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THE WEDDING BANQUET
“The kingdom
of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet
for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been
invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again
he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited:
Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have
been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding
banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his
farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves,
mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent
his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their cities.
Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those
invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets and
invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet. Those slaves
went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both
good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.”
The beautiful bride. The handsome groom.
The weeping, joyful parents.
For them, a wedding is a gift (of sorts,
until the parents get the bill). It’s a celebration of love and
a passage in life. It’s a time to remember forever.
For the invited guests, it’s usually a
pleasant, emotional occasion. You get to celebrate this special
moment of a friend or relative. Actually, a wedding celebration
is also a gift to the guests as well. By sending you an
invitation, the couple has said you matter to them.
In this parable, we hear about a very
special wedding invitation. But many of the guests rudely turn
their backs on the invitations, and some actually kill the
messengers. The king, in his wrath, destroys the killers and
then opens the celebration to anyone and everyone on the street.
However, the king is shown further disrespect, this time by a
guest who refuses to put on proper wedding garb. The man is
thrust into the street with the dogs.
Of course, Jesus is talking about God’s
great gift – the offering of salvation provided through his Son.
This is a celebration to which all are invited. Jesus is the
focal point, but we’re the ones getting the gift of eternal
life. But even some of those who seem to accept salvation fail
to treat the offer with the respect it deserves – much like that
woeful wedding guest. Entry into the kingdom is not guaranteed,
but Jesus is willing to share it with all.
Not too long after telling this parable,
Jesus again shared something important – his very body and
blood, provided to all of his disciples at the Last Supper.
Today, everyone is invited to share in this incredible gift.
Jesus thinks we all matter. He has issued a special invitation
to everyone, regardless of their place in life. This is an
invitation that can save your very soul. Don’t pass it up.
Dear God, thank you for the invitation
you have extended to us, to accept the salvation earned for us
by your Son, Jesus Christ, and to dwell in your kingdom forever.
Amen
Ken Hobart
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