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So often people invite me to their weddings and more often than not I say that I cannot come. I must have turned down about 4 in the past 3 years, all really special friends of mine, one of whom gets married next monrth. I know that if I accept the invitation I will have a wonderful time but I have so much else on my plate. Jesus says 'those I invited didn't deserve to come', but how is it that this is so, since they could've come but chose not to? They all had other things to do it seems. Jesus tells us that to come to the Kings wedding banquet is a reward, but for what, and how do you get it? From what I can read the reward is in accepting the invitation and nothing more. Perhaps the wedding ceremony is something more than just a get together. I wish I deserved to come to more weddings.

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. "Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' "But they paid no attention and went off--one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.  Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "For many are invited, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:1-14

To tell a truth sometimes it helps to tell a story. The mistreatment of, and disrespect of the servants and the son by the tennants indicates a rejection of the landowner himself. The people of Israel where entrusted with a relationship with God and chose to ingore his will, as a result others get an opportunity to come close to God. It is an example for us today. The capstone is the stone in an arch that holds the 2 sides of the arch together. Israel didn't want others to share in God's blessings - they only wanted one side of the arch and would killl any attempt to include others. Hopefully we welcome others.

 "Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. "The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said. "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end," they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time." Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: " 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes' ? "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. Matthew 21:33-46

I often look at people and misjudge them, I think I like this person and later I find out I am not so keen on them, or I meet someone and I don't like them and then as I get to know them I like them more. It may be because we walk around in masks, hiding our reality from people, our broken-ness for fear of being found to be not so great. I think in this passage Jesus is telling the pharisees that they aren't honest about themselves and their need for God. People who need God aren't particularly concerned with the approval of men. The 'people of God' had said already 'yes' to all God had asked of them, but didn't do it. Be careful about making judgements about the righteousness of others.

"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' " 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. Matthew 21:28-32

Perhaps they are merely holding onto their position and not prepared to accept change. But who was bringing about the change, was he a young upstart or the 'Ancient of Days'? If he is the 'Ancient of Days' then they should be worshipping him and not challenging his authority. He responds with a question that asks who gave John his authority. The reason for the temple is now in the temple but the temple keepers don't recognise him, all they see is a young man. How important is your position to you? Will you give way?

Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?" Jesus replied, "I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John's baptism--where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?" They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men'--we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Then he said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. Matthew 21:23-37