Word of Salvation – Vol. 14 No.16 – April 1968

 

The Invitation To The Royal Wedding Feast

 

Sermon by Rev. M. P. Geluk, Th.Grad. on Matthew 22:1-14

SCRIPTURE READING: Romans 11:13-24

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

We have here a parable which came from the lips of Jesus.  As you know, Jesus told quite a few parables.  He used them to illustrate certain truths which He wanted the people to know about.  The parable we are going to have a look at this morning deals with the Kingdom of God (or the Kingdom of Heaven).  It is not the only parable which deals with the Kingdom of God.  There are more of these.

In these parables, the Kingdom of God is likened to certain things which the people could easily understand.

So Jesus told on one occasion that the Kingdom of God could be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants (Matt.18:23).  On another occasion He said the Kingdom of God could be compared to a householder who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard (Matt.20:1).  And, in the passage we are studying this morning, Jesus says the Kingdom of God may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son.

In each case, Jesus shows the people some great truth about the kingdom of heaven.  For the Easterner, of course, these parables were in a way better understood than by us today.  Jesus used everyday examples with which the people were familiar.  They knew all about vineyards, and their owners hiring labourers.  They knew all about local customs and traditions that were in use.  They knew how marriages were celebrated.

And so when Jesus used some of these daily happenings to illustrate facts about the Kingdom of God, the people knew exactly what He was talking about.  They recognized the challenge in His parables.  They realized He was talking about them, and referring to them.

And so in the parable about the king who arranged a wedding celebration for his son, the people knew very well what the Lord was getting at.  Many of these people who were listening were enemies of Jesus.  Some were plotting to kill Him.  They hated Him and all that He stood for, and they had no desire to enter His Kingdom.

Yet in this parable, as in others, Jesus appeals to them to think again.  Before they push Jesus right out of their lives they are challenged by the Lord to think again, as He holds before them the invitation to enter the Kingdom.

As we look then at this passage before us, we have to see what light it throws on the gospel of salvation, for it is quite evident that Jesus wants us to go further than just know the particulars of the parable.  So our aim is to find out what meaning Jesus wants to convey to us concerning the Kingdom of heaven, which is here likened to a king who invites people to the wedding feast of his son.

That is our theme for this passage, and from it we see:

            1.  This invitation goes out to everybody.

            2.  It is repeatedly rejected by some.

            3.  It is accepted by others through God's grace.

1.  THIS INVITATION GOES OUT TO EVERYBODY:

It is not hard to see, congregation, that in this parable the king who is giving the marriage feast is God Himself.

In the east it was the custom that the father of the bride-groom should extend the invitations to the guests, and not the parents of the bride, as we are used to.  So the king represents God, and He gives the marriage feast for His Son Jesus Christ.  This marriage feast will take place at the end of the ages.  The occasion will coincide with Christ's second coming.  At that time the bride of Jesus Christ, which is the Church, will be taken up to the wedding feast in heaven, and there the celebration will go on eternally.  And as there is much joy and true pleasure in an earthly wedding, so will there also be great joy and happiness in the wedding hall in heaven.

Now in the parable, the servants of the king go out to call those who have been invited.  Again, in the East, it was the custom to give a general invitation before the feast was really ready.  When finally the oxen and the fat calves were killed, and everything prepared, then the servants were sent out to call those who had already been invited.

It was of course very ill-mannered and plain rude if the invitation of the king was turned down.  There was no excuse for staying away.  If the king invited you to the wedding feast of his crown-prince, then you made it your business to be there!

And so we see that God has been sending out his servants to invite people to come to the great royal wedding feast of His Son.  And to refuse this invitation is to refuse the blessings of the Gospel.  Yes: to refuse God's call to come to the wedding hall is to refuse Jesus Christ!

Now the remarkable thing about God's invitation is that it makes no distinctions.  God is not calling a particular kind of people, but everybody.  He is not inviting white people only, but also coloured folk.  He is not only extending His invitation to the so-called upper class or "decent" people, but also to the alcoholics, the dope-pedlars and the prostitutes.  Yes, what we may regard as the scum of the earth, are also invited to the great wedding feast.

