Daily Bread 2011 - Matthew 22
Daily Bread Together – Tuesday February 1st, 2011 – Matthew 22: 8-10
Verse of the Day: “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
What Does This Mean? In each of the last several chapters Jesus uses parables to illustrate truths about God’s kingdom. In the parables, Jesus used examples in the natural world to bring further illumination to spiritual principles. Though the parables were short and simple, they had profound meaning. Parables were a commonly accepted teaching method in Jesus’ day, because they were easily repeatable.
There is a danger in trying to give meaning to every line of the parable, but instead the parables have a “punchline” which drives home its main point. All three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) use parables, whereas John employs the use of allegories instead (I.e. I am the Vine).
In this particular parable, there is a wedding feast and the guests who were invited to come refused the invitation, even after the servants were sent out to remind them of the importance of the event. The King wanting his banquet hall to be full invited all (the good and the bad) to come so the hall would be full. Most interpret this to mean since many of the Jews (the chosen ones) rejected Jesus, the gospel was then preached to the Gentiles. Important is the idea that God wants His banquet hall full. Translation: God desires all people to be saved, but He can’t make anyone accept His invitation!
What Does This Mean For Us?
An obvious application is the fact that we can’t control who comes to the banquet (becomes a Christian), but we can control who and how many we invite. Just like the servants could not make anyone come to the banquet, we cannot not willfully force anyone to become a believer (they tried that in the Middle Ages and the results were not pretty!).
The only ones who deserve to come are those who accept God’s free gift of salvation through Christ alone. Later there are those who come in and are not properly dressed. The idea here is not that the proper attire is to be wearing the clothes that were given to them (i.e. the robes of righteousness). Meaning we come in on God’s terms, His grace given to us through His Son, not our own righteousness as symbolized by the improper clothes.
This parable reminds us of God’s heart for lost people. This fundamental nature of God’s character should permeate everything we do as a Church. We often can be only internally focused when this parable teaches us to be externally focused and going out to find those to bring to the Banquet Hall not waiting them to come to the Church!
Father, thank you for the invitation to the wedding banquet! And for giving us the proper attire through Your Son Jesus’ righteousness. Give us the same desire you have to have your banquet hall filled with all those you have called by your grace. Amen
Verse of the Day: “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
What Does This Mean? In each of the last several chapters Jesus uses parables to illustrate truths about God’s kingdom. In the parables, Jesus used examples in the natural world to bring further illumination to spiritual principles. Though the parables were short and simple, they had profound meaning. Parables were a commonly accepted teaching method in Jesus’ day, because they were easily repeatable.
There is a danger in trying to give meaning to every line of the parable, but instead the parables have a “punchline” which drives home its main point. All three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) use parables, whereas John employs the use of allegories instead (I.e. I am the Vine).
In this particular parable, there is a wedding feast and the guests who were invited to come refused the invitation, even after the servants were sent out to remind them of the importance of the event. The King wanting his banquet hall to be full invited all (the good and the bad) to come so the hall would be full. Most interpret this to mean since many of the Jews (the chosen ones) rejected Jesus, the gospel was then preached to the Gentiles. Important is the idea that God wants His banquet hall full. Translation: God desires all people to be saved, but He can’t make anyone accept His invitation!
What Does This Mean For Us?
An obvious application is the fact that we can’t control who comes to the banquet (becomes a Christian), but we can control who and how many we invite. Just like the servants could not make anyone come to the banquet, we cannot not willfully force anyone to become a believer (they tried that in the Middle Ages and the results were not pretty!).
The only ones who deserve to come are those who accept God’s free gift of salvation through Christ alone. Later there are those who come in and are not properly dressed. The idea here is not that the proper attire is to be wearing the clothes that were given to them (i.e. the robes of righteousness). Meaning we come in on God’s terms, His grace given to us through His Son, not our own righteousness as symbolized by the improper clothes.
This parable reminds us of God’s heart for lost people. This fundamental nature of God’s character should permeate everything we do as a Church. We often can be only internally focused when this parable teaches us to be externally focused and going out to find those to bring to the Banquet Hall not waiting them to come to the Church!
Father, thank you for the invitation to the wedding banquet! And for giving us the proper attire through Your Son Jesus’ righteousness. Give us the same desire you have to have your banquet hall filled with all those you have called by your grace. Amen
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