8“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, 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. 12He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
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.” (Matthew 22:8-14)
Thoughts: No one deserves to come. But some simply reject the invitation. The King graciously then turns and asks anyone to come. It sounds a bit sad that the king of the land has to almost beg people to come to the real party. But that is what happens. The invitation to heaven (the ultimate kingdom) is extended to all. Whoseoever will- may come. You can come rich or poor, blind or lame, living in another country under another name- as Bob Dylan says. So all too are invited to church. Anyone can come. We don't have so much a problem with that anymore- at least not on the surface.
Our problem comes when the king asks us to be well-suited for the occasion. Most scholars believe that the wealthy and rulers had robes (like togas) for their guests to put on for their parties. This one person refused to put on the robe. He made no excuse in the face of the king but stood "with his bare face hangin' out"- speechless- tongue tied. As someone said, we live in a "come-as-you-are culture." We want the rules to bend to us. Baptism is a symbol of the clothes we have. We are to be clothed in our baptism ["For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ." Galatians 3:27].
But it is more than that. We are to be clothed with holiness, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience (Col. 3:12). The righteous robe- the robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10) is what we are to put on (see also Job 29:14; Rev. 19:8; Isa. 59:17; 11:5; 64:6; Psalm 132:9; Zech 3:4; Rev. 3:4). All our own righteousness is as filthy rags (Isa. 64:6; Romans 10). We are to put the robe of Christ's righteousness on. He is our righteousness. We are to live like guests of the King, wanting to please Him who provided such a rich feast for us. We are all called in- but not all of us put on the righteous robe of Christ. There is a choosing going on here. Perhaps we choose, perhaps the King chooses to let us go as we choose. The word "chosen" seems to point to the King's choosing. This parable is not about giving us the details of election. But it is a reminder- all are invited now- but not all are chosen. Baptism is a gracious gift, but we are also baptized and called in baptism to follow Him- listening to His command to put on the robe.
But it is more than that. We are to be clothed with holiness, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience (Col. 3:12). The righteous robe- the robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10) is what we are to put on (see also Job 29:14; Rev. 19:8; Isa. 59:17; 11:5; 64:6; Psalm 132:9; Zech 3:4; Rev. 3:4). All our own righteousness is as filthy rags (Isa. 64:6; Romans 10). We are to put the robe of Christ's righteousness on. He is our righteousness. We are to live like guests of the King, wanting to please Him who provided such a rich feast for us. We are all called in- but not all of us put on the righteous robe of Christ. There is a choosing going on here. Perhaps we choose, perhaps the King chooses to let us go as we choose. The word "chosen" seems to point to the King's choosing. This parable is not about giving us the details of election. But it is a reminder- all are invited now- but not all are chosen. Baptism is a gracious gift, but we are also baptized and called in baptism to follow Him- listening to His command to put on the robe.
Prayer: Lord, help me to listen to your voice and to respond to your gracious call to come to your party. Thank you for the invitation- I treasure it and will respect your party rules.
No comments:
Post a Comment