Twentieth
Sunday after Trinity
The
Collect.
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O
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ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we
beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready both in
body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint
Matthew 22:1-14
1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and
said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king,
which made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his
servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
4 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. 5 But they made light of
it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the remnant took his
servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard
thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those
murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then saith he to his
servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the
highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10 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. 11 And when the king came in
to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him,
Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was
speechless. 13 Then said the king to the
servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer
darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but
few are chosen.
Jesus so
often spoke in Parables that those whose hearts are open and humble might understand
where those whose hearts were arrogant, proud and hardened would not so
understand. Jesus relates this parable of marriage that
has a double application. It relates to the first institution of God in the
Garden at Eden, as well as the relationship between Christ and His Bride.
Marriage is viewed with such profound meaning that the very first commandment
God gave man involved this sacred institution that exists only between ONE man
and ONE woman.
And God
blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Gen 1:28)
Marriage is
so important to Christ that He performed His first miracle at Cana of Galilee
(which just happened to be a marriage feast.)
Since being
the first institution of God in the Garden at Eden, marriage has been sacred
and Holy to God – and it must be to us as well. It is an earthly model for the
Kingdom of God and the great marriage between Christ and His Bride, the Church.
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which
made a marriage for his son,"
This certain
king is God the Father. Do I need tell you who the son represents? None other
than Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God.
"And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden
to the wedding: and they would not come." The great
prophets were these servants who called those who were bidden to come, but
Israel would not hear them and did not come. They even stoned many of these
prophet messengers, and others they sawed in half.
"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." The Great King leaves nothing to chance.
He prepares ALL we need for our comfort and nourishment and joy. The sacrifice
has been made for us – all we must do is come. He desires to honor us by
allowing us to honor His Beloved Son.
"But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to
his farm, another to his merchandise:" Here we see the dreadful preoccupation
of the world, and even the church, with our own devices – money, trade and
barter, etc. The service to God seems a light thing to them. We today are
sorrowfully no different. We `do our duty' in attending service once on Sunday,
go back to our troughs and mud, and live as if God were not watching.
"And the remnant took his servants, and entreated
themspitefully, and slew them."You
will recall how wrongly they treated Samuel, Moses, Jeremiah and all the
prophets. Even Abel was slain by his brother for living and teaching
righteousness. The Apostles, most of whom died brutal deaths, were no less dishonored
by those who knew no honor.
"But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he
sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city." If you have been living under the delusion
that God will always show mercy and kindness, you are wrong. Christ Himself
shall return to claim His own, and the remainder shall be put to the sword and
cast into Hell without mercy! They will have sealed their own fate through the
neglect of the things of God. If you have not loved God in this life, you
cannot love Him in the next. The tares (unbelievers) shall be gathered by the
Holy Angels and burned. Even the details of this prophecy were fulfilled when
the armies of Rome came and destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Many of those same
doubtful hearers suffered in that destruction!
"Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but
they which were bidden were not worthy.9 Go ye therefore into the
highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage." Most of the people of Israel depended upon their pedigree as
sons of Abraham; however, they did not rightfully belong to the Old Testament
Church of Abraham who looked to the coming of Christ.
The noble
Stephen proclaimed:
And the
scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith,
preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be
blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham
(Gal 3:8-9)
This is
he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him
in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to
give unto us (Acts 7:38)
Abraham was a
Christian: Jesus said - Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. (John 8:56)
And we are
the Children of Abraham through faith.
Now back to
those who refuse to attend the things of God: These being rejected through
their own complacency, God turns to all who will come. All who love Christ are
adopted into that great Church and are Israel indeed. None are to go without
invitation!
"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." This is like the great dragnet of souls mentioned in Matthew 13:47-48. It drew every kind of fish,
both good and bad, and the fisherman (angels) sat down and separated them. Or
the fields of wheat and tares growing together picture this same truth.
"And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there
a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend,
how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the
servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast himinto outer
darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Do we desire
to be properly attired at this great and distinguished feast? If so, we must
take on the White Robe of Righteousness which Christ offers to cover our rags
and filth. The prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) received
that Robe from His Father on his return from feeding the pigs in a far country.
He was covered with the filth of his disobedience, but His Father covered His
unsightly sins with love and His Robe of Righteousness.
There is an interesting
prophecy in Isaiah 4:1. When women are referred to in prophecy, they represent
a religious power.
Isaiah 4:1 –
"And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We
will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy
name, to take away our reproach." To me, these may represent the
seven churches, I humbly believe, who wish to be nominal Christians only. They
will eat their own bread, and not the Bread of Heaven He offers, and will wear
their own filthy rags of sin instead of His Robe of Righteousness. But they
desire the dignity of being called, only, by His name.
In the end of
all things, Christ concludes His message to the seven churches in Revelations
3:20, and particularly to the Church at Laodicea - Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear
my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and
he with me.
Does Christ
stand in the midst of us at Saint Bede's this morning, or does He stand without
the door and knock? I believe He stands in the midst of all faithful
worshippers, but we must insure that we carry our faith home with us today as
well.
"For many are called, but few
are chosen." Friend, it is quite possible that you have
been called and invited, but never accepted the invitation. A gift may be
offered, but it is not fully a gift until it has been received. Have you
accepted, with serious heart and intent, the Redemption made available through
the blood of Christ?
