DAD'S RAMBLINGS – A WEDDING INVITATION
"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…." (Matthew 22:1-3a)
This parable is directly aimed at the chief priests and Pharisees who heard his parables and perceived that He was speaking of them (Matthew 21:45). They heard his teachings and saw the miracles He performed, and they still would not accept Him as their Messiah, but instead, they wanted to kill Him.
In this parable, a king had arranged a marriage for His son. That was the common practice of the time, for marriages were arranged by the father of the groom. And so it was that the king made up a list of people to invite to the wedding. They were the upper-class, the elite, the leaders, the landowners – the movers and shakers.
So the invitations went out. But they all declined the invitation and the messengers bringing the invitation were mistreated. One can understand the feelings of the king who was spurned and why he would retaliate against them.
But the king wanted the wedding hall to be filled, so he sent out his servants again to invite the second-class citizens to the wedding. These lower-class people accepted the invitation and the festive occasion was a success.
The obvious meaning is that the invitation to the kingdom is to everyone – the upper-class and the lower-class. But often the affluent, the elite, people of power and influence do not accept the invitation (see I Corinthians 1:26). The rich and powerful are arrogant because of their positions, while the weak understand their need for the king and His kingdom.
Heaven will be filled with people who want to come. The invitation is to everyone. "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13). I am a part of the "whoever." I have received the invitation and I have said, "Yes, I'll come."
Love, Dad
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