the autocracy of the skies

We’ve heard a lot lately about men who might merit the descriptive noun “autocrat”. People like Vladimir Putin of Russia, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Kim Jong Un of North Korea.  This world has always had autocrats – and they, almost always, bring trouble and misery to others.

What a surprise therefore that one of the parables (see bold above) which Jesus told in the final week of his life on earth in AD 30 was about an autocrat. 

Jesus said that the “autocracy of the skies” (also translated “kingdom of heaven”) which he had come to bring on earth was like an earthly autocrat, a benevolent autocrat, who arranged a super wedding for his son. In Jesus’ parallel, the invited people wouldn’t come. 

 

Kim Jong Un has a son. So, allegedly, does Putin. Erdogan has two. If he issued invitations to his son’s wedding and people deliberately failed to turn up, might he be murderously unhappy? Instead, the autocrat in the parallel a second time sent servants, “See, … everything is ready. Do come…” 

One response was just to walk away, one to his farm, another to his business. But others seized his servants, abused them, and killed them. Does that sort of thing take place today? Do those unhappy with earthly authority begin to take authority themselves - and kill? 

The response of this autocrat to that killing was understandable anger, an instruction to his army to do away with those who had murdered in that way, and orders to destroy the city they had built to save themselves from justice.

After that, this autocrat sent out his servants yet again – this time to the main roads where both the good and the bad in his nation could be found. He filled the wedding feast with those guests, good and bad. This autocrat is really good. Those who were killers were justly dealt with. But the real beneficiaries under this autocrat marvellously include the bad. 

There’s one further incident in this parallel that Jesus told. Apparently, in Jesus’ day, most working people didn’t have wedding clothes. That being the case it was the practise of supreme and wealthy autocrats to provide each guest with marvellous apparel – designer labels presumably.

In this parallel, the autocrat came to the wedding in person and came across a guest who had refused to wear the super suit which the autocrat had provided for him. Maybe he thought his own work clothes were good enough.

The autocrat asks, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” He was speechless. Then he said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and teeth grinding.’ Because many are called, but few are chosen.”