Come One, Come All - Matthew 22:1-14 - September 14, 2008

Sunday School Lesson – Come One, Come All – September 14, 2008

This is lesson two (2) in our series of study.

Our scripture is Matthew 22:1-14.

Today’s lesson is one that prompts more discussion and disagreement than many other subjects theology addresses. Who will GOD allow into HIS heaven?

Recently, we had a Jewish teacher, Dr. Levine, speak in our church. Dr. Levine teaches New Testament at Vanderbilt. If Dr. Levine was a born-again believer, I could understand her teaching New Testament at a seminary but to be a professing non-Christian, it dumb-founds me. You automatically know she is not teaching truth as revealed by the HOLY SPIRIT.

From an intellectual point-of-view you can learn from others. However, it is vital, when you hear people with other views, to keep a close eye on how you explore questions that come up in your mind. Seek truth and understanding through the Bible and prayer. Ask GOD to reveal truth to you.

Who are we, as humans, to define who is eligible to enter into GOD’S heaven? GOD is sovereign; HE created both heaven and earth. HE is the ONE WHO decides who enters HIS heaven and what the requirements are for entering.

Many people try to rationalize that since GOD is love, HE will allow any who profess some kind of faith into heaven. Those who spread this ideology do not know and understand the Bible. GOD has been and is very clear on what HE demands.

In our past lessons we have studied how GOD required the priests to approach HIM in a prescribed manner. When CHRIST gave HIS life for the sins of mankind, HE changed the way believers can approach GOD. CHRIST inaugurated the priesthood of the believer. There is no longer a need for sacrifice. HE opened the right for all believers to approach GOD and call HIM DADDY. Come one and come all but on HIS terms – Salvation through the shed blood of HIS ONLY SON JESUS!!!

In the Old Testament, GOD makes it clear that the very best in us is as a pile of filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6: (KJV) 6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

No one can earn his or her right to enter heaven through merits of their own.

If humans can get to heaven any other way, JESUS died in vain. JESUS did not have to come to earth and suffer for the sin of mankind. JESUS Himself said in John 14:6: 6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

This is what we know. To suggest some other way flies in the face of what the Bible tells us. As believers, we are to present truth. GOD is the ONE that deals with the hearts and minds of every human. HE issues the invitation to each person to accept JESUS as his or her personal SAVIOR. Our role is to be obedient to HIM and present the Word whenever and wherever HE asks us. It is HIS job to bring about salvation. HE works in the most secret place within each human and that is the eyes of our heart. It is there that we know truth and whether or not we accept truth.

JESUS used a parable to make clear a spiritual truth. The subject is heaven and who will enter.

Let’s read Matthew 21:1-7:

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

1 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables: 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent out his • slaves to summon those invited to the banquet, but they didn’t want to come. 4 Again, he sent out other slaves, and said, ‘Tell those who are invited: Look, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet. ’ 5 “But they paid no attention and went away, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the others seized his • slaves, treated them outrageously and killed them. 7 The king[1] Other mss read But when the (that) king heard about it he was enraged, so he sent out his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned down their city.

JESUS again spoke to them in parables. Who are “them?” This was the last week of JESUS before HIS crucifixion. HE was speaking to the Jewish religious leaders and they knew HE was talking about them. Prior to the scripture in our lesson, JESUS had spoken to them about the vineyard in Matthew 21:33-45: (The vineyard is Israel. The slaves are the prophets and John the Baptist. The son is JESUS. GOD is the owner. The Israelites are the tenant farmers and the religious leaders knew HE was talking about them.)

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower.[9] Isaiah 5:1–2 He leased it to tenant farmers and went away. 34 When the grape harvest[10] Lit the season of fruits drew near, he sent his slaves to the farmers to collect his fruit. 35 But the farmers took his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Again, he sent other slaves, more than the first group, and they did the same to them. 37 Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance!’ 39 So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?” 41 “He will completely destroy those terrible men,” they told Him, “and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his produce at the harvest.”[11] Lit him the fruits in their seasons 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.[12] Lit the head of the corner This came from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes?[13] 1 Pt 2:7 [14] Ps 118:22–23 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing its[15] The word its refers back to kingdom. fruit. [ 44 Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder!”][16] Other mss omit this v. [17] Dn 2:34–35,44 45 When the chief priests and the • Pharisees heard His parables, they knew He was speaking about them. 46 Although they were looking for a way to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, because they[18] The crowds regarded Him as a prophet.

This is a last ditch effort by