The Kingdom is Yours

By Rev. Aaron T. Fenker

Called, chosen, clothed: that’s you, in Jesus. You’re in the Kingdom. You’re died for. You’re raised from the dead for. You’re redeemed. You’re holy. All those things are taken care of for you by your Heavenly Father in and through His Son, Jesus.

That’s what this parable’s all about because that’s what the Kingdom’s all about. The parable doesn’t separate these things at all. In fact, Jesus joins them all together in Himself and His Father’s Kingdom forever. There’s no other hope or confidence than Him. There’s no other calling, choosing, or clothing than what the King provides freely as a gift.

It’s all gift—wedding gift, salvation gift, eternal life gift. That’s not just the parable; that’s the Kingdom. In Jesus that’s true—true for you. True for you only in Jesus.

Called, chosen, clothed—the Kingdom is yours.

This happens in Holy Baptism. There the Lord called you as His own. He gave you His Name. There you were made a child of the Father, an heir of eternal life, and co-heir with Christ. Enlivened with the Spirit at the font, you’re no longer dead but living, not un-chosen but chosen. Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, chosen in Christ—“baptized into Christ” (Galatians 3:27)—at the font.

And in Holy Baptism clothed. Clothed with Christ. Clothed with His righteousness, His holiness, His perfection. Garment freely given at the font. You have a name, a calling, an election, and a garment. These don’t fade away. They don’t wear out. Neither does the Kingdom that they put you in—that Holy Baptism puts you in—for all those freebies flow from the font for you.

Called, chosen, clothed—the Kingdom is yours.

This means the Supper is yours, too. The guests in the parable were chosen, called, and would’ve even been clothed. All free gifts from the King to fill up His Son’s wedding banquet. That’s how the Kingdom works. So also you: you’re chosen, called, and clothed for the Son’s eternal feast, the marriage feast of the Lamb in His Kingdom which has no end.

The king’s son had his bride. The eternal Son has His— His Holy Christian Church. Jesus died for Her. Rose for Her. His side was pierced for Her. Water and blood not only for Her, but water and blood make Her. Jesus’ Baptism and the Supper of His Body and Blood create and sustain His Bride as holy, spotless, pure forever.

You’re in on that. You’re in the Kingdom, after all. You’re in the Bride, the Church. Your Baptism says so. As we sang today, “Wedding garments He provides me” (LSB 620:5). And now not only is the eternal Supper for you, but the Supper of the Son’s Body and Blood is for you, too. Body and Blood given not only then, but also delivered in the Kingdom now, today, for you.

Called, chosen, clothed—the Kingdom is is yours.

Until it’s not. The gift is rejectable, and it was rejected. The King wasn’t sending out RSVP cards. No, he’d already given them a spot at the table. His call goes out: “Come! It’s all ready!” (Matthew 22:4) They had excuses. “One [went] to his farm, another to his business” (Matthew 22:5). No one ever uses farming or work as an excuse, do they? Or whatever other empty excuses we come up with.

The time for excuses will end. There are no more excuses on the Last Day. You can make all sorts of excuses to the Lord’s disciples, but not the soldiers (who exact the King’s punishment in today’s parable). The result for all rejectors of the gift—destruction. No excuses in the King’s presence either. No excuses for rejecting His freely-given garment, just silence or being “speechless” (Matthew 22:12) and “Outer darkness…weeping… gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:13). They didn’t want the Supper, didn’t want His Garment, didn’t want His servants continually calling them to the Supper. They got exactly what they wanted. No Supper, no King, no Son forever.

Baptism freely given with Jesus’ righteousness, the Holy Spirit, life, salvation—all rejectable. Excused away. Life, farming, work get in the way of using your Baptism not only in your daily callings, but in the Lord’s calling you to receive the Supper of His Son’s Body and Blood where He prepares you for the eternal feast that has no end.

We can make all sorts of excuses now, but the time will come when the King’s presence will silence all your excuses. You don’t want what His Baptism really does for you, don’t want His Supper, well, then no eternal Supper either. Just what you wanted—forever.

But that’s not you, is it? It is…your flesh. “The flesh has not those pure desires” (LSB 555:1). Your flesh takes you off to your farm, your work, with your endless excuses, and your flesh makes you not even care that you live that way “daily and much” (SC III, 5th Petition). Repent. Your flesh must be destroyed, be burned up, must die. You need a new man to “daily emerge and arise” (SC IV, 4). It does—only in and through Jesus and His Spirit within you. The Spirit is at war with your flesh through the Word and Gifts alone, and so you are in Jesus, baptized into Him, and in on His Body and Blood only through His Supper. Here you receive the Spirit’s weapon, the blood of Christ, which the Spirit uses to make you alive to love God.

Called, chosen, clothed: that’s you, in Jesus. You’re in the Kingdom, in Jesus. You’re died for, in Jesus. You’re raised from the dead for, in Jesus. You’re redeemed, you’re holy, in Jesus. All those things taken care of for you by your Heavenly Father—you guessed it—in and through His Son, Jesus. His Baptism. His Supper. His Word. His Absolution, too.

Called, chosen, clothed—the Kingdom is is yours.

Rev. Fenker is the pastor of Bethlehem and Immanuel Lutheran churches in Bremen, Kansas. He is the also the media executive for Higher Things.