It is of course true that, prior to Pentecost, God concerned Himself mainly with Israel.  The Jews were God's chosen nation, and received God's special blessings in preference to other nations.  And to the Jews God sent His servants the prophets, who invited the people to believe in the Messiah, and so gain entry to the Kingdom.

Yet, even in the O.T. we see that the gospel of salvation is also offered to non-Jews.  If the heathen believed in God and obeyed, then they too became part of God's church.  But after the Holy Spirit had been poured out at Pentecost, then the gospel's invitation really goes out to everyone.  Whoever believes on Jesus Christ shall be saved, the Bible says.

And in this parable we see that, when the Jews refuse to come, God sends out His servants, the apostles, to go out into the thoroughfares and invite as many as they can find.  The bearers of the gospel news are told to go out into every highway and by-way and invite people everywhere to the great royal wedding feast.

God did not need the Israelites.  If they were not prepared to come to the wedding hall, if they had no wish to be in the kingdom of heaven, then God would call others.  And He would see to it that every place at the great feast in heaven would be occupied.  Both good and bad would be gathered in.

That is, God is not looking for moral or social qualifications.  It does not matter what their past may have been, whether they been drunken sinners, and so on, or whether they have been sinners as "decent" people.  God calls good and bad to come to His great wedding feast.

As we look at this parable, congregation, we actually see here the PRACTICAL FULFILMENT of God's plan of election.  Not everybody is saved.  After the Lord had finished telling this parable He said, "Many are called, but few are chosen."

Yes, indeed, the gospel invitation goes out to everyone.  God makes no distinction between persons.  But out of all those who hear the invitation to come to the Christian faith, there are many who reject it.

2.  IT IS REPEATEDLY REJECTED BY SOME:

It is quite clear, congregation, that there is a warning for all of us in this parable.  A warning not to reject the call to faith and obedience.  Think again, is what Jesus seems to say.  Think again, before you decide that you are not really interested.  And although God's plan of election is at the bottom of it, we must never ask ourselves the question: Am I, or am I not elected?  That question won't get us anywhere.

The question that we have to ask this: have I responded to the invitation that I have received?  At the great judgement day God will not say to those who are outside the wedding hall - Sorry, but you were not elected.  No, He will say to them: You received the invitation, but you did not accept it.

This is what happened to the Jews.  The invitation went out to them repeatedly.  But they were just like those people in the parable.  The general invitation to the wedding had gone out already. Then, when everything was ready, the king sent His servants.  But those invited would not come.  They had all sorts of excuses.  One had such a lot to do on his farm.  Another had to attend to his business.  They were not really interested.  Some even became so incensed with the king's servants that they killed them.

Yes, this is what took place in O.T. times.  Many of the Jews were sick to death of the O.T. prophets who were pestering them with their repeated invitations – and warnings – to give heed to the call of God.  And many a prophet was murdered in cold blood.  This sort of thing continued right up to New Testament times.  They even sought to kill Jesus, the King's very own Son, because they were annoyed with His inviting them, to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And because the Jews would not listen, and killed God's servants, God's anger flared up against them.  The king in the parable sent his troops to destroy the murderers of his servants and burn down their city.  And thus God punished the Jews for rejecting His invitation.  Their great city, Jerusalem, was destroyed, plundered, and burned to ashes, and its inhabitants met with a fearful death.  The God of mercy sends forth His invitation.  Come to the eternal wedding feast, everyone.  But when men insult Him, and heap abuse on Him by turning His gracious invitation down, then He will punish them for their disobedience, and call OTHERS to fill their places at His heavenly marriage feast.

This parable shows us, congregation, that Christ can never be taken lightly.  For not only the ones who killed His servants were punished, but even those who remained quite "decent" in their refusal.  Yes, even those who did not stand in the way at all, they too were punished, just like the murderers.

