Part 2.― Rejected
“And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 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. But 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. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 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. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how earnest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 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.”―Matthew 22:1-131And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4Again, 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. 5But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10So 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. 11And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13Then 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. (Matthew 22:1‑13).
THE man who “makes light” of God’s mercy does not stop with that act of folly. Indifference and neglect of the gospel will later lead to its absolute rejection, coupled with contempt, and even violence, against God. These are serious considerations for readers of the Gospel Messenger who began 1909 unconverted, and are yet so as it dies away.
Those invited to the marriage in this scene began by “Making light of it.” They ended by murdering the king’s messengers, and of necessity retributive judgment fell on them.
Notice what happens here. “And the remnant took his servants and entreated them spitefully and slew them.” I have no doubt this had its historical fulfillment in the history of Israel. They first made light of Him, and then they slew the Lord Himself. As a consequence divine judgment fell on the nation and on Jerusalem, for we are distinctly told―
“But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.” Such is the history of the Jew.
But God’s purpose is not to be thwarted if the Jew despises grace, the Gentile shall taste it, for God’s Son must be honored. Hence you and I get our opportunity of receiving the gospel.
Do not think, beloved friend, that if you will not have a seat in God’s house He is going to have any vacant seats there. There will be vacant niches in hell; Scripture says so. “Hell and destruction are never full” (Prov. 27:2020Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. (Proverbs 27:20)). God likes a full house, and He is going to have it. Satan will be disappointed; there will be much emptiness in hell, and there will be misery in hell; oh, the sense of awful hopelessness that is there! and, I will tell you something else, there will be no company in hell Will there be many there? If you reject Christ you will be there, and experience utter isolation in eternity. What can describe the dread isolation of a lost soul that might have had the presence of Christ, but who east the die irrevocably on earth, and now has but the isolation of his own misery.
“Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were hidden were not worthy.” Am I to get into heaven because I am worthy? Oh, dear, no. There is only one place I am worthy of, and that is the lake of tire. Our sins demand judgment, and, if God were to judge us for our sins, what could it be but the lake of fire? You don’t believe in hell? “Oh, no, no; that is exploded theology.” Indeed! but when bombs explode they often kill a lot of people. This exploded theology about no judgment, and no hell, has killed a lot of people. Do you know you are going to be converted some day? Not through my preaching, I can’t say that—but when it is too late, you will get your eyes opened to the truth of God’s Word. The Lord Jesus is here telling the plain truth, on the one hand, of the folly and sin of man, and on the other hand, of the mercy of God, when, after having His Son rejected, He says, “I will send the invitation world-wide.”
“And he said to his servants, 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.” What a commission! What a message! It is from God to you. I know the joy of the feast, and I would draw you right into its circle if I could. Could anything be more lovely than the activity of this grace of God and the universality of its manifestation? “They gathered together all, as many as they found.” They urged them, sweeping them in, saying, “Friends, there is a most wonderful feast up yonder.”
But the invited guests might say, “What about our clothes?” Don’t talk about them, you will have garments fitted on you when you get to the door. Are you willing to come? “They went out and gathered together all.” Yes, those servants went out. Sometimes we Christians are apt to stop at home, and we think God will do His own work, and He does not need your help and mine. That is quite true, but at the same time, I should not like to come in for the curse of Meroz. Now, if you are a sleepy Christian, a worldly Christian, converted, but going on, with only a name to live, beware lest you get under the curse of Meroz. (“Curse ye Meroz... curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty” (Judg. 5:2323Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty. (Judges 5:23)).) God gives every believer the privilege of going out and inviting people to His feast. Neves trouble as to whether you are a preacher or not. If you know the joy of the feast, you can say to another, “Won’t you come in to the feast?” You could do that, dear saved reader, couldn’t you?
“They gathered together all, as many as they found, both bad and good.” Bad ones first. Gather both if you can, but I have more hope of the bad ones. They know they are all wrong, and the good ones are in great doubt as to whether they are wrong. You say, “Aren’t we all bad?” Yes, in one sense.
In the 16th chapter of Acts, when the gospel first came into Europe, Paul wanted to find the man whom he had seen calling, “Come over and help us.” He looked for this man, but could not find him. What he saw was a lot of women at a prayer meeting. He talked to Lydia; her heart was opened and then her house was opened. I think she was a good one. Who was the bad one? The jailor, poor, wretched, hardened brute that he was. We see Paul with his back all bleeding, wounded, and hungry, given into the hands of that jailor. The magistrates had said, “Take great care of them,” and the jailor, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks; then he went to have his supper, and then to his bed. You might have seen him that night sleeping in his sins, but, all of a sudden, there is an earthquake, and he is waked up. I think he was the bad one; any way he was the first man in Europe to get saved.
