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This morning Jesus tells the story about a King facing a political crisis. He prepares a wedding banquet for his son. He sends servants to invite guests to the wedding. The guests are his nobles who rely on his patronage for their livelihood.

Word begins to trickle in that his nobles are refusing to come. The scripture says, “They make light” of the invitation.

But this is not a casual dinner party in which to decline is a perfectly appropriate and understandable response. The wedding feast of the heir apparent to the throne constitutes an occasion of state. It is a time of covenant-making. A state wedding affirms political alliances. This is not about romance. It is about foreign policy, geopolitical power and influence.

What message do the nobles signal to the King’s enemies when they refuse to come to the wedding feast of the heir apparent? That the kingdom is in chaos? That the nobles are withdrawing their support? That the King is losing influence?

Not only have the nobles “made light of the invitation,” some of the nobles “seize the king’s servants, mistreat them and kill them.” This is open rebellion.

Consider the King’s options. He does nothing. The story of the rebellion will spread. Fear will rise throughout the kingdom that the King has indeed lost power.

Make an appeal to the nobles. To ask mutineers to reconsider their treason only confirms what people will already be saying. The King is weak. The kingdom is vulnerable.

The King has only one option. In order to secure his authority and maintain order he mobilizes the army. His orders: Take no prisoners. The tanks roll. Soldiers burn cities to the ground. They slaughter the nobles and their supporters. The King snuffs the rebellion before it has the opportunity to spread.

Decisive action turns the nobles’ insult into a demonstration of royal power and authority. But the story does not end here. A demonstration or political power can be interpreted a variety of ways. Is the King impulsive? Is the King tyrannical and cruel, excessive in his judgment?

After executing justice on the nobles the King orders his servants to extend an invitation to the people of the land. All are welcome to the wedding banquet of the son. The wedding feast becomes a “people’s alliance.” The King puts down the nobles, but also elevates the common person.

Jesus uses politics, even Machiavellian state-craft, to reveal the nature of the Kingdom of God. Does God work in the political structures of people’s lives? Does God work through economics?

The Kingdom of God is the quality of relationships between people. That the King is justifiable in the destruction of his “murderous” nobles is confirmed in the grace he demonstrates to the common people. Indeed, God’s “wrath,” that is, God’s sanction of consequence for unfaithfulness is also a measure of his grace. We err in believing that “Divine Love” precludes absolute justice.

The biblical challenge to faithful stewardship includes associated consequences. Let us take care that we do not presume too much on God’s grace, lest we strip grace of justice and imagine God to be a powerless King who is unwilling to respond swiftly to the unfaithful arrogance of his subjects.