Matthew Chapter 22
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.
When I first read this parable, I was troubled deeply by it. I had no problem understanding verses 1-9, as they seemed to clearly refer to the nation of Israel's rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. It was the state of the man in verse 11 that concerned me. After considering this passage more closely, I found myself asking a question I had not previously thought necessary: Who is at fault here? Let's consider a few things...
1. The servants were told to go out into the streets and invite to the wedding "as many as ye shall find" (verse 9).
2. The servants gathered as many as they found in the streets, "both bad and good" (verse 10).
3. At least one of these individuals came lacking the proper attire for a wedding (verse 11).
4. When questioned as to why he had come unprepared, the man was "speechless" (verse 12).
If this parable is meant to draw a parallel with the church, then surely we want to avoid situations such as the one described in verse 11, correct? Surprisingly, after reading this passage a few times through, I have drawn the conclusion that the servants must share the blame for this man's lack of preparation. While they had done exactly what they had been bidden to do (to bring as many to the wedding as they could), they do not seem to have done so in the proper manner. In their zeal to bring as many to the wedding as possible, some of the servants may have failed to inform those they were speaking with as to what exactly they were being invited to. When confronted by the king as to the state of his apparel, the man has no pre-conceived reply or excuse, but rather is "speechless" (verse 12), the mark of a man confused (I know this as I was "speechless" the first time I read this parable). This man apparently either 1.) was not aware that the event he had been invited to was the wedding of the king's son, or 2.) had not been informed as to the attire required for the occasion. In either case, the man's unpreparedness is as much the fault of the servant who invited him as it is his own.
What does this mean for us? It is our job as the "servants" to inform potential converts of what they are getting into (i.e. "count the cost" - Luke 14:28). Rather than simply trying to "get them in the door," we must be certaint that sinners see their guilt and their need for God's grace, and that it is only by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ that we are brought to a point of reconciliation with God and are saved from eternal damnation in hell. This parable may also suggest that if we fail in this task, we will personally witness the results of our failure. Verse 13 says that the servants were told to bind the man hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness. God holds us personally accountable if we give false testimony concerning the gift of God grace. Read this chilling e-mail from one pastor (read it in context here):
Dear Brother Ray,
I have been a pastor for 25 years. I always thought I was doing a reasonably good job. Kind of like the folks that tell you they consider themselves "good people." I had tried to preach, what I thought, was the whole counsel of God. I prayed, over the years, with many people to accept Jesus and make Him Lord of their lives.
My wife Judy and I moved to Ruidoso, New Mexico about six years ago to plant a church. Shortly after arriving I was convicted that something was horribly wrong with my ministry. I read the scriptures and prayed earnestly that God would show me what was wrong. The feeling continued to grow and I became depressed and moody. I asked Judy to pray for me and explained my problem. I didn't know if this was the Holy Spirit convicting or Satan attacking. She prayed that God would reveal the cause of my depression and make Himself clear as He revealed any problem with my ministry for Him.
That night I had the most terrifying, realistic, blood chilling nightmare any man has ever had. I am a Vietnam veteran and I know a little about nightmares. Nothing in my experience has ever come close, nor do I ever want it to, to the horror of that night!
I dreamed that it was judgment day and I was standing right next to the throne of God. I noticed that to my left and my right were pastors as far as I could see. I thought this was odd that the Lord would reserve this front row space for pastors only.
I looked out across a space of only a few yards and there were millions, maybe billions, of people, yet I could see each one of their eyes staring at me. As I studied this group I noticed that I knew many of them from times at the altar or ones who had sat under my teaching. I was pleased to see that they had made it to heaven, but confused because they didn't look happy. They looked very angry and hateful.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord say, "Away, I never knew you." I was suddenly frightened that what I was seeing was those who "thought" that they were saved. Then I saw all of them pointing a finger at each of us pastors and together, in one voice that shook my soul, "WE SAT IN YOUR CHURCH AND THOUGHT WE WERE SAVED. WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US WE WERE LOST?"
Tears were pouring down my face and the faces of all of those pastors. I watched as one by one those people were cast into hell. One and then another, and another, and another......., until they were all gone. I died inside as each one screamed in agony and gnashed their teeth, cursing us as they went into the lake of fire.
Then I was looking into the face of Jesus and He said to me, "Is this the part where I'm supposed to say, ' Well done my good and faithful servant?" I woke up with a scream and my heart pounding and I was begging Jesus to forgive me.
I died a million deaths that night. Since that night I have done two things on a daily bases. I do everything I can to preach the law before grace in the hope that conviction of sin will bring a sinner to true salvation. The other thing that I do is pray for every person I have ever preached to asking God to repair any damage I have done. I also never believe anyone when they tell me they are saved. It is my duty to challenge them and search out the solidness of their salvation.
We can't afford to lie to the lost just to get them in the door, in the end we aren't doing them any favors. They will still be "bound hand and foot" and cast into outer darkness, where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth." We all must seriously consider our motives in evangelism if we are preaching anything short of the whole, untainted truth of God's justice, man's sinfulness, the reality of Hell, and the need of repentance and faith, without which there can be no salvation.
In Christ’s Love,
Matthew
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