April 17 – Many are Called but Few are Chosen

Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus told a parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son… And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come….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. But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen.” (NASB)

A King was having a banquet for his son. This sounds almost like a fairy tale—like Cinderella. My granddaughter loves the story of Cinderella and she asks me to read it to her often. Cinderella scrubs, cleans and helps her ungrateful step-sisters get ready for the ball, but there is no time or lovely gown for her. In steps the fairy god mother and rescues her with a gorgeous ball gown, glass slippers and a crew of animals who become real servants to take her to the castle. You can almost hear the orchestra tuning up their instruments and practicing. The mouth-watering aromas waft from the kitchen as the bakers and chefs prepare food for the grand ball. We could only wish to be called to such an elegant affair where everyone is arriving in elegant gowns and spotless suits. A glorious day.

Now here is another story of a King who wants his son to have an extravagant wedding. God is the father and invites people to the wedding of His son, Jesus. When it was time for the wedding those who were invited had excuses why they couldn’t make it to the festivities. The invited guests even mistreated and killed the servants. So the Father sent other servants to find new guests. One of these guests wasn’t properly dressed so he was bound and thrown into the outer darkness (hell).

I love parts of this story because we are the invited guests---and I want to be ready. God is choosy about who gets into the wedding feast in heaven. Make sure you not only respond when “invited”---but put on your best clothes and get ready for a wonderful heavenly feast!

What do “wedding clothes” look like?  In Revelation 19:8 it says that the bride of the Lamb (the church) is wearing fine linen, clean and bright. Additionally, Revelation 7:9 and 9:11 state, “…great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues (languages), standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes.”

To wash our robes in the blood of the lamb is to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. What could be simpler?   But some people don’t want to humble themselves before the Lord and admit that they have done anything wrong. Where do you stand with the Lord today?  Are you ready to stand before His throne?

Lord, please forgive me for my sin---cleanse me white as snow. As I come to you, give me a glorious white robe to wear at your feast!  I don’t want to miss this special banquet with You.

© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek.  All rights reserved.