June 6, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Matthew? Here’s today’s reading:
Matthew 22 (NIV)
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.……Continue Reading
37 ¶ Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’fn
38 “This is the first and great commandment.
39 “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’fn
40 “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
God the Father is the King.
God the Son is the groom.
The bride is the church.
The guests are the Jews, they were invited but didn’t accept.
”Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.“
Matthew 22:8-10 NKJV
”Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”“
Revelation 19:7-9 NKJV
So it seems crazy that someone would get invited to a prince’s wedding banquet and decline the invite…just imagine the invitation from Buckingham Palace comes to your attention and you think “nah, I think I will skip that one” Of course not but even worse when the invitation comes you actually “shoot the messenger” so offended by the invite!
Ridiculous of course, but everyday people get the invitation from God and decline or even fight with and reject the messenger that shares it with them. And even when the invitation is accepted, we certainly wouldn’t roll up in our sweatpants to enter the palace, and yet how often do people want God on their own terms, trying to hold on to sinful ways and still be welcomed into the kingdom of Heaven. Such a powerful parable that we see lived out everyday.
I love how Jesus consistently uses these simple illustrations to make such a point that looks right into the heart of the person receiving it, and that is even still true today! It was no wonder the Sadducees and Pharisees just ended up giving up trying to trip Him up as they just saw more and more of their own false teachings and beliefs revealed through His responses.
The Pharisees went out along with the herodians to trap Jesus. These groups hated each other. But their hate was stronger for Jesus. Hard to believe. Reminds of pilate and Herod becoming friends as they have Jesus crucified Down right evil. Trap Jesus.?? Liars and hypocrites exposed
Matthew 22
What a telling picture of what the Jews had done with God and His invitation to them. They WERE the invited guests and yet they rejected the invitation. I never saw this or made the connection, but one wonders whether the army that destroys their city was the Romans who cam in 70 AD. But their loss is to the gentile’s gain. And yet Jesus also makes clear here that anyone in the banquet has to have the right clothes on, and that would be the robes of righteousness provided to believers in Jesus. And how foolish to challenge Jesus. They try three times to trip Him up but in the end come to the conclusion they should have realized in the beginning…just don’t ask Him any more questions. Isn’t it great the we have a Savior so wise? How sad that the teachers of the Law just couldn’t see Jesus for who He is.
Matthew 22
22:13 man was bound hand and foot and tossed out of the wedding feast, for not being properly dressed? The king initial invitation was ignored so he invites folks from the street, presumably people he didn’t know, I get that part, but throwing the out into the street ? Please enlighten me
read my comment and see if that helps…
Matthew 22
Matthew 22
““Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””
Matthew 22:36-40 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.22.36-40.NIV
Matt 22. Love all the parables in Matthew.
Matthew 22
Matthew 22