Matthew 22:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
The Wedding Invite and the response of the invitees
2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
The King’s judgment
7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Fresh Invites to the Wedding
8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
One didn’t wear the Wedding Garment
11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Lesson of the Parable
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
This parable has been the object of much meditation.
To me it represents a divine call to “come out of Babylon” into the celebration of His dear Son, the Messiah.
The people who were initially invited to the Wedding all ignored the invitation, and when they were reminded all of them made excuses why they couldn’t attend. So divine judgment fell on them, and others were invited.
I know that many focus on the fact that the chosen people ignored or rejected their Messiah, and so judgment fell on them. It’s true, but God loves them as a nation, a people, and these descendants of those who initially rejected their Messiah are still in line to be invited to the Wedding
But my meditation has been on another point of immediate application to me.
Most of the churches and the vast majority of those in “churchianity” are not obeying the call of God, to gather around His Son, not some denomination, some creed, or some gifted preacher. Some of the people in these churches have realized the unbiblical teaching and practices that are at the heart of these churches. They know they should come out of such churches and obey the truth that God has revealed to them. Yet they make excuses why they cannot obey.
I’ve heard excuses like, “Who will conduct my children’s wedding?” “Who will bury me when I die?”
Those who are following the Lord do not need to make excuses about why they cannot obey. They count the cost, they obey the Lord, they pay the price, they accept the consequences.
To the Jews a proper wedding ceremony under a chuppah, a proper burial, were important, very important.
But can you imagine Peter, Paul, or any of the early disciples being concerned about who will marry or bury them if they came outside the camp of the Jews?
No.
These concerns are carnal.
If we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, by following Christ in obedience, then all these things will be added to us.
The Master is responsible for the care of His servants! Carnal concerns should not occupy our hearts and minds.
Elsewere the Master addressed these concerns in those whom He called to be His disciples.
Luke 9:59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
61 And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
See also Matthew 8:21-22 (parallel to Luke 9:59-60).
The blessing of the Messiah will be on us as we follow Him outside the camp, bear His reproach in this world, and leave carnal concerns to the spiritually dead.
Seems simplistic. How can we leave aside such “religious” duties as attending our father’s burial, or whether a church has a bevy of potential brides for our son? Shouldn’t we be “inside the camp” so that such matters can be performed with dignity?
But we are called, like Abraham, to leave all and follow the Lord’s calling, in faith, obedience, and endurance.
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