This Sunday, the readings call upon us to consider how seriously we take the things of God. The first reading expresses the hopes of the Jewish people in an image of a banquet with the Lord. In the culture of the time, sharing a meal together was a sign of intimate friendship. How important is the desire for intimacy with God to me? In the second reading, Paul expresses his contentment under all circumstances and his gratitude to God for all that he has. The gospel calls us to consider the relative importance that we give to God’s call on the various aspects of our lives. Do we take seriously the things of God?

First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10a

6 On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
A feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.

7 On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
The web that is woven over all nations;

8 he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from all faces;
The reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.

9 On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”

10 For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

NOTES on First Reading:

* 25:6 The banquet scene described here is a sequel to the enthronement scene in 24:21-23 and celebrates the Kingship of God. This mountain is Zion, the mountain of the Lord, which is symbolic of the heavenly Jerusalem.
This poem amplifies the concept of universal salvation found in some earlier prophetic writings (2:2-3;56:6-8; 60:11-14; Zec 8:20; 14:16) as well as several others by portraying the nations flocking to Jerusalem as a great banquet. This text was behind the development of the idea of the great Messianic banquet that was current at the time of Christ and is seen in Mt 22:2-10; Lk 14:14, 16-24.

* 25:7 The veil may be the surface of the earth that covers all the dead.

* 25:8 Here the metaphors of veil and cover are made more explicit.

* 25:10 Moab is a symbol of God’s enemies.

Second Reading: Philippians 4:12-14,19-20

12 I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. 13 I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me. 14 Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.

[15 You Philippians indeed know that at the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, not a single church shared with me in an account of giving and receiving, except you alone. 16 For even when I was at Thessalonica you sent me something for my needs, not only once but more than once. 17 It is not that I am eager for the gift; rather, I am eager for the profit that accrues to your account. 18 I have received full payment and I abound. I am very well supplied because of what I received from you through Epaphroditus, “a fragrant aroma,” an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.] 19 My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father, glory forever and ever. Amen.

NOTES on Second Reading:

* 4:12 Paul has always been very reluctant to accept help from others for fear of being accused of taking money under the pretext of religion. Here however he recognizes the Philippians as real friends who helped him out of a pure love for him as a minister of the Gospel.
The feelings expressed here are the result of a sincere gratitude to the Philippians and an even greater gratitude to God. The source of Paul’s contentment was his reliance on God who strengthened him for his ministry and so it mattered little whether he was in abundance or poverty. To Paul, it was all the same.

* 5:15-18 These verses [marked in brackets above] are left out of the reading. I included them only for completeness.

* 4:15 Paul first preached the Gospel in Europe at Philippi going on from there to Thessalonica and Beroea (Acts 16:9-17:14). Paul uses commercial language that hints at a form of legal partnership (consensual societas) that was common throughout the Greco-Roman society. By this he implies that they participate in his work through their support of his needs.

* 4:18 Paul uses the language of a receipt (paid in full) and hints that further gifts would embarrass him. Paul also uses Old Testament cultic language (See Genesis 8:21; Exodus 29:18,25,41; Lev 1:9,13; Ezekiel 20:41) in speaking about the Philippians’ gifts (See Eph 5:2; 2 Cor 2:14-16) by which he implies that God is the true recipient of their gifts.

* 4:19 God will repay them out of the fullness of His glory which is supremely rich. Glory is the Divine power and presence working the eschatological transformation of human beings into God’s own likeness (3:21). See also 2 Cor 3:17; Rom 5:2; 8:18-25, 29-30.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22:1-14

1 Jesus again in reply spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. 3 He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. 4 A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”‘ 5 Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. 9 Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ 10 The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. 12 He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. 13 Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ 14 Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

NOTES on Gospel:

* 22:1-14 This parable is believed by most scholars to be from Q (the hypothetical source of proto-gospel sayings of and stories about Jesus. A parallel account is found in Luke 14:15-24. Matthew appears to have added several allegorical characteristics (such as the burning of the city of the guests who refused the invitation which corresponds to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70). The parable also has strong similarities with the preceding parable of the tenants: the sending of two groups of servants (Matthew 22:3,4), the murder of the servants (Matthew 22:6) the punishment of the murderers (Matthew 22:7), and the entrance of a new group into a privileged situation of which the others had proved themselves unworthy (Matthew 22:8-10).
The ending of the parable is peculiar to Matthew (Matthew 22:11-14) and is taken by some to be a distinct parable. There is a subtle shift in time here. The main parable (Mat 22:1-10) presents the kingdom as already present and as something that can be entered here and now. The addendum, at the end (Mat 22:11-14), presents it as something that will be possessed only by those present members who can stand the scrutiny of the final judgment. Both aspects are, of course, true. The kingdom is here now but it is also coming. Like the previous parable of judgment this parable is not only a statement of God’s judgment on Israel but also a warning to Matthew’s church.

* 22:2 The Old Testament often portrayed final salvation under the image of a banquet. The messianic banquet depicted in Isaiah 25:6-10 is the source of this image. This image is used also in Matthew 8:11. See Luke 13:15.

* 22:3 An invitation is a free act of kindness. God was not obligated to invite them. The prophets went out to carry the invitations to the people.

* 22:4 The concept of “ready, prepared” occurs twice here and again in verse 8. It conveys a sense of eschatological urgency (the dishes are hot).

* 22:5 The invited guests deny the urgency. They treat lightly the things of God.

* 22:6-7 These verses break the logic of the story and are probably an attempt to inject the Roman capture of Jerusalem (70AD) into the story.

* 22:8 The invited guests failed to show a proper moral and spiritual response to the things of God that were made available to them (10:10, 11, 13, 37-38).

* 22:9 They went out to bring in all those that they could find. Those who would be hanging about on the roads and crossroads tended to be the outcasts and the poor.

* 22:10 Compare this with the parable of the dragnet in Matthew 13:47.

* 22:11-14 This ending seems not to fit very well with the first part of the story. It is, in fact, a second parable about being prepared for the final judgment that has been combined with the first parable by Matthew. The two parables passed through oral tradition separately until they were combined by Matthew.
There is much speculation that tries to explain how a guest could be properly dressed when he was suddenly dragged into a party that he had not even known about until it occurred. One of the ideas that is often presented is the custom of the host providing the robes for the guests to wear. While this is a reasonable solution, a better one is to take each parable on its own terms and not try to force them to fit together. The point of the second parable is that although we receive an invitation to the Kingdom, a simple acceptance is not enough. The Lord expects us to act on that invitation. We are to allow that invitation of God to lead us into a transformed life where we are clothed in the wedding robe of the Lamb.

* 22:11 The wedding garment is usually taken as a symbol for the transformed life (Matthew 7:21-23) which is a continuing reflection of the original repentance, and change of heart and mind, that first brought entrance into the kingdom (Matthew 3:2; 4:17).

* 22:13 The fate of those brought in and found unprepared (without a wedding garment) will be the same as those who rejected the invitation in the first place.

* 22:14 Apparently Matthew distinguishes between the initial call of salvation and final election and perseverance. This is a warning for the church against complacency. Being poor and lowly or being a Christian of any particular label is no more a guarantee of salvation than being a Pharisee was. The King wants to see a transformation. He will give us the garment (grace) we must put it on. In the process we are transformed into a better and better likeness of Jesus the Lord.</p

Scripture text: New American Bible with revised New Testament copyright © 1986,1970, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.
Commentary Sources:
Vince Del Greco
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990) (Eds. Brown, Fitzmyer & Murphy)