The Second Sunday after Michaelmas – Pr. Anderson sermon
St. Matthew 22:1-14 “Invited; As Many as Can be Found”
October 11, 2026 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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Lord God, heavenly Father: We thank You, that of Your great mercy You have called us by Your holy Word to the blessed marriage feast of Your Son, and through Him forgive us all our sins; but, being daily assaulted by temptation, offense, and danger, and being weak in ourselves and given to sin, we beseech You graciously to protect us by Your Holy Spirit, that we might not fall into sin; and if we fall and defile our wedding garment, with which Your Son has clothed us, graciously help us again and lead us to repentance, that we fall not forever; preserve in us a constant faith in Your grace; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, by Veit Dietrich, p. 163)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
The sermon text for today is taken from the 22nd chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew. We read selected verses in Jesus’ name:
“Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’
“But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
These are Your words, heavenly Father. Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen. (Joh. 17:17)
In Christ Jesus, the Son whose feast has been prepared for you, who has given you the invitation, and has clothed you in the feasts garment, dear fellow redeemed:
What are your sets of standards? Maybe your standards are set for how your house is run. Maybe your standards are set for how people will act at a family gathering. We set standards all the time and so does the world. When the world sets its standards, we can sometimes get sucked into debates about them. And while we may debate what is considered the best, the world is still going to set the standard whether we agree with it or not. The world sets the standards for all sorts of things. And while there are standards we would love to set ourselves, the only standards are the standards that have already been set. The standards God has set. He has set the ones for in this life and the world to come. In our struggles to follow His standards and our struggles that come because by doing so we are put at odds with the standards of the world, the Lord doesn’t ignore our struggles. In fact, He knows our failings and in His kingdom, He has everything living up to His standards and it’s not just for us, but for all. He had planned this for some time and the invites continue to go out. Those invited are as many as can be found.
Will they be found? Turning to the last book of Scripture we do see what Jesus is teaching will come to fruition in the end. After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9-14). As we see the fruit of the feast on display, and the robes that will be worn, going through the great tribulation to get there is not high on our standards.
And for even more people, it is not high on their standards. “Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ “But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. The invitation that was sent out about this feast was not a new invitation. It was an old one. Not only did it point out the standards of the King, but the standards were simple. Here is your invitation, and now it is time to join in the festivities. Why would so many not only ignore the invite, but would harm those who brought it to them and reminded them they had it?
While we understand that what Jesus is describing is the Old Testament in a nutshell, this nutshell is broken and exposed even now. There are still many and we may know of some, who see God’s standards and believe that they are too hard to follow. They don’t even want to make an attempt because they know that once they take a hold of that invite, it means that they will lose their standing in the world. While some will say that they were tempted or forced to reject the invitation, this rejection reveals the perverse human will. As that sounds harsh, Jesus reveals just how serious the rejection is. It is the rejection of this invite that causes the King to come to town to destroy His enemies. This invite is a rejection of God as the human will rejects or perverts the means and instrument of the Holy Spirit, which God offers it through the call. It resists the Holy Spirit, who wants to be effective, and who works through the Word. You’re not going to get the invite to the feast from any other place. For the invite is given out knowing how you rank according to the standards. Continued rejection will eventually lead to a fall from grace. This will stem from only one thing, to not be saved is to not listen to God’s Word at all.
Knowing that the rejection is taking place, the world still doesn’t understand, that what they believe is going to be a fine experience, will actually be something they will not be able to bear. There are many verses about weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus warns us over, and over again, this is what we will experience if we are to suffer for our sins in hell for eternity. We have already talked about the definition of weeping, but what about gnashing? As we feel sorry for ourselves because of our sins, hatred or rage or animosity, will bear out. It will look something like what the religious leaders experienced when they were about to stone Stephen. Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him (Acts 7:54). It is being so angry and so full of hate, that the rage could hit everyone. While we will believe in our anger that this punishment isn’t justified, where do we see this kind of anger and rage? When there are acts of open rebellion, they are followed by war. Our rebellion can be indifference, hatred, blasphemy, and murder. The garment is freely given to guests by the King, so to reject it is an offense. Even ingratitude and presumptions threaten to lead us away. With our failed standards and our failure of God’s standards, the invite is still in your possession along with the garment of righteousness which covers your sin.
With the invite and garment, the people needed to hear this over and over again just like people today need to hear this over and over again. The first part that is proclaimed is Jesus being the Son of God. It is a divine Sonship He has always had and it is through this Sonship that all will be saved. The second part is Israel’s persistent rejection of its prophets. And not only did they reject the prophets, but when John and Jesus arrived, the two the prophets were preparing for, the rejection revealed just how much they were needed. Their rejection, though it would have John and Jesus killed, it is through Christ’s death and resurrection which sees their escape from the weeping and gnashing of teeth. And the last part is the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s kingdom. The people of God, the people who have received this invite and have trusted its truth in faith during the time of prophecy and promise, have now been narrowed down and find its literal human fulfillment in one man, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus lived up to the Father’s standards. A Father who sent out invitations so all may come to know what His Son has won for them.
St. Paul understands just how much of a blessing this is for the invitation and the garment to still be there. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off (Romans 11:19-22). God works unexpectedly. The world would believe His standards are too strict. It is His kindness that sees more servants going out to the main roads and inviting “to the wedding feast as many as you find.” With the bringing in of all His people, like St. Paul says, the invitation must be responded to to the only way it can be, in faith.
It is your faith that though you know of past rejections at times, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). Those hands can and will judge, but they will also hold and comfort because they continue to supply the invitation and the white wedding garment for the feast. Though we in no way deserve mercy, the Gospel earnestly invites you to come and join the Lord in His eternal heavenly feast. The region of heaven stands near, and His kingdom on earth and His kingdom in heaven are very close together. It is here where they are brought close. A closeness that can only be found in God coming down in human flesh. And close together because of His life of following God’s standards to the letter, His victory over death on the cross and resurrection from the grave have created a feast that truly satisfies and a feast you have the invitation for. And for your comfort, you know you still have the invitation because the kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of Christ and it is where the Word and faith are present. The Word and faith are present right here. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). In His death you were baptized in, you are and will continue to wear white forever.
These wedding clothes are provided to each guest, and the guest is expected to wear them to enter the wedding hall. In a plot twist, one man rejected the wedding clothes and chose to wear his own. “Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” Is God just taking the robe away? This is the robe and invitation being discarded by who had been given it. And while the church continues to preach a message true to the Word of God, there will be many who still actively reject it. A few being chosen does not mean we give up. For there is still a hunger for the feast and for those who have the invite, the garment awaits. And for comfort you can be certain that you were chosen by God’s grace before the creation of the world to become believers. This is made possible by the guest of honor, the Son, who is still giving out invitations. Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). Eating with Him at His feast forever with the many who have and will be found forever. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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