Notes from the Wayside: Perspective: Feasting in God's Kingdom

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Feasting in God's Kingdom

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."

Matthew 4:17 (NRSV)

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now, in the morning, I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

From "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay

The next time you attend a church service, listen closely as the congregation prays the Lord's Prayer. You might hear some people in attendance putting a little extra emphasis on the word thy as they pray, "Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." Some of us realize that we often need to remind ourselves that the Kingdom for which we pray is not where all of our own hopes and dreams will be realized but rather where God's hopes and dreams, which are greater than ours, will be realized.

In the Gospel of Luke, we read that on one Sabbath day, Jesus is invited to attend a dinner party at the home of an evidently well-to-do religious leader. The other people in attendance are watching Him closely to see if He says or does anything problematic, but He also happens to be watching them closely. Jesus notices that some of the other guests are competing for the seats of honor at the table, as if they are trying to prove their importance to each other. He also notices that all of the other guests are people of means who are likely to invite their host to dinner in return for inviting them.¹

At one point, one of the guests, who has been listening to what Jesus has been saying, says, "Happy are those who will feast in God's kingdom."²

In response to this seemingly obvious and innocuous comment, Jesus tells a parable about a rich man who once prepared a large banquet. When he sent out one of his servants to let the people he invited know that dinner is ready, the servant reported back with excuses. One of the guests could not attend because he had just bought a farm he needed to inspect. Another guest could not attend because he had just bought a number of oxen. A third guest said that he could not attend because he had just gotten married.³ Evidently all of the guests were wealthy or, to some degree, fortunate.

The rich man was angry that he was snubbed by all of the people he invited to his banquet. He instructed his servant to go out into the city streets and to invite the people at the bottom rungs of society - people who normally would not be invited to lavish banquets. The servant followed his instructions and reported that there was still room for more guests. The rich man then sent him back out to invite to his banquet anyone who would attend. Speaking of the people he originally invited to his banquet, he said, "I tell you, not one of those who were invited will taste my dinner."⁴

So, at a dinner party full of "important" people, one guest remarks that "those who will feast in God's kingdom" are "happy" or "blessed."⁵

And then, for some reason, Jesus feels the need to respond to this comment with a parable about a feast that all of the "important" people who were invited couldn't be bothered to attend.

I cannot help but think that Jesus might be making some counterintuitive statement about the Kingdom of God. Could He be suggesting that the Kingdom of God might not be what the good, upstanding religious folk surrounding Him at the dinner table that Sabbath day expect it to be? Could He be suggesting that, if some of them knew what the Kingdom of God really was, they might be as disinterested in feasting there as the people the rich man in the parable originally invited to his banquet?

I suspect that a lot of religious people, if they were honest, would have to admit that they expect the Kingdom of God - or Heaven or whatever they want to call it - to be like an exclusive club or a gated community for people who act like them and believe like them. Maybe Jesus is suggesting that people who have this mindset are going to walk through the pearly gates and find themselves seriously disappointed.

Like the man at the dinner party, Jesus also likes to make announcements about who should be considered blessed. At the beginning of His famous Sermon on the Mount, He announces that "blessed are the poor in spirit" because "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." He goes on to announce blessing upon the grief stricken, the timid, and those who are desperate to see some justice, among other people. Finally He announces that "blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake" because "theirs is the kingdom of heaven."⁶

It is as if Jesus is saying, "Blessed are you who are in crappy situations right now, because the Kingdom of God is for you."⁷

The Kingdom of God is where God reigns. It is, as the prayer Jesus taught us to pray implies, where God's will is done "on earth, as it is in heaven."⁸ In one sense, it is anywhere there are people who truly strive to do God's will. In another sense, it is a world restored to what God intended it to be. The people who will be most receptive of the world to come are not the people who would consider themselves #blessed in the world as it is but rather the down-and-outers.

To pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God is to pray for the downfall of the kingdoms we design. In the words of Richard Rohr, "To pray and actually mean, 'Thy Kingdom come,' we must also be able to say, 'My kingdoms go.'"⁹ It is worth noting that when Jesus announces the coming of the Kingdom of God, He also calls people to repent.¹⁰ If we really want to see God's will done in our lives and in our world, we need to be willing to rethink everything.

Notes:

Luke 14:1-14
Luke 14:15 (CEB)
Luke 14:16-21a
Luke 14:21b-24 (CEB)
Luke 14:15 (NRSV)
Matthew 5:3-10 (NRSV)
As Scholar Frederick Dale Bruner more eloquently states, "First and literally the Beatitudes are Jesus' surprisingly countercultural God-bless-yous to people in God-awful situations." (Matthew, a Commentary: The Christbook, Matthew 1-12. 2004, Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 165)
Matthew 6:10
Richard Rohr. "The Joy of Simplicity." Center for Action and Contemplation, 05/01/2024.
Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15