Matthew 22:1-14…Working

Matthew 22:1-14…Working

22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables. saying: 2 The kingdom of heaven is like a king ho prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He 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 (prime-rib-(New) have been slaughtered, (cooked and carved up-(New) 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. (I just bought a filed, I just bought five yoke of oxen, I just got married-(Luke 14:14-20) 6 The rest seized his servants, ill-treated them and killed them. 7 The 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. 9  Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’(Fulfilled by the Apostles in opening the door of the Gospel to the Gentiles.) 10 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. 11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12  ‘Friend,’ (Some friend-(New)) he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. (His tongue was tied. The cat got his tongue-(New) 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.”

 Extended Sermons

“Teaches how God’s invitation of Salvation is open to everyone, both the “good and the bad..” ⇒ It doesn’t matter who you are, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past, it doesn’t matter your history or  checkered past. It doesn’t matter how underserving or beyond Saving you think you are. You have a God who loves you and wants to Save you. Think about the Apostle Paul, he murdered Christians and yet God Saved Him.-(Acts 22:1-14, 1-Tim. 1:15) God’s forgiveness makes room for the atheist, the agnostic, the sexually immoral, the pedophile, the alcoholic, the addict, the thief, the abuser, the religious, the Muslim, the Jew, the Mormon, the Jehovah Witness.

“Teaches how it’s easy to come up with excuses and valid reasons not to respond, but what a terrible mistake that would be!” ⇒  People will come up with all sorts of reasons and excuses not to accept the invitation. I want to believe in God. I want to answer the Invite. I want to go to Church. But it’s just not the right time, and besides Sundays are the only day I have to myself. Or they’ll say I’m just to busy with my career goals. Maybe after I finish school, get my degree, and send the kids off, then I’ll give my life to Jesus. Or If their believers they’ll say; I love to serve and get more involved in church and worship, but I don’t know what I can offer, and besides I just don’t have the time right now. My schedules crazy, my kids have sports. Or I’d like to hold a small group bible study, but I don’t know enough of the bible. Or I’d like to give more, but I just bought a house. Must of the time our excuses are not the issue for not receiving Jesus or taking the next step in discipleship. The real issue is that we like things the way they are and don’t want to make changes. Or we don’t want to submit to the authority of Christ. Often times our excuses reveal our values, priorities, security, identity, and relative worth of Jesus.

“Warns how worldly concerns and distractions of life cause us to miss out on the fuller and abundant life God offers” ⇒ All to often we can get distracted with the things of work, family, and the world around us. There’s work to be done and money to be made. How often do we miss out on what God wants for us because we have perceived better things to do. Or how often have we skipped time with Jesus because we have too much to do. Have you ever heard the quote “The devil can’t make you bad, but he can keep you busy.” William Barkley in his commentary on this text said; “It is very easy for a man to be so busy with the things of time that he forgets the things of eternity, to be so preoccupied with the things which are seen that he forgets the things which are unseen, to hear so insistently the claims of the world that he cannot hear the soft invitation of the voice of Christ. The tragedy of life is that it’s so often the second bests which shuts out the bests, that it is things which are good in themselves which shut out the things that are supreme. Maybe it’s time to say no to Saturday travel stuff and weekend soccer to saying yes to serving the Church and putting the Christian like first.

“Teaches rather than try to come to God on our own works and goodness, we’re to come through the righteousness of Christ.” ⇒ We come to God not dressed in our own self-righteousness, but in Christ’s righteousness. Were to be clothed in everything Jesus provides through His life, death and resurrection. We sometimes fall into the trap of trying to prepare our own clothes for the wedding banquet. Trying to get in by our merits, our good works, our kind actions, our own “I deserve to be here.” Or will try to RSVP ourselves in based on our church attendance, our position in the ministry, the number of people we brought to Christ, the people we baptised. The many hours we prayed. When what we need to do is lay down our self-righteousness, and our religious box-checking, and take up Christ’s clothes of righteousness.

“Teaches how just showing up isn’t enough, we need to display our faith through our actions and behavior” ⇒ We must see that the free gift of God’s Salvation comes with obligations. It is not enough to fill out a card, pray a prayer, and accept Jesus as your Savior. Life change must happen. You need new clothes. We cannot walk into this wonderful messianic feast without being changed. As Born again Christians you need to clothe yourself in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and love … and in so doing, honor and glorify the King.

“Teaches how as Servants of God were called to extend the invitation of the Gospel to all people.“ ⇒ Every believer is to go out and spread the Word in telling others about Jesus. What’s that’s going to look like for you, in your life, in your context may be different than others. For you it may be at work, the grocery store, the soccer field. It may include family members, friends, co-workers, or even a total stranger on the street. Not everyone is going to be comfortable. There’s going to be times of discomfort or awkwardness. But we need to be  careful that we don’t fall into the trap of inviting only those whom we like or those who look promising and good. This parable makes clear that God’s invitation is extended to any and all, the poor, homeless, alcoholic, drug-attic, homosexual, transgender, self-righteous, etc. and the only qualification to entry is that this invitation be accepted.

