Invited to the Party

In the week leading up to the crucifixion, Jesus told a number of stories. The parable of the Wedding Banquet is found in MATTHEW Ch 22 v 1 - 14 and also in LUKE Ch 14. The first half of this particular story is directed at the Jewish people who by and large rejected the teaching of Jesus. The second half is for the Gentiles who until now had been on the religious outer.

• The kingdom of heaven is a fabulous gift. The banquet a king would put on to celebrate his sons marriage would be some party!
• The guests rejected the invite in v 5. They went to their homes (fields) or work (business). God is unhappy when other things take precedence over Him.
• The kingdom of heaven is an open invite for both good and bad (v 10). The Pharisees didn’t understand this and we must be careful not to follow suit.
• The wedding clothes were provided as a free gift, but one guest did not accept them and he was not welcome (v 11). Salvation is a gift that needs to be accepted.
• The eternal darkness of hell may not be popular teaching, but it is very Biblical.

The central teaching of this parable is that salvation is for all. The invitation is for us and extended to all around us whether we like it or not. Jesus died for the whole world, but people individually must accept this message. The consequences of not being clothed by Jesus are dire indeed.