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The point of this series of blogs is for me to take just a few short minutes every day, engage with a passage, see what jumps off the page at me, write a quick post about it and leave it at that. It’s not meant to show off any kind of prowess in understanding, or biblical studies which I might have. I’m not trying to prove any points, I just want to be disciplined in engaging with the Bible and find this a helpful method by which to do it. The hope is that something comes to light or mind fairly quickly, and I present the outline of an idea, perhaps to cause myself, or others, to think further during the following day.
And then on certain days readings like this come along. I’ve always struggled with this passage. There’s something quite unsettling about the scene Jesus sets and the way the story develops, whilst the final point that is made, that those without a robe for the wedding banquet (a robe of righteousness) will be cast out into darkness has, at various points in my Christian life, been deeply frightening to me. I speculated about how one gained such a robe, whether one could lose it once it had been given. I marvelled at the eyesight of the king. Nothing gets past him! I’ve envisaged myself numerous times being the odd one out at such a feast – counted unworthy and clapped in irons because I came improperly prepared. The majority of my faith life could barely be called a ‘faith’ life at all. I worked for God’s favour. I weighed and measured good deeds against bad. I judged myself unworthy. All on the basis of passages like this, and my lack of comprehension of them.
But here’s the thing, I think, that I take from this passage: we are prepared for the banquet by responding to the invitation to participate, by responding to the love of God expressed in Jesus Christ. Doctrine doesn’t prepare us. Good services (whatever those are) don’t prepare us. Even social action, or a love of scripture doesn’t give us the actual preparation we need (even if those things are helpful, and part of what it means to be a Christian and follow The Way). It is the love of God expressed in the life and death, the person, of Jesus Christ which prepares the way for us. We can respond, as far as we are able, but even our response isn’t the sealing element of the deal. It is Jesus who says from the cross ‘it is finished’. As far as you are able, say yes to Jesus, get to know him, allow his spirit to transform the pattern of your life according to his way of doing things.
Doubtless there’s loads more to it than that. Take some time today to delve in to this passage and see where it takes you.