Daily Bread 2010
Daily Bread 2010
Matthew 22
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4"Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'
5"But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.
13"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
14"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
One of the biggest issues for any couple who is about to get married today is who to invite to their wedding. For many engaged couples, this is one of the most stressful moments of the whole planning process. Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to a wedding banquet where many were invited, but many of these people refused to come. Despite the repeated efforts by the king, his continual invitations are rebuffed.
So the king goes to plan B, which was to invite all who his servants could find. Their marching orders were, “the king wants this wedding hall full.” At this point there was no guest list and anyone who would come had a seat at the wedding party. This is a great image of God’s desire to reach all people. Of course the reference is to those who rejected the invitation, the Jewish people who failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah (remember Matthew’s gospel is focused on the Jews).
Then, there is a reference to the man who was “improperly dressed”. This man was quickly escorted out, and left out in the darkness. Many think this refers to those who attempt to enter heaven apart of the grace of God in Christ. I.e. The proper attire is the robes of righteousness that Jesus clothes us with. But more than anything else, this parable teaches us about God’s desire to fill the hall of heaven.
And today, we see many who reject God’s call on their life, much like the first group who refused to come and went off to their own plans. I’m sure many of you had pretty awesome wedding parties, but there is one that will top all of them, the day Jesus returns to set up His new kingdom. Until then, the church should reflect the king’s heart to get the banquet hall full. If those who we think would be invited refuse, we should look for anyone who is willing to come.
Prayer: Gracious God thank you for inviting us to the greatest wedding party the world will ever see. May we not only send in our RSVP, but invite others until the banquet hall is full. We look forward to the day when the Jesus comes for His bride, the Church. Amen.
Matthew 22
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4"Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'
5"But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.
13"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
14"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
One of the biggest issues for any couple who is about to get married today is who to invite to their wedding. For many engaged couples, this is one of the most stressful moments of the whole planning process. Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to a wedding banquet where many were invited, but many of these people refused to come. Despite the repeated efforts by the king, his continual invitations are rebuffed.
So the king goes to plan B, which was to invite all who his servants could find. Their marching orders were, “the king wants this wedding hall full.” At this point there was no guest list and anyone who would come had a seat at the wedding party. This is a great image of God’s desire to reach all people. Of course the reference is to those who rejected the invitation, the Jewish people who failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah (remember Matthew’s gospel is focused on the Jews).
Then, there is a reference to the man who was “improperly dressed”. This man was quickly escorted out, and left out in the darkness. Many think this refers to those who attempt to enter heaven apart of the grace of God in Christ. I.e. The proper attire is the robes of righteousness that Jesus clothes us with. But more than anything else, this parable teaches us about God’s desire to fill the hall of heaven.
And today, we see many who reject God’s call on their life, much like the first group who refused to come and went off to their own plans. I’m sure many of you had pretty awesome wedding parties, but there is one that will top all of them, the day Jesus returns to set up His new kingdom. Until then, the church should reflect the king’s heart to get the banquet hall full. If those who we think would be invited refuse, we should look for anyone who is willing to come.
Prayer: Gracious God thank you for inviting us to the greatest wedding party the world will ever see. May we not only send in our RSVP, but invite others until the banquet hall is full. We look forward to the day when the Jesus comes for His bride, the Church. Amen.
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