By Pastora Vicky Nubla
SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 22:1-14
“And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and 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.”
Jesus was fond os speaking in parables. Why? Because the knowledge of the secrets if the kingdom of heaven has been given to you.
In the first invitation, the master sent his servants to those who have been invited to the banquet, asking them to come again. The question is, did they come? They refused because this is not their priority in life. They were busy with their jobs, families, ministries and businesses. The one who refused are those who hears the word but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of this world chokes it and makes it unfruitful.
The second invitation came but still the people invited did not come. The master even entices the with all the food he has prepared. But still they did not come. They paid no attention to the servant, going off to their field and to their business. This still happens today. You are always invited to gatherings and parties and you leave as soon as you finish eating. After this, the rest of them seized the servant, mistreated them and killed them.
The first servants say that they are the faithful ones, dedicated to the call of Christ. These are the pastors, submitted tot he Lord and His word. There are a few chosen ones who are willing to be killed and die for the Lord. They are not scared of the corona virus! What is the heart of God to those who hurt Him? God is always turned down. The Holy Spirit is also turned down. He is grieving because of your attitude and your reaction to His word.
Because nobody wanted to come to the wedding banquet of his son, the master felt refused and rejected, extremely sad and disappointed, and taken for granted. After al the preparations he made, is that it? Is that how you treat God? If that happened to you, wouldn’t you be hurt? God is doing his best . Everything can happen already, rapture and all, still God is in control. even if God is hurting, His love never changes.
Psalm 136:1-3 says “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever:” Up to now, Jesus is inviting all of us. Can you discern the heart of God?
Matthew 11:28 says “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This is meant for Jesus to reveal Himself as the giver of salvation. This rest can only be found by placing ones’ faith in Christ and what he has done for you at the cross. The soul can find rest only in the cross.
People do not pay attention and refuse and reject the one who calls them. After the story, the master asked his servants, the pastors, to invite every single person that they find on the streets. Those unwanted in the world. But he noticed a man that was not wearing wedding clothes. During these times, you cannot enter a mall or grocery without a face mask and a face shield. In the kingdom of God, you cannot enter without wedding clothes, which symbolize the fear of God. Remember that the word of God is for those who receive the Lord Jesus Christ and who read the Bible, for all who believe in Him. You have to have respect for the word, knowing what is right and wrong.
Revelation 2:4 says “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Nanlalamig ka na sa akin! Hindi mo na ako mahal tulad ng dati! That is how God feels toward Christians. God misses the things that you used to do for Him.
Why do you think the corona virus is everywhere? Why can you not do the things that you used to do all the time? As if you are controlled by the fear of getting infected. They say “love one another,” bu that too is crippled by social distancing. God said, “fear not for I am with you,” but why are you so afraid of the virus? Where is the power given by God? Remember that the power given by God lives in Him! That is what’s important! For you to know that you have the power to cast out demons and the corona virus.
The garments that people are wearing are the garments of self-righteousness; not the righteousness of Christ. This refers to true preachers who proclaim salvation to Christ acceptors and doom to Christ rejectors. This is the end result to all self-righteousness. Religion is the greatest idolater of all. (Rev. 22:15) Satan works mostly to professed believers. Guard your heart, your mind, and all of you. If you really love God you will submit everything to Him. You do not own your body because it is a temple of God. God already paid a price for it.(Prov. 4:23)
Christians must have good soil and a good heart. If you do, you will produce a crop. If the word of God is planted in your heart, it will flourish. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Ask the Word of God to help you understand the word. You need to understand and comprehend it. The word was given to some, but not all. Some Christians cannot understand the word of God. Sometimes the heart cannot understand. But there is hope when you turn to Jesus. He will open your eyes, ears, mind and heart. But the enemy is lurking around corners, ready to devour, so the Christian must be alert at all times. He can snatch away God’s word from your heart. For when God speaks, it goes straight to the heart. Some people are not serious with their faith. They just read the Bible, pray for a while and think that it is enough. The next day, they forget everything. (Matthew 13:1-24) Who are invited and who are the few who are chosen in this time? The ones who remain with the Lord Jesus Christ.(Matt. 21:14)
God says that if you remain in Him without sin and blemishes, He will remain in you. God died because of your sins. Leave your sins behind. (John 15:5) God has a warning for everybody in Revelations 22:12-13. You have to prepare your heart for eternity. Your goal is to look forward to heaven and to remain faithful to the King. You do not know how long you are going to wait. For sure, you are not waiting for the vaccine. The only thing you are waiting for is the return of Jesus Christ. It is the time of testing. The one who perseveres will be saved. (Hebrews 3:15) Up to now, the Lord is inviting all of us. He wants sincere repentance and a heartfelt going back to Him. He knows what is in your heart and mind. You cannot hide anything from Him. (2 Chron. 7:14) Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of Christ.
The parable shows God’s heart, wanting every seat in the banquet to be filled. He invited you several times:
1st Invite - chosen ones (Jews)
2nd Invite - second batch
3rd Invite - rejects and disabled
God does not want anyone to be left behind. There is a seat for every single one in the world. The servants mentioned are the believers who are given an assignment, a task by God to invite as many people as you can. Luke 14:23 even asks you to “compel” them, force them if you have to. God does not want any one to miss out. Being clothed in wedding garments means coming prepared. How do you do this? Read God’s word, have a relationship with Him, and have fear in Him.
It is such a coincidence that Jesus’ first miracle was in a wedding in Cana, where He turned water into wine. When a bride gets married, the color of her gown is almost always white, which is a symbol of holiness. In Revelation 21, the church is called as a Bride of Christ. Someday, Jesus is going to come back for the bride. The church is you! The bride wears white because it shows that once you have Jesus, you are clothed in holiness. Someday, when you go to heaven, there will be a New Jerusalem and everyone will participate in the grand wedding banquet that God has prepared.
The parable speaks about what will happen in heaven in the future. You have a very big role in these times. The Greatest Banquet is open and we are all invited. You need to start inviting as many people. Compel them.
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