Come to the Banquet

“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a
                                   wedding banquet for his son.” Matthew 2:22                                                                                                                                                                      
Jesus often used parables to make His point.  The book of Matthew includes the parable of the Wedding Banquet in chapter 22.  Jesus told the story of a king who prepared a royal banquet for the wedding of his son then sent his servants to those who had been invited to tell them to come, but they refused to come.  Then he sent more servants to tell the invited guests that a dinner of finest meats had been prepared and that “everything is ready.  Come to the wedding banquet”(v.4).  But they paid no attention, one went to his field, another to his business, then the rest seized the servants, mistreated them and killed them.  Naturally, the king was enraged and said to his servants that those who had been invited didn’t deserve to come.  He sent them into the streets to invite anyone they could find to come to the banquet.  The servants did as the king had instructed and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.  Then an odd thing happened, the king noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes and asked him, “Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?”  The man was speechless, then the king had him bound and thrown into the darkness.  Jesus ended the parable by saying, “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
A wedding is a beautiful, special occasion.  A time for family and friends to celebrate the love of the happy couple. To be invited to a wedding is an honor, a privilege.  The couple thinks enough of you to invite you to celebrate with them.  Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a wedding feast.  It’s a picture of God’s generosity and His amazing, unconditional love as well as a picture of His judgment on those who reject his love and do evil.
God loves you and has issued an open invitation to all who will accept, an invitation to intimate fellowship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.  His invitation is serious and should never be taken lightly.  It is a privilege that Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth, invites you to be a part of His family.  Eventhough God accepts you where you are, it’s not enough just to show up, you need the right clothes.  You can’t enter the Kingdom of heaven on your own terms, only on Jesus’ terms.  Fortunately, through His death and resurrection, Jesus has provided the right clothes that you need.  Put on Jesus, accept His free gift of salvation.
“…everything is ready.  Come to the wedding banquet.”
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