In the gospel of Matthew, at the end of chapter 21 and on into 22, he records a time where Jesus is explaining about God's kingdom by drawing parallels with earthly examples so the listeners - who were hearing something new to them - could understand.
In chapter 22, Matthew writes:
Jesus responded by telling still more stories. "God's kingdom," he said, "is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son. He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests. And they wouldn't come!
"He sent out another round of servants, instructing them to tell the guests, 'Look, everything is on the table, the prime rib is ready for carving. Come to the feast!'
"They only shrugged their shoulders and went off, one to weed his garden, another to work in his shop. The rest, with nothing better to do, beat up on the messengers and then killed them. The king was outraged and sent his soldiers to destroy those thugs and level their city.
"Then he told his servants, 'We have a wedding banquet all prepared but no guests. The ones I invited weren't up to it. Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.' The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, good and bad, regardless. And so the banquet was on—every place filled.
"When the king entered and looked over the scene, he spotted a man who wasn't properly dressed. He said to him, 'Friend, how dare you come in here looking like that!' The man was speechless. Then the king told his servants, 'Get him out of here—fast. Tie him up and ship him to hell. And make sure he doesn't get back in.'
"That's what I mean when I say, 'Many get invited; only a few make it.'"
Understand that Jesus was not saying that you can make yourself acceptable to the king (God) - only God can do that for you. His point was that you must be willing to allow God to do so, by obeying his commandments. And no, he doesn't expect you to be perfect - or anything like it. He expects you to ask him for help while you try, and to ask for his forgiveness when you fall short.
The Bible refers to this process as "righteousness", and states in Isaiah 61:11 that "He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara."
Martin Luther was inspired to shed light on this by writing that that we are saved by grace through faith and there is nothing we contribute to it whatsoever, except our willingness. We don't choose it or decide for it. We don't give our hearts to accept it in order to have it. We don't commit ourselves in order to attain it. It's God's doing, salvation, 100%.
All we have to do it accept that, and believe God at his word. And that, my friends, is how you get dressed for the banquet!
7 comments:
Well said, and I think I have asked you before, but what translation of the Bible are you using? I was brought up on the KJV here. I might want to get a copy.
Oh, I tagged you with the award too.
Thanks Shepard (Rev. Paul)!
Keads: thank you for the kind words, and the award. I've been using "The Message" Bible for this blog; I like the way it makes everything into conversational English.
Oh ... and you're welcome!
Your thoughts on KJV vs. "The Message"? I spent K-12 in a traditional Southern Baptist private school. Your insights would be appreciated.
One of those tales I have trouble with. Sure the king threw a banquet ... for his own benefit ... and gets ticked when no one shows up. Destroys them and their city.
Then demands his servants go coerce "guests" to show up. Then condemns a man to hell for not being properly dressed. For showing up as he was when "enticed" to appear.
These weren't "invitations" as I read it; there were politely worded demands - with severe penalties for declining the invitation and severe penalties for not being dressed properly when forced to accept.
But I continue to read and think...
Q
Keads: I was born & raised Southern Baptist, too. KJV is fine, but it's just one of many available translations - and frankly, our understanding of the Greek texts has improved with time; the New King James might be a good choice for you. It goes right along with the original, with some ambiguous passages cleared up, and no "whereas" or "thees & thous".
Q: I understand. It has to be looked at in its contextual setting, at a time when kings were despots, and expected to behave preemptorily. The parable is not about the king, you see, but about how his subjects responded. I hope that helps. If you'd like to discuss further, you're welcome to e-mail if you like.
I appreciate the offer, but this particular story is a minor issue.
And serious communication via email just doesn't cut it. But sometimes sitting in a pew isn't any better...
There's a poetry and grace to the KJV...changing it is somewhat like changing Shakespeare. I guess I like some things to remain "traditional"...a connection with those that have gone before so to speak.
Thanks,
Q
Quizikle,
Think of this as a picture story. The king representing God, who gave very specific instructions to His chosen people on how to come to Him or to the feast. But the people were not willing to come or do what the king said. So He sent out new invitations - Jesus came to show the way - once again with very specific instructions. The people must be clothed properly - in righteousness. Look how many times we are told this. Look up the words "put on" or "put off." We are to change our clothes before we can go to the feast. Yet, there are some people who want to go to the banquet in their filthy clothes and they think that is good enough. Some people don't want to obey God/the King. This story tells us that if they don't change, they won't go to the banquet. God gives us everything we need for life and godliness - the right clothes (2Peter 1:3)but we have to put off the old and put on the new.
Post a Comment