Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
“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.’
“But they paid no attention and went off – one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 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, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes.’ The man was speechless.
“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.’ For many are invited, but few are chosen.” – Matthew 22:1-14
There are three groups of people in this story. The first are the ones who should be at the feast but refuse to come – those are the ones who reject Christ. The second are the ones who accept Christ and enter the feast. The third are those who pretend to accept, and join the banquet (or the church), but they aren’t true believers. Let’s be sure we’re in the right group.
Prayer: Lord, grant me faith to wear the wedding garment.
Principle: Those who reject God's plan and his Christ outright are bypassed; those who respond to God's call, yet do not submit to his lordship are put out; Only those who are clothed with His righteousness will be participants in the kingdom.
Affirmation: I have been clothed with God's righteousness through faith in Christ.
Reflection: The meaning of this parable is very clear. There are some who totally reject the message of the kingdom and Christ and they are the most obvious. Then there are those who accepted the idea of Christ, but for whatever reason they never submitted to him. Finally, there are those who hear, believe, embrace and are changed by God's grace.
“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.’
“But they paid no attention and went off – one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 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, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes.’ The man was speechless.
“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.’ For many are invited, but few are chosen.” – Matthew 22:1-14
There are three groups of people in this story. The first are the ones who should be at the feast but refuse to come – those are the ones who reject Christ. The second are the ones who accept Christ and enter the feast. The third are those who pretend to accept, and join the banquet (or the church), but they aren’t true believers. Let’s be sure we’re in the right group.
Prayer: Lord, grant me faith to wear the wedding garment.
Principle: Those who reject God's plan and his Christ outright are bypassed; those who respond to God's call, yet do not submit to his lordship are put out; Only those who are clothed with His righteousness will be participants in the kingdom.
Affirmation: I have been clothed with God's righteousness through faith in Christ.
Reflection: The meaning of this parable is very clear. There are some who totally reject the message of the kingdom and Christ and they are the most obvious. Then there are those who accepted the idea of Christ, but for whatever reason they never submitted to him. Finally, there are those who hear, believe, embrace and are changed by God's grace.
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