In Communist countries, communist leaders have seen to it in the past that ministers and missionaries of the Gospel were either imprisoned or killed.  Well, perhaps we can liken them to those men in the parable who killed the king's servants.  But those other men, who just did not think the feast was important enough for them to leave their farms and their businesses: aren't they the people of the western countries?

Those people who did not become violent, but who took Christ lightly: aren't they the ones who have more time for their un-believing girl and boyfriends, than for Christ?  Aren't they those who work seven days a week in order to become financially secure?  And aren't they those so-called neutral people ― you know ― those who are not really against the Christian faith, but are not actively for it, either?

The whole point is this, congregation: What is more important to us?  Our own interests?  Our own pursuits?  Our own pleasures?  Or Jesus Christ?

Someone has said, "Between Christ taken lightly and Christ wholly rejected, there is no difference."

And how right that is.  There are thousands upon thousands of people in our western civilization to whom the gospel invitation has come.  Well, let US be warned.  God is not forever going to invite the same people.

There are countless others, at home and abroad, who are hungering and thirsting for God and His righteousness.  We only need to point to people in such Asian countries as Korea, and of late, Indonesia.  They will come – they ARE COMING – gladly!

3.  IT IS ACCEPTED BY OTHERS THROUGH GOD'S GRACE:

We should keep this in mind that God will see to it that the places at the great wedding feast at Christ's second coming will ALL be taken.  God is not dependent on anyone.  If one refuses to accept the invitation, then there will be another.  God will see to it, in any case, that the wedding hall shall be filled to capacity.

Now we could ask you here of course, if you have, or have not, accepted the invitation of the Gospel.  For that is the crucial question.  Have you, or have you not accepted Jesus Christ?  In a way, of course, we have to say that most of us have indeed accepted Him.  For most of us have confessed our faith publicly, and most of us take part in the Lord's Supper.  So that is already saying that you have accepted the invitation.  And maybe most of our young people, who still have to do their public confession of faith, can be looked upon as having accepted the invitation.  Of course, if this is true of our young people, then those who are mature must follow up their acceptance with the confession of their faith publicly.

But in any case, we cannot look into each other's hearts.  And therefore the greatest test by far of whether or not we have accepted that invitation, is that each of us asks, "Am I wearing the wedding garment?"

In the parable, all the guests are wearing a wedding garment, which they received at the door.  And when the king comes, he immediately sees that one is without a wedding garment.  The man thought he did not need one.  He was good enough as he was.  It wasn't necessary for him to change.

But the king looks at him and asks him: "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?"  The man is speechless.

The king does not for one moment consider his garment good enough.  He doesn't even waste time looking at it.  He only sees that the man is NOT wearing a wedding garment.

And so the man is thrown outside into the darkness, to join those who had killed the king's servants; those who had thought the invitation not important enough.

And there was weeping and gnashing their teeth... for they were in hell.

And so, congregation, each one of us has to ask: "Am I wearing the wedding garment?  Has the Lord Jesus Christ given me the white linen robe that all true believers wear?  The cloak of righteousness, the righteousness of Jesus Christ?

"Has my heart been cleansed?  Have I a new nature, am I a new creature in Christ?  Have my sins been forgiven?"

If that has happened, then we ARE wearing the wedding garment; we ARE guests at the eternal wedding feast.

We ARE members of the true church, we ARE the bride, who will be taken to her heavenly bridegroom for ever, if we are clothed with that wedding garment, the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  Without it, entry into the kingdom of heaven is impossible.  Without the righteousness of Christ, there is only darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth.

This parable leaves all men with only two certainties.  The certainty of real JOY, because of a place in the kingdom of heaven.  Or the certainty of grief and bitterness, because of a place in hell.

The gospel invitation has been given to mankind for many, many years already.  It is still being given today.  But for how long in the future, we do not know.

Many have been called, but few have been chosen.  Many have rejected, yet some have accepted.

Have you accepted?

Amen.