When a king held an event, especially the wedding of his son, an invitation would be highly sought after. It makes no sense that his invitations would be rejected repeatedly. Those who were invited, refused to come, but the king doesn't give up on them right away. He sends more messengers to them to explain the following: “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding” (v4). Some rejected the invitation again, like it was no big deal, and went about their business, showing no respect to the king or his authority. The rest of them killed the servants, making the king furious and invoking his wrath upon them. If you haven't figured it out by now, God the Father is the King, His Son is Jesus, those invited to the wedding are the Jews, and the servants that were sent are the prophets.
Verses 8-9, "Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ " The rejection of Jesus by the Jews made an opportunity for the gentiles to be invited and receive salvation. Romans 11:11-12, "I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!" We need to understand that this fall of the Jews is not permanent. We are told in the Bible not to be ignorant of this and the plan God has for Israel. Despite what your pastor or favorite politician may have told you, America did not replace Israel and become the covenant nation. An unsaved freemason doesn't have special blessing invoking powers either. Romans 11:28, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."
Romans 11:17-27, "And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, 'Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.' Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.' ”
Verses 11-14, “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.” This man without a wedding garment had the appearance of responding to the invitation, but he was only going through the motions. His heart was not in submission to the king's authority, and disrespected the king outwardly by not wearing the appropriate wedding attire. There are many right within the church that disrespect God's commands, while maintaining a facade of being saved. Jude 12 says we have spots in our love feasts. These spots are like cancer in the body and feast with us without fear, serving themselves, not God. This was not a poor man who was unjustly punished for not being able to afford nice clothing. He had no love for the king or his son, according to his choice and free will.
We all have the choice whether we will receive God's invitation with an open heart. He is willing that none shall perish and that all would repent, but we can still choose not to. We cannot fool Him by going through the motions either, because He knows our heart. Luke 13:24-28, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out." So why do we need to examine ourselves and judge sin inside the church body? It is the most loving thing to do. Letting people believe they are on the right track and having the door of eternal life shut on them is not love. Hebrews 3:12-14, "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end."
Amen!!!!
ReplyDeleteJesus again in Matthew 22 is speaking in parables and again He is referring to the rejection of the Jews. The wedding is all set up, the sacrifice has been made the bride is looking for the bridegroom. The gospel was first brought to the Jews by Jesus. His chosen people but they rejected Him time and time again. Even after the death of Jesus on the cross the apostles still go to them with an invitation to except Jesus as their Messiah and be joined with Him for eternity. Many still reject Him and because of that the Gentiles were grafted in. Praise God! This doesn't mean that one day there won't be a revival in the hearts of the Jews. They are still God's chosen people. Many will eventually come to Him.
ReplyDeletevs. 7-14 "But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, "This wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."
Jesus is predicted the judgment on Jerusalem that is to come. That one day the Jews will be held accountable for the rejection of Jesus. Just as so many others will be who rejected Him. Jesus calls out into the highways and bids people to come to the wedding feast, including the Gentiles. However there is still a dress code to attend. Since God can't have fellowship with sin, we need to be clothed in righteousness in order to come before Him. By our faith in Jesus Christ and the righteousness that we gain through Him, we are considered worthy to come to the wedding feast and be joined for eternity with Him. There are those who are trying to come to Jesus based on their own righteousness, their own works but that won't get them into Heaven. We will be held accountable for our fruit. When we stand before God one day. There will be those who think that they are worthy who aren't and God will cast them out. Depart from me I never knew you. It is a surrendering of will, obedience to the call, humility to lay down your life, faith in our Heavenly Father and an act of true repentance, that isn't for show, its a life change.
The Pharisees and Sadducees continue to try and trip Jesus up on His word. They ask Him 'trick' questions so to speak to see if they can catch Him in heresy. Obviously they were not successful and Jesus knew what they were going to say before said it. They even try complimenting Him before they hit Him with the hard question. Isn't that so typical of people today. When you step out of your comfort zone and call someone out in their false teaching or their sin they try and come back at you and make you look like you don't know what you are talking about. When all the while they are making themselves out to be the fouls. When we are genuinely walking by faith, when we take a stand for Christ, He gives us the words that we need to say to overcome the darts that people try and throw at us. We should have peace knowing that God is on our side, we just have to be the willing vessel for Him to work through.