“Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come. Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless. Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:1-14).
Jesus taught us about the kingdom of heaven through many parables with each illustrating what His kingdom is like. In this parable, Jesus compares the kingdom to a great wedding banquet in honor of the Son (Jesus) where the Father (God) sent His servants to call upon the invited (the Israelite's), but they rejected His invitation. As a result, the kingdom of heaven was opened up as a calling to anyone who will set aside his or her own righteousness and, by faith, accept the righteousness God provides to all. Those who reject the gift of salvation and cling to their own understanding or good works will spend eternity in hell. The Parable of the Wedding Feast is also a warning for each of us. We must rely on the true gospel of salvation, which demands a complete surrender of one’s life and rejection of this world. There are many counterfeit gospels being preached today that claim we can gain salvation based on a sinner’s prayer, our own good works, traditional practices, or some form of religion. However, none of these will produce anything more than eternal death unless we fully surrender our lives in this world to become true servants of the kingdom of heaven.
The Lord told us, “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14), and in the end, there will be those who were called who will show up to the wedding banquet, but in the end will not be counted with those who are chosen. “Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.” God will then ask, “How did you get in here without wedding clothes?” and they will be speechless. These are the ones who are not dressed in the wedding clothes that can only be received by those chosen by the Lord. They were chosen because they turned away from their lives in this world to serve the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, many will be called in hearing the gospel, but only those who fully surrender their lives will be the chosen. “To this He called you through our gospel, so that you “may”share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:14).
Moreover, as mentioned above, there are many false gospels out there deceiving many. These counterfeits are filled with half-truths and even outright lies. Paul wrote, “I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!” (Galatians 1:6-9). “For I certify to you, brothers, that the gospel I preached was not devised by man. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12).
Therefore, today is the day to be sure you are counted among the chosen and not just the called. Knowing the gospel is not enough. Praying for salvation is not enough. Simply believing is not enough. Salvation comes through total faith in Christ as you surrender your life in this world (repent) to receive the free gift of salvation for the remittance of sin. Furthermore, this is not a part-time commitment of your life, but instead it is a full-time surrendering or “your will” to do the “Fathers will” as the gospel calls us to do. If we answer this calling with our whole heart we will become counted among the chosen for eternal citizenship in heaven. Moreover, the Holy Spirit will regenerate our spirit whereby we will be born-again and the Holy Spirit will come to live within us as our comforter, guide, teacher, and more. Do not delay, none of us knows if we will have another chance in our future, and tomorrow is not promised to any of us!
Jesus taught us about the kingdom of heaven through many parables with each illustrating what His kingdom is like. In this parable, Jesus compares the kingdom to a great wedding banquet in honor of the Son (Jesus) where the Father (God) sent His servants to call upon the invited (the Israelite's), but they rejected His invitation. As a result, the kingdom of heaven was opened up as a calling to anyone who will set aside his or her own righteousness and, by faith, accept the righteousness God provides to all. Those who reject the gift of salvation and cling to their own understanding or good works will spend eternity in hell. The Parable of the Wedding Feast is also a warning for each of us. We must rely on the true gospel of salvation, which demands a complete surrender of one’s life and rejection of this world. There are many counterfeit gospels being preached today that claim we can gain salvation based on a sinner’s prayer, our own good works, traditional practices, or some form of religion. However, none of these will produce anything more than eternal death unless we fully surrender our lives in this world to become true servants of the kingdom of heaven.
The Lord told us, “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14), and in the end, there will be those who were called who will show up to the wedding banquet, but in the end will not be counted with those who are chosen. “Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.” God will then ask, “How did you get in here without wedding clothes?” and they will be speechless. These are the ones who are not dressed in the wedding clothes that can only be received by those chosen by the Lord. They were chosen because they turned away from their lives in this world to serve the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, many will be called in hearing the gospel, but only those who fully surrender their lives will be the chosen. “To this He called you through our gospel, so that you “may”share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:14).
Moreover, as mentioned above, there are many false gospels out there deceiving many. These counterfeits are filled with half-truths and even outright lies. Paul wrote, “I am amazed how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse! As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!” (Galatians 1:6-9). “For I certify to you, brothers, that the gospel I preached was not devised by man. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12).
Therefore, today is the day to be sure you are counted among the chosen and not just the called. Knowing the gospel is not enough. Praying for salvation is not enough. Simply believing is not enough. Salvation comes through total faith in Christ as you surrender your life in this world (repent) to receive the free gift of salvation for the remittance of sin. Furthermore, this is not a part-time commitment of your life, but instead it is a full-time surrendering or “your will” to do the “Fathers will” as the gospel calls us to do. If we answer this calling with our whole heart we will become counted among the chosen for eternal citizenship in heaven. Moreover, the Holy Spirit will regenerate our spirit whereby we will be born-again and the Holy Spirit will come to live within us as our comforter, guide, teacher, and more. Do not delay, none of us knows if we will have another chance in our future, and tomorrow is not promised to any of us!