I have got saved, and you can get saved. The gospel has now traveled to where we live, and it has come to your ears now. The wedding is rapidly being furnished with guests. The jailor is among them; I am among them, and I would like you to be among them. Make up your mind ere 1909 pass away; you have halted long enough.
A striking picture of an intensely solemn nature the Lord next paints.
The wedding was furnished with guests, and then the king came in to see the guests. “And he saw there a man that had not on a wedding garment.” Why? Was there not a wedding garment for him? Of course. In the East for every invited guest the bridegroom always provided a suitable garment, with which he was invested. At the door there were servants, and as each guest came to share the nuptial joy, this garment was put over him.
I think I see that motley crowd, bad and good, on their way up the hill to the feast. Among them a very well-clad man goes up too. Some of the people are very poorly clad, with nothing to recommend them.
I say to this well-clad man, “Where are you going?” “To the feast.” “Had an invitation?” “Oh, yes.” “Accepted it?” “I mean to be there.” “You seem very well dressed.” “Oh, yes, no fear about me, my clothes will do; I have been very religious all my days, but where are all these people going?” “To the feast.” “Clad like this?” And he draws off by himself; he has no sense of grace, but on he goes.
Now, we will follow the motley crowd. They reach the door, and we hear the servants’ “Welcome, welcome, welcome,” and then the word, “Here is your wedding garment.” I need hardly tell you the name of our well-dressed friend who now comes up. He is Mr. Do-the-best-I-can. The servant says, “Here is your garment, sir.” “Oh, no, thank you. My own will do for me quite well.” But the servant says, “The lord of the feast has commanded all to have a wedding garment, and you must have on this wedding garment; you must.” “Ye must be born again,” you must have the Holy Ghost, you must have Christ, you must be washed in the blood, and you must have the wedding garment. Scripture says, “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And as the crowds go into the feast, they all have on the wedding garment except one. See this man slip through, he does not want another garment; his own fairly good, religious, and respectable life will do for him. Then the king came in to see the guests, and he saw this man which had not on―not “had not,” but “had not on”―a wedding garment. I think I see the king come in, and he casts his eye over all the guests. “Every eye shall see him,” and His eye will see you. Will this be your case, my dear reader? “He saw a man which had not on a wedding garment.” You may have kept the garments of self-righteousness on here, and you may have kept out of the reach of the gospel, but by-and-by the light will come in and reveal your utter unfitness for the Lord’s presence.
“Friend,” and everybody looks at him, “how earnest thou in hither not having on a wedding garment?” And lie was speechless. What will you say? You may think the people wicked who refused the feast, but what about the wickedness of the man who would dare to go into God’s feast without a suited wedding garment? “He was speechless.”
Then said the king to his servants, “Bind him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” What a moment! Today, what is it? Bring them in, bring them in. Then, what will it be? Bind him hand and foot. Take him away. What happens him? His sins, that were never pardoned, bind him hand and foot. The unclothed professor of Christ is rejected.
Christian, you and I are going to dwell in everlasting light, but the man who has not Christ goes into outer darkness, and there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is only a parable, a picture, I know, but what is the interpretation? What is the application thereof, the effect thereof? Tell me, where will you spend eternity? Shall it be inside with Jesus in eternal joy, the guest of God, and the companion of His Son? or outside in darkness, outer darkness? Which? I cannot make a choice for you, but I entreat you, do not lay your head upon your pillow until you can say by the grace of God, “I do believe on the Lord Jesus Christ―Christ for me.”
Christ is the wedding garment. His blood is shed, atonement is made, and God’s invitation is sent out, and you need not doubt about the welcome Jesus would give you. He would save you where you are. Take care lest you be searched, silenced and sentenced in a day to come.
You had far better turn to God this very day, and go on in joy serving the Lord fully till He come, and then you will be in God’s presence forever.
Where will you spend eternity? I ask in all affection. You have been INVITED, beware lest ye “make light” of God’s call through sin and folly on the one hand, or, through making a Christless profession, awake to find yourself REJECTED. Receive Jesus now and confess Him boldly.
W. P. T. W.