“ … BUT THOSE INVITED ARE NOT WORTHY” Christadelphian thoughts based on the daily readings for 21st July 2016
One of the more challenging parables of Jesus is in today’s 22nd chapter of Matthew. Jesus says his kingdom “may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son”
[v.2]
. The “wedding” will see the commencement of the total transformation of life on this earth. Invitations go out but “those who were invited would not come”
[v.3]
. That first application of that is to the Jewish leaders who rejected Jesus.
The invitation is renewed, his servants are told to “tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast. But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business”
[v.4,5]
They saw more important ways to use their lives than accept the invitation. Worse still, some mistreated the servants who brought the invitation (v.6).
The King, meaning of course Jesus, “then said to his servants. ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding as many as you find. And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.”
[v. 8-10]
A parallel parable in Luke 14 sees the servants being told to “Go out to the highways and hedges”
[v.24]
. We thought of this when we received email from those visiting distant countries, such as Myanmar (Burma). One wrote, “I have been very busy with contacts here … the truth has really taken hold …”
But there is a sequel to this parable, it is vital that those who accept the invitation have a “wedding garment” – One who has not – is “cast him into outer darkness… for many are called but few are chosen”
[v.12,14]
We are reminded of the words of Jesus in Revelation to believers at Sardis; a situation which is so parallel to today. “You still have a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white …and I will never blot his (or her) name out of the book of life.” [Ch.3 v.4,5] These are “worthy” Our daily reading and meditation on God’s word is one of the foundations for being among “the chosen” and then being clothed with “the garments of salvation” as we read earlier this month – Isaiah 61 v.10,11.
By Bro D.Caudery
