Life of Christ 154
It is Tuesday morning. Jesus will die tomorrow
afternoon. Today is the longest day of His or any man's life. Confrontation
began in Jerusalem before He even arrived at the Temple and it will continue
almost without interruption until His death on Wednesday afternoon.
A moment ago He
dispatched the Sanhedrin's attack on His credibility, and began an
immediate counterattack on the Pharisees. He does this with three parables and
today's post is the third of those three parables. (Matthew 22.1-10)
An outdoor court yard prepared for a Jewish wedding |
In His third parable of
attack on the Pharisees Jesus likens the present situation to just such a
wedding feast. The kingdom of heaven is
like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son. Without
straining the text, it is quite obvious that the king is Jehovah and the son is
Jesus Himself. You will recall that the previous parable, the Lord's vineyard,
also contained a son likened to Jesus as well.
And he sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the
wedding: and they would not come. Jesus has spent years issuing this call
to Israel and they have clearly decided to reject the invitation. The Jews were
interested in Jesus in a train wreck sort of way but there was in them no
corporate reception of and belief in Him in their heart.
Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are
bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed,
and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it,
and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the
remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
This is incredibly harsh
language, beloved. Jesus, standing in the Temple and facing down the Pharisees
hours before His death, holds nothing back. Again, as with the second of these
parables of attack, Jesus calmly informs Israel's religious leadership that He
knows exactly what they plan to do with Him. And God will not take such a vile
and hateful rejection of His Son sitting down. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his
armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Make no
mistake. Jesus is hurling the term 'murderer' full in the face of the
Pharisees, and telling them that God is going to burn their precious Jerusalem
to the ground as a result of this murder.
Then, as if adding
insult to injury, Jesus informs Israel's religious leadership that there
opportunity is gone. God will now turn, in the New Testament dispensation, to
the Church. Then saith he to his
servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Of
course, we as the Church are not worthy either. It is all of grace. Yet at
least we are receptive and believing. We have accepted His wedding invitation
while the Jews have not. And what, pray tell, is the Church's great
responsibility and undertaking? The evangelization of the world. We are to
carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the Earth. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to
the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered
together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was
furnished with guests.
Someday, perhaps this
very day, the Church will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. Those
remaining on Earth are in for an horrendous time of great tribulation. Earth's
climate will be wrecked. Substantially more than half of the entire population
of the globe will die various forms of cruel deaths. Satan will take over the
government publicly, demand to be worshipped, and point what is left of
humanity in the direction of open warfare with God. Yet during this time of
great tribulation we, as God's people raptured and assembled together in
Heaven, will be experiencing the singular blessing of the marriage feast of the
Lamb. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed
are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. (Revelation
19.9)
God's plan for Israel is
not done. But the sad truth is she long ago rejected the call to the wedding
feast and judgment fell upon her as a result. At the same time, her rejection
opened up the door of opportunity for Gentiles such as you and I. Let us thank
God we have heard and accepted His call to the wedding feast. And let us give
ourselves fervently, compassionately, and consistently to Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to
the marriage.
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