READ the first ten verses of Matthew 22 Jesus is still speaking ‘to the Jews in parables. In the previous parable, He shows the shameful treatment He received from the Jews. In this parable, which gives us the marriage of the king’s son, He shows not only the dishonor they put upon Him, but that also which they put upon His Father.
In this parable the king’s son is Jesus Himself, and the king is God His Father. The king makes a marriage in honor of his son. The Jews were bidden to this marriage. And when the king’s messengers called them they would not come. A second time he sent 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 to the marriage.” Both before the death of Jesus, and after His death, the Jews were invited to the feast, but they would not come. “They made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise; and the remnant took his servants and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.” This is the way the Jews treated Jesus, and God His Father, and God’s servants. This brought upon them the judgment of God. “When the king heard thereof he was wroth; and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.” The Roman armies were the executors of God’s judgment against the Jews. They destroyed the murderers of God’s servants, and burned up their city—the City of Jerusalem.
Oh! what a solemn and awful thing it is to dishonor God, as did the Jews. How terrible the results! How is it with you, reader? Are you honoring Him, or dishonoring Him?
God must have His Son honored; and so if the Jews would not come to the marriage, and do Him honor, He would send the invitation to others. “Then saith he to his servants, the wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 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.” Yes, if the Jews would not come, the Gentiles would, until the wedding was furnished with guests.
Oh! reader! the servants of the Lord are still inviting guests to that marriage feast. The invitation comes to you now. Will you be a guest there? Are you willing to honor the King’s Son? Or, will you dishonor God by refusing to honor His Son? Which shall it be? You have had the invitation, and you are responsible to accept, or reject. Which will you do? Will you do honor to Jesus by coming to the wedding? Or will you bring upon yourself the wrath of God, by refusing to come! There is no middle ground; you must do one or the other, and, abide by the consequences. And what are the consequences? Well, it will be either heaven or hell, the unmingled joy at the feast in glory above, or the blackness of darkness forever in that awful region, called in Scripture, “the lake of fire.” Again I ask you, reader, which shall it be? Oh! heed the invitation sent you from heaven. Give heed at, once. Tomorrow may be too late. Oh! enter, enter now.
ML 06/07/1903