“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.” (Matt. 22:2–3)
Imagine a beautiful wedding banquet. Crisp white tablecloths, ice clinking in pristine glasses. The aroma of choice beef wafting through the air. The candles are lit and flickering softly. The finest wine has been poured. Violins and cellos sing through the air, creating an atmosphere of anticipation among the servers who stand by, ready to bring out the first course. But there’s something missing.
The people. The seats are empty. Where are the people?
So, the king sends his servants out with a message, “Everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast” (Matt. 22:4). His servants run excitedly to call those who were invited, “But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business” (v. 5).
He invited them, but they did not come. Why didn’t they come? Were they just too busy? Too distracted, maybe?
In John 5, Jesus explains why the Pharisees did not come to him. And the reason was this: they loved the glory that comes from men rather than the glory that comes from the only God (John 5:40, 44).
While it’s easy for us to scoff at the Pharisees, assuming we’d be the first to run into the banquet hall when asked, we are often tempted by the same thing they were. We are invited, but we don’t show up. We are welcome, but we don’t come in. Why? Because we seek the glory of man.
The glory of man is intoxicating. It will make your pulse quicken and your head swirl. It will put you in a dreamy sort of drunkenness and impair your judgement. It is, after all, glory.
Glory entices but will never fill you. It will always leave you empty. And the more you get, the more you taste, the more you will starve for it. But it will never be enough—because it never can be enough. There is only one glory that can satisfy, and that is “the glory that comes from the only God.”
You were created for his glory. And he alone can satisfy you.
He knows our weakness (Heb. 4:15), he knows our frame (Ps. 103:14), and he also knows our hunger. A hunger that can only be satisfied by him.
This is why the Father sent his Son. This is why Jesus came, so that we, who were poor, who were starving, who were outcasts, standing outside the gates, who never deserved a place at the banquet—could be invited to his table.
What kind of love is this? What kind of God is this?
The kind who says, “Come.”
“Come to the wedding feast.”
So, come, hungry. Come, thirsty. He has prepared a table for you. And it is only here, with him, where your hunger is satisfied, and your cup overflows.
