A King of the Middle Kingdom (Matthew 22:1-14)

[Cisco99]

There was a king who was filled with joy because his daughter was to be wed.

So he sent out invitations by hand to all the lords and ladies of the kingdom.

Come to my daughter’s wedding, he said in his proclamation.

Share my joy that she is well married and her future guaranteed.

He called his stewards and ordered them to gather the best wines from across the region, and the juiciest fatlings, and the most agreeable fruits and cakes.

The night of the party, he had his orchestra play his favorite songs, including his very favorite, Tampico.

The hall was decked with every kind of lantern, bauble and wreath.

But no one came.

His daughter and her husband hung around for a while, then slunk away.

The king’s mood morphed from joy to anger.

He directed his sheriffs to visit the estates of the wedding guests and put them to the flame – their houses and barns, the crops in the fields, the cattle standing in the grass.

Also everyone was drawn and quartered.

Still angry, the king took to his chamber, weeping into the satin pillows.

In the middle of the night he awoke to see the Master standing before him.

Master, he said, you have come to celebrate my daughter’s marriage with me!

Not really, said the Master; I do not like the way you treated your subjects.

But I sent them all invitations to join me in my joy, and they ignored the invitations.

My daughter is heartbroken – believe me.

The Master narrowed his eyes, for he did not believe.

Tell me, he said, did you put the right date on the invitations?

[ctarleton]

A Parable wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma?

The Parable of the Wedding Feast is steeped in what was Jewish social custom long ago, ... along side of not so subtle encouragements to accept/conform to a new religious system of belief. "Many are Called, but Few are Chosen." , etc.

It is rather humorous that "Wait a minute, my Invitation didn't have the right day or time on it!" could be a mitigating factor.

I can see parallels to the experiences of getting prostate cancer diagnoses and accepting or rejecting various treatments. In my case, there was no early enough PSA testing that detected my prostate cancer before it became very advanced. I didn't get the dubious, fateful invitation in time. I've also seen men who have easily accepted the rolling orthodoxy of standard of care, and those who have refused it and chosen other paths of their own choosing and devices, or as proposed by some other tempters in our world.

Personally, I tend not to heavily rely on some of the more common metaphors associated with serious disease or advanced cancers. For example, the "militaristic" model of things involving good fights and heroic warrior deeds and cancer battles within my body and mind don't resonate well with me. The "supernatural" models in their differing versions don't float my boat so much either, .... but I do realize that many people do draw comfort and calming effects from such things.

Personally, I've been more comfortable with a mixed approach to living with my cancer. I want to be able to allow my body to do what it does best to keep me functioning and alive. I'll take the medical treatments with a track record of efficacy vs. side effects and quality of life. I want to feel more like I am trusting my body and mind and spirit to live as well as I can despite the cancer, and with a little help from our medical and other friends, rather than constantly being all amped-up with fear-destroying-fighting-battle imagery in my head and heart all the time.

Peace be with us all, regardless of the details of our circumstances.

Charles

[dadzone43 in reply to ctarleton]

I like this response for its "long view" ... and of course because it resonates with my bias against dogged insistence on "standard of care" algorithms and on ignoring the awesome array of life-bending side effects of these treatments. Some find comfort in the soldier metaphor; I remain a conscientious objector.

[Danielgreer]

Or maybe, on the same day, Zarathustra had a better party up on the mountain? 😀

[whatsinaname in reply to Danielgreer]

IF, Zarathustra was throwing a party, no one else stood a chance competing against him

However, it speaks very poorly for the communications of the times

Cheers !!

[j-o-h-n]

He should have texted....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Saturday 12/28/2019 11:53 AM EST