Matthew 22:1-14
Lead in #1: In both Matthew 21 and in Matthew 22, Jesus tells a story of how, in a last attempt to get people to come to his banquet party, he sends his son. They again reject the invitation and, to add insult to injury, they turn on the king’s son.
Prompt #1: Has there ever been a time when it felt like someone you once considered a friend turned on you?
Lead in #2: When the invited guests refused the king’s invitation, his servants went out and scoured the highways and byways inviting to the banquet whoever they could find, the good and bad, the worthy and the unworthy.
Prompt #2: We all have certain defects. What are the specific defects in your own life that at times make you feel unworthy?
Lead in #3: The king’s treatment of the man without a wedding garment seems harsh. But what if we were to think of the wedding garment as a symbol of gratitude to the king? And what if the man’s refusal to wear a wedding garment was a symbol of his lack of gratitude to the king? That would make the man without a wedding garment not a gracious guest, but a party crasher whose defiance dishonors the king. The king then has no choice but to have bouncers throw out the ungrateful crasher whose presence disrupts the joy of the party.
Prompt #3: Where is it in your life that you need to “dress more appropriately,” making sure that you show up wearing the garment of gratitude rather than the ill-fitting clothes of jealousy and resentment?
Lead in #4: Who would pass up on free tickets to the Super Bowl? Yet, it seems the invited guests pass up on the invitation to the Super Bowl of all feasts, the king’s banquet party. The prime rib is ready for carving, but those invited don’t come. Could it be that they are so preoccupied with the busyness of life back home that they fail to see the gift that is before them?
Prompt #4: Where in your life is the busyness of life “back home” keeping you from entering the joy of the kingdom right before you?
Lead in #5: In Philippians 4, Paul says, “I know how to live humbly, and I know how to live with abundance.” To live like Paul, content in whatever circumstances you find yourself in, is not easy.
Prompt #5: Where in your life is it hard to live content with the circumstances you find yourself in?
Prompt #6: What attitude is needed to live like Paul, either humbly or with abundance?