‘Jesus also told them other parables. He said, “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come! “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”’ Matthew 22:1-14(NLT)
‘But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either. Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. ‘ Romans 11:17-23(NLT)
‘There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. ‘ Galatians 3:28(NLT)
‘The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. ‘ 2 Peter 3:9(NLT)
‘The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. ‘ Revelation 22:17(NLT)
One of my closest friends was telling me that she doesn’t have FOMO (Fear of Missing Out); she has FOBI (Fear of Being Invited.)
I get FOMO when I see a group pic on Insta that I’m not included in, but she’s just the opposite. When she gets invited to something, a sense of dread comes over her and she thinks, “Oh no. What do I have to go to now?” We laughed, but this illustrates the next parable we’re going to explore.
In this parable, the king is throwing a wedding banquet for his son and sends his servants out to call those who had been invited. With the king throwing the party, you know it’s going to be amazing!
Can you believe it? They don’t come! It’s the party of the year with all the best décor, finest foods and wines, most breathtaking music and dancing—all free of charge—and the people in the community snub the king. They don’t want to be included.
They not only turn the king down, but also kill his servants who come to generously invite them. This would be like getting a personal invitation to attend the royal wedding and feast with the Queen of England, then not only rejecting the invite, but murdering the inviters. Can you imagine?
The king in the parable can’t understand this logic and cruelty either. He avenges the death of his innocent servants by sending armies to destroy the murderers and set their city on fire.
He then decides to invite people outside his social circle and community. His servants go to the streets and invite everyone they come across, both good and bad alike, and they’re able to fill the banquet hall with unlikely guests who gladly accepted the invitation.
Let’s examine the meaning of this parable.
The Jewish people were chosen by God through Abraham to carry the seed of Jesus. But when He came onto the scene, He wasn’t what the Jewish people expected. They expected a warrior, and He came as a suffering servant.
Most of the Jewish people didn’t accept Jesus to be the Savior—and in doing this, they rejected the Father’s plan. They were invited, but turned down the invite.
So, the Jews are the people in the parable who were invited first to the wedding. They’re God’s chosen people, but after they rejected His plan, He extended the invitation to the Gentiles.
As we read in Romans today, the Gentiles—those who aren’t Jewish—are grafted into God’s family when they accept His invitation. We all get to come to the wedding! God used this part of the plan to include us all.
In His sovereignty, God was always going to include us, because He loves the Jews and Gentiles alike. He calls us all to be His bride.
Under the New Covenant, there is no Jew or Gentile. It doesn’t matter what your denomination, gender, background, race, family, or social status are. Only one thing matters: You either believe in Christ as Lord or you don’t.
God doesn’t want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to repent. But just as those who rejected the king’s invitation in the parable were burned and killed, those who reject God’s invitation will face an eternal death. This is not God’s will for us. He longs for everyone to come!
Let’s not be foolish and reject God’s free gift of salvation. We’re all invited to the future wedding. We just have to RSVP. Will you accept the invitation?
from Will You Marry Me?