(Adults, once again, this is a difficult Gospel to share with little ones. There are frightening images. But if we strip the parable down, we arrive at the plan of God. It is not being unrealistic to ignore the exaggerated responses of both the people and the king with the child who is not yet ready to make moral choices. Instead, the plan of God answers the child's unspoken question: Who are you, God?)
We have listened to so many parables of Jesus, that it does not surprise us that in the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus tells another parable about the Kingdom of God! So often he tells us what the Kingdom of God is like! It is so important to him that we know the Kingdom. What more can we learn today?
Jesus says,
“The kingdom of God may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.”
What can this mean? We know that a king is someone in charge of all the people in the land. We usually say that a king is wealthy; that means, he is very rich. A king could use his wealth to build large castles and to buy more and more things for himself. Or, he might use his wealth to make life better for the people in the land. We wonder what this king is like.
The king in the parable has a son who is getting married. Why do people get married? The king's son loves someone very much. The king must love his son, too, because he wants to celebrate that love.
The king wants to celebrate by giving a wedding banquet. Some of us may have gone to a wedding banquet after people got married. A banquet is a celebration!
People set out a great feast with delicious food and plenty to drink.
They sing and dance.
They smile and laugh.
No one hungers or thirsts! No one feels sad!
Joy fills up the room and spills out of the doors into the streets!
There is an abundance of joy because people celebrate love!
How wonderful it would be to be a guest at the wedding banquet!
Who are the guests at this banquet? Who does the king invite to come?
The king sends his servants out, saying,
‘Go therefore into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’
The king invites everyone! He asks them to come, he wants them to come! Everyone!!! This will be a HUGE banquet! Now we know what this king does with his wealth! He gives a banquet and invites everyone to come celebrate with him.
Jesus says the kingdom of God is like this.
It is like a king who...
invites everyone
to celebrate love
with an abundance of joy.
How good it is to be invited to the wedding banquet of the Kingdom of God!
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