Lesson 9
A Parable of Receiving & Rejecting the Kingdom
We have
surveyed some of the parables that relate to our redemption into the
Matt 22: 1 ¶ And Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables,
saying, 2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king, who gave a
wedding feast for his son. 3 "And he sent out his slaves to call those who
had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. 4
"Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited,
"Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are
all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."' 5
"But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm,
another to his business, 6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them
and killed them. 7 "But the king was enraged and sent
his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and set their city on fire. 8
"Then he *said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were
invited were not worthy. 9 'Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as
you find there, invite to the wedding feast.' 10 "And those slaves went
out into the streets, and gathered together all they found, both evil and good;
and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. 11 "But when the king
came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in
wedding clothes, 12 and he *said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here
without wedding clothes?' And he was speechless. 13 "Then the king said to
the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in
that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 "For many are
called, but few are chosen."
I. A Great
Invitation
In this parable
we observe a royal wedding feast of the utmost importance. As we are all aware,
the rich and famous are well-know for their ostentatious and flamboyant
gatherings. Whether it’s the food, fireworks, or music, everything is
done in excess as it’s based upon their fame and prestige. But in this
story, the one in whom all have their being is giving the party. Can any earthy
festivity compare? Charlemagne may have had delectable dainties and exotic
dishes, but has he the entire earth and heaven as his garden to pick from?
Lenin may have light up the night sky with fantastic pyrotechnic displays, but
could he roll up the heavens like a scroll for his guests? Heavenly music might
have filled the court of Louis IV, but did the vast expanse of heaven itself
resonant with angelic song for his company? It is true that the festivals put
on by such leaders were known to last for days, but what are a few days
compared to a feast that lasts eternally for the redeemed?
In addition to
this being a royal wedding feast, notice that it is a free wedding feast. The
king tells his slaves, “Tell those who have been invited, ‘Behold,
I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered
and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.’" In respect to God’s
kingdom, everything has been provided. This blissful eternal state is not a pot
luck in which it is expected of you to bring something to contribute to the
feast as a whole. Bring a bowl of your good works, and expect the heavenly mass
to cry, “there is death in the pot.” God has already made
provisions: Christ has been slain and salvation has been procured. We are
beckoned to enjoy the graciousness of the king who desires to fill our hearts
with the bread from heaven.
Furthermore,
this royal wedding feast is given to honor the King’s Son. Each guest
must bow down in reverence; each guest must confess his or her subjection to
their sovereign; each guest must swear allegiance to the Son. The King declares
“I have installed My King upon
II. A Great
Rejection
In the parable
we read of an invitation that was personal. Slaves were sent door to door with
the admonition, “Come to the wedding feast.” “Come honor the
King’s Son.” However, this great invitation by the King to the
people is met with a great rejection of the King by the people.
First of all ,
there were those who were simply unwilling to come (vs.3). Is it not the same
with God’s banqueting table? The Father offers an eternal heavenly feast
to those who would honor Christ by faith and repentance, yet some are
unwilling. To surrender their will to God is to dethrone themselves from the
seat of autonomy. It is a great rejection when people refuse submit to
God’s will in favor of their own.
Secondly, there
were those who paid no attention (vs.5). The slaves earnestly gave the
proclamation, yet many were engrossed with other activities. Monotony dulled
their hearing to the clarion call. Perhaps some responded, “I might be
there a little later.”
Or,
“maybe next time.” What a great rejection and reflection of most
people’s spiritual status. They’re too busy with this temporal life
to invest anytime to things pertaining to eternal life. This is as foolish as a
man who is found treading water unsuccessfully while clutching on to drift
wood. A lifeline is thrown to him from a rescue boat, and yet he refuses the
lifeline because he is too busy treading water and clutching on to driftwood.
In the same way, people refuse God’s life line of grace because they are
too busy clutching to that perilous driftwood of time. To ease the present
rejection of grace, they fancy tomorrow’s acceptance. “I might come
to Christ when I’m a little older.” “Maybe next time I will
commit my life.” Future resolutions seem with each passing day to remain
aloof in the future.
Thirdly, there
were those who violently opposed (vs. 6). The inward rejection of the
King’s Son resulted in the outward rage against the servants of the King.
A visit of the catacombs or the coliseum during Nero’s baneful reign
marks the fulfillment of this parabolic prophecy. A simple survey of history delineates
the words spoken by Christ, “and you will be hated by all on account of
My name” (Lu 21:17).
Lastly, we read
of those who entered the wrong way (vs.11&12). There was a person who made
it in. He is reclining at the table and partaking in the bounty of the king.
There is no doubt that he was conversing with the guests, perhaps even speaking
highly about the king’s son. I’m sure that this individual was
convinced that he had made it without having to wear the clothing provided by
the king. In the same way, there are those who recline at Christianity. There
are those who converse eloquently about the things of God with the saints of
God. These individuals are convinced that they are in the fold without having
to wear the righteousness provided by Christ. They are content to remain in
their own garments of self-righteousness.
III. A Great
Punishment
Hence, we see a
four-fold repudiation of God’s kingdom in this parable. Yet the story
doesn’t stop with the sovereign remaining passive in the face of such
opposition. Rather, the rejection of this great invitation is fit for a great
punishment. How does the king deal with those who refuse to come, those who pay
no attention, those who violently oppose, and those who enter the wrong way?
"But the king was enraged and sent his armies, and destroyed those
murderers, and set their city on fire” (vs.7). Again, we read the
King’s dreadful pronouncement, “'Bind him hand and foot, and cast
him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth'” (vs.13). What a sobering message, for this is the dreadful
consequence for those who refuse the salvation that God has provided through
his son. In truth, the punishment is in proportion to the crime.
A US Catholic
Magazine asked its readers what they thought about this question: What lies
beyond the grave? The general consensus was disturbing: the notion of hell as
being a place of immeasurable suffering was giving way to the belief that hell
is merely a location where God doesn’t inhabit. Briefly put, hell is
becoming more attractive. However, an examination of this and the other
parables dealing with the reception and rejection of God’s kingdom paint
a far different fate. The Psalmist said, “If I ascend to heaven, thou art
there; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there.” The omnipresent
God will be eternally present in Hades. Yet, those who abide in hell will
experience God’s wrathful presence. They will encounter the fierceness of
God’s company as he justly and righteously punishes for their appalling
treason. C.H. Spurgeon vividly accounts that most wretched state: “But
there, while they lie in their chains, they look upward, and they see ever that
fearful vision of the Most High; the dreadful hands that grasp the
thunderbolts, the dreadful lips that speak the thunders, and the fearful eyes
that flash the flames that burn their souls, with horrors deeper than
despair.”
Hell seems a
far more fearful and hopeless place given that God is present there rather than
absent. Dante said it well,
“Only those elements time cannot wear
Were made before me, and beyond time I stand.
Abandon all hope, ye who enter in” - The Inferno
Possible Discussion Questions:
1. Discuss the ways in which people
don’t pay attention to the message of salvation.
2. In what ways do Christians
resemble those who don’t pay attention?
3. In what ways do people seek to
enter heaven the wrong way? Contrast major world religions and Christianity.
4. In light of the four ways the
gospel is rejected, what are the four elements in receiving the gospel?
5. Is it fair for God to punish
people eternally? Why?
6. Discuss common misconceptions
about the afterlife.