Matthew
22:1-14
Key Verse: "For
many are invited, but few are chosen."
Matthew 22:14
Is Jesus
repeating Himself here? Maybe, but this time, His story of the banquet has a
different emphasis. The first time that Jesus told this story, in Luke
14:15-24, He was a guest at a banquet Himself. The comment came up about the Great
Banquet at the resurrection and Jesus took the opportunity to talk about who
would actually be there.
At this
telling, the Triumphal Entry has taken place and this parable is part of Jesus’
teaching in the temple courts. As we have already said before, it wouldn't be
uncommon for Jesus to repeat Himself. Lecturers do the same today, telling
similar stories to different audiences, adapting the message as necessary. This
time, however, instead of dwelling on just the feast, Jesus adapts the parable
to become an illustration of, not the Great Banquet, but the Kingdom of God
itself.
"The
Kingdom of Heaven is like a King who prepared a wedding banquet for His
Son." (Luke
22:2) In Revelation, we learn that the bride is none other than the Church
itself. Yet, the Bride of Christ may not quite consist of those we may expect
to be there. This again would be another dig at the religious leadership. It
also serves as a sober reminder to us.
Rather than assuming that we will be there, it would be wise to regularly
to examine ourselves.
Many of
Jesus' teachings from now on will emphasize this theme. You may think you will
be there, but you could be wrong. "Many are invited, but few are
chosen." (Matthew 22:14) Certainly, the invitation is extended to all, but
those who think that they will get in on their own terms, or in their own sweet
time, are sadly mistaken.
Again, in
this retelling, Jesus briefly mentions those who are distracted by the concerns
of the world: a field, a business. Some who have the invitation extended become
outright abusive! Again, those who would not appear to be worthy, the poor or
sinners, are the ones who actually end up enjoying the feast, except for one
individual who insists that God will just have to take him as he is. He rejects
the garment provided, thinking that his filthy rags are good enough. "All
of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like
filthy rags." (Isaiah
64:6a)
This is like
the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus Christ would die for the world, and as it says in John
3:17-18, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not
condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has
not believed in the name of God's One and only Son." Again, as we read
yesterday, He is the stone that is either accepted or rejected and what we
decide to do with Him determines our eternity, whether we are in the banquet or
not.
This isn't a
decision that can be treated lightly. This isn't a decision that can be put
off. This isn't a decision in which we can set our own terms. We are guests,
after all, of the bridegroom, Jesus Christ Himself. He has paid the way for us
to be there. Like the banquet, He has provided all we need to be there. All we
need is to accept what has been given, including His "garment of
righteousness instead of our spirit of despair," (Isa.
61:3) so that we can appear before His Father. Instead of being defensive
about who we are on our own, we need to be grateful that, knowing who He is,
The Holy One, He wants us to spend eternity with Him anyway.
Hymn: "Come to the Feast”
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