Read Matthew 22:1-14
Many of the parables that Jesus used were, according to scholars, stories that were taken from neighborhood events. So, while Jesus was speaking, people were mumbling… “Hold it, I’ve heard about this event!” He certainly must have gotten their attention with this comparison of the Kingdom of God to a wedding feast!
Re-read the verses. Does it seem that this parable is filled with both good news and bad news? Draw a vertical line down the middle of the next page. List all the “bad news” you read in one column, and all the good news in the other.
Here are a few things I noted. It’s good news that the King, God, invites everyone. It’s good news that His love allows us to choose. It’s sad that some choose not to come to the wedding, or God’s Kingdom. He allows the lowest on the social ladder, slaves, to do the inviting. It’s sad that one guy didn’t have on “wedding clothes” at the event and was tied up and put outside.
What do you think the wedding clothes represent? Here’s a hint: Isaiah 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments in salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom clothed [himself] with ornaments, as a bride adorned [herself] with her jewels.”
Is there someone that God is asking you to invite to the Kingdom today? Have a great day!
Day 3 of 7 from the 2004 Mission Discovery Devotional