“Even today, maybe you’ve taken the first step in saying Yes to Christ. You answered the Invitation, you responded to the Altar-Call, you Prayed the Prayer. You checked off all the boxes. But you never gave your heart fully over to Jesus. Or maybe you’re doing all the religious stuff, going to church, doing good works — even religious ones. But never truly came into Saving Relationship with Christ” ⇒ We mistakenly believe that a mental assent to Christian doctrines and dogma is all that is needed for Salvation. While still doing life the way we’ve always done it. Or we think faith is just another thing we do, another thing we attend, another box to check off, a little bible reading, a little prayer. When you got baptized you were stripped naked, plunged under the waters of baptism, and you were given a new garment on the other side of baptism, symbolizing your new life. When grace comes to you from out of the clear blue sky, as it did for all of these people invited to the wedding banquet, it needs to transform you and change you. That kindness of God will change you, and the righteousness of Christ himself is going to show in how you live. That is essentially the wedding garment: Every day showing the watching world our Savior and His holiness and His righteousness. God’s door is open to us but we cannot presume on God’s grace. God’s overflowing, endless, patient, self-giving generosity comes to us as gift, but it comes with responsibility, too.

“Many find the violence and cruelty of this King hard to take. They hear this parable and think that God is some cruel and vindictive tyrant who just can’t wait to throw people into hell. But rather God is not cruel at all. It’s our own indifference and unwillingness to respond that condemns us. God gives people free will to choose to accept His offer or reject it ”  ⇒ This simply does not fit with the gracious and loving God revealed throughout the Gospels. They can understand how the King might have been insulted and hurt if people didn’t respond to the invitation. But does that give him the right to kill them and then burn down their city. Seems a little harsh and heavy-handed. That’s why it’s important for us to understand who Jesus is talking to. We need to remember that these people who didn’t show up, killed the servants, or who showed up inappropriately dressed, was not just poor taste. But was actually high treason. We have to keep in mind that these guests who were invited to the wedding of the King’s Son’s were the King’s subjects, not just your ordinary people. Their loyalty and allegiance to the King would have been shown by their willingness to attend and celebrate such a significant event. You could say as the King’s constituents, they had a serious duty and obligation to attend. It’s like delegates of the United States Democratic Party being invited to the National convention and not showing up. This parable also reminds us that we too are the King’s subjects and have a duty to live as faithful and obedient subjects of His Kingdom. When we don’t there’s a real risk of being punished by Him.

“Jesus’ parable is not saying you can lose your Salvation. But rather it is aimed at presumption, calling for self-examination. It invites us to reflect honestly on whether our response to God is genuine, urging us to look beyond outward religious actions to the true state of our hearts→ Rather than simply relying on rituals or good works, the parable calls us to embrace a sincere, ongoing relationship with Christ, marked by authentic faith and transformed behavior. The goal is not to instill fear or doubt, but to encourage us to ensure that our commitment runs deeper than surface-level enthusiasm, prompting us to examine if we are truly living in alignment with God’s grace and purpose.

Additional Notes & Applications

Warns against getting so caught up in our own plans, goals, and desires in what we think is going to bring us meaning and joy.

Teaches how God supplies everything were looking for in life;  joy, peace, freedom, happiness, fulfillment, etc.-(V.4)

Warns against treating God’s grace cheaply.

Teaches how often times will profess our love and obedience to God, but then when it comes down to where the rubber hits the road we change our minds.

Teaches how God doesn’t expect us to be perfect and holy, but He does expect us to at least show up.

Teaches how God invites us in with no costs to ourselves, accept to show up and accept what He is giving us.

Warns how no one waltzes into the kingdom unprepared. No one gets to heaven by accident.

Can you imagine the great pain and disappointment the King must have felt by those who paid no attention to his invitation. If you ever tried to offer somebody the gift of hope, or the gift of peace, or the gift of joy. And they won’t take it, you know what Jesus was feeling. You parents know this feeling. You want your children to choose the very best and they keep choosing less than the best. Teachers know the feeling, counselors know the feeling, pastors know the feeling. We offer them great advice, but they just won’t take it.

Warns, though God is long-suffering, His patience does not last forever, but will eventually run out. Will you accept Christ today, for who knows, whether tomorrow might be too late!  Peter’s Epistle tells us; “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.“-(2-Pet. 4:9) We also hear in the book of Hebrews; “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. ¹⁴ We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. ¹⁵ As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”-(Heb. 3:12-15) The refusal and rebelling against God will cost us everything.

To understand just how shocking this is in turning down such an invitation. We think how could anyone miss out on attending such a prestigious event in the wedding of a King’s son. It would be like the President of the United States inviting you to formal dinner at the White house for the wedding of one of His children. And the leading heads of state would be there. Can you image how ridiculous it would be having received this invitation and you turn it down saying, “Sorry Mr. President I got another engagement that night.” Or “I loved to, but I already agreed to go out to dinner with my buddy that night.” Of course not, you would clear your callander and reschedule any dates no matter how import they were.

Jewish wedding customs in Biblical times weren’t much different than today. You send out a formal invitation. RSVP and mail them ahead of time. In those days they didn’t have postal service. They didn’t have emails, social media, Facebook, or Twitter. They had to be sent out by hand. Then based on the number yeses you got from of those who said they would attend. You then planned accordingly. You bought the right amount of food and drinks. You set up enough tables and chairs. With no refrigerators or freezers back then, it would be very costly if the guests failed to show up. Once everything was ready the second invitation would go out. The servants would knock on the doors of the invitees, letting them know the wedding feast was ready. First century Jewish wedding customs held that the father of the groom bore all the expense associated with the wedding and the banquet that followed. As well as providing special garments made of the finest materials available for guests to be wear once they arrived. To enter without the wedding garment provided by the host was an insult to the Father of the groom and could get a guest thrown out from the festivities. In case of large gatherings it also served as identification to discourage uninvited guests from crashing the party.

In Luke’s Gospel we learn just how feeble and ridiculous some of the other excuses are. The first guy said “I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.” We have to ask ourselves who would buy a field without inspecting it first, to see where the sun fell, how plants grew, and how rich the soil. It would be like saying “I just bought a house unseen. But I need to go check the block out to see if it’s a good neighborhood or not.” The second guy said; “I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.” Who in their right mind would buy five yoke of oxen (ten oxen total) without tested them out first, checking out how healthy and strong they were? It’s like saying “I just bought a used car without seeing what color it is and whether it drives or not.” The third guy said; “I just got married, so I can’t come.” It’s like saying, “I don’t know enough of my wife yet, after you already dated and courting her for some time now. Or it’s like saying at the second coming of Jesus, “Lord can you come back in a few months. I just got married”. (Luke 14:19-20)

Were not told anything about the guest who is not wearing wedding clothes. Was he one of the good who had been invited or one of the bad? Perhaps this man forgot or lost his given wedding clothes along the way. He may have refused to wear them. Maybe he was naked? Or he may have thought that his clothes were better, or at least good enough for the wedding. If he was one of the bad ones. Maybe he was a shabbily dressed criminal who thought I “I’m not worthy. I smell, I shouldn’t be here. But since I’m here I might as well crash the wedding party and enjoy a free meal. Both men came to the wedding banquet on their own terms, something the King wasn’t going to stand for. The first man responded to the invitation, but thought himself good enough to secure his place at the banquet. While the second  man, who, shabby and poor, took advantage of the blessing of the goodness of the King, yet still wanted to live life on his terms without having to change.

Note how it was the King that saw the man without the proper wedding clothes and not the other wedding guests. Which goes to show that it is only Jesus who knows our hearts and true selves. He sees past our hypocrisies of outward righteous without really being transformed on the inside.

Many use the phrase at the end of the parable; “Many all called, but few are chosen”-(V. 14) To support the doctrine “Election/Predestination” over that of “Free-will”. To better understand these concepts we need to know what different traditions believe about Salvation & Grace verses Free-will. The doctrine of Election teaches that God chooses to Save some people and not others.-(See Rom. 8:30,         ) Those whom He has chosen to Save are referred to as “The Elect”. Many Christians recoil at the doctrine of Election the first time they hear it. But, upon further reflection, most believers will admit that God was at work in their lives, drawing them to Himself long before they were even aware of it. They will recognize that, if He had not intervened by working on their hearts, they would have continued in unbelief. The hand of God, working in big ways and little ways, becomes more evident in hindsight. Others object to the doctrine of Election on the grounds that it stifles missionary and evangelistic activity. After all, if God has chosen to Save some, then they will be Saved whether or not anyone takes them the gospel—so why bother? Or worse they’ll think, I have no need to repent of my sins and trust in Christ. If God has predestined me to Salvation, then I will be Saved regardless of what I do. This objection overlooks the truth that hearing and believing the gospel is the means that God uses to Save those He has chosen to Save. The same thing can be said that “Election” does not mean we are “predestined” to marry so-and-so or take a certain job? In one sense, looking back at God’s providential care, we can say “Yes, that’s was God’s plan for my life.” And yet this notion of divine superintendence is not meant to undercut personal initiative and responsibility. Everything happens after the counsel of God’s will (Eph. 1:11), but this is no excuse to neglect the use of means, nor is it a reason to think every decision we make is automatically pleasing to God. God’s sovereign unalterable will of decree is not be confused with his violable will of desire. Consequently, some Christians who believe in predestination may suffer greatly from anxiety over their eternal destiny. They may seek assurance in mystical experiences or a legalistic pursuit of perfection. Or they might sink into despair…….(To be Continued)

When it is said that many are called but few are chosen. it is not to be understood that God is unwilling that all should be Saved, but it indicates the cause of the perdition of the ungodly, which is this, that they either fail altogether to hear the Word of God, rebelliously despising it by closing their ears and hardening their hearts, and in this way hindering the ordinary method of the Holy Spirit, so that He cannot effect His work on them, or that they esteem lightly the word they hear and cast it away from them. Their perishing must be ascribed, not to God and His election, but to their own malignity. No one is lost for lack of invitation. No one is lost because God is unwilling. Men are lost because they resist the grace of God that is extended to them (Acts 7:51). Men are not chosen because they persistently reject the Gospel call.