no wedding robe? Contrary to Luke’s version of this parable (Luke 14:15-24), Matthew does not indicate that the people from the streets were compelled to enter the wedding hall (although the slaves did gather all whom they found). Could the singled-out wedding guest have had time to put on a wedding robe? We could belabor this and even complain about the king’s unreasonable expectation, but the point is, the man wasn’t ready, which is somewhat similar to the excuses offered in verse 5. The indifference of the original invitees and the poorly dressed guest suggest that the invitation to the wedding banquet, a.k.a. the kingdom of heaven, requires readiness, active participation, and a change (not just of clothes).
This wedding banquet parable is often interpreted as a vision of the heavenly banquet to come. But what if we read this story in light of Jesus’s recurrent invitation to “Come!”? Certainly, we can look forward to the great dinner someday, but God is persistent in inviting us to come right now to the party which is his kingdom. We make our excuses, even when we’ve already gotten the “Save the Date” notice and God’s invitation. If we want to enjoy the party, we have to follow through on our RSVP, figure out what to wear, and be ready.
Questions for reflection on Matthew 22:1-14
- How does this difficult parable proclaim the gospel?
- How do we resist the authority of Jesus in our own lives and in our churches?
- What does it mean to “be ready” for the kingdom of heaven, both now and in the future?
View the corresponding Order of Worship for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
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