This week, Michael writes: Everyone
needs the message of the gospel of the good news of Jesus the Christ, the son
of the living God. In Matthew 22, Jesus confronted the Pharisees and told them
a parable about a wedding feast. The Pharisee’s were the religious leaders who
did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. In the previous chapter
Jesus had said that He was the chief
cornerstone which the builders had rejected. The Pharisee’s perceived that He
was talking about them when he said that they would break themselves by opposing
the cornerstone. A parable is an earthly story that illustrates a spiritual
truth.
In Matthew 22:2-14, Jesus said: “The
kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and
sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they
were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell
those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted
cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the
wedding.” ’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own
farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully,
and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was
furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned
up their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but
those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the
highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ So those
servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they
found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did
not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you
come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then
the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and
cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For
many are called, but few are chosen.”
The people of this culture
were familiar with wedding feasts. The wedding celebration of a prince could
last as long as a week. According to verse 3 (above), the king invited many to
come to the wedding feast of his son. However those who were invited were
unwilling to come. God originally called his people, the children of Israel to
hear the Word of God and God’s message of salvation. In verse 4, he sent his
servants to tell those who were invited. However, some of them seized the
king’s slaves, arrested them, and killed them.
Today’s culture has evolved
from a nation that considered itself “one nation under God” to a culture where
many secular Americans think that quoting scripture is an example of “hate
speech.” Many in today’s humanistic culture, many believe that eternal life is
on their own terms instead of God’s terms. They reject the truth of the Word of
God that salvation is by grace alone thought faith alone in Christ alone. Ezekiel 33:11 says that God takes no pleasure in the death of the
wicked. However, God sent not His Son into the world not to condemn the
world but that the world through him might be saved. The context of John 3:16
says that even though the Son of God came into the world to show them the light
of the truth, they who loved evil hated the light because they preferred the
darkness rather than the light of truth.
Let's continue Michael's message on the next post,
In Christ, Brian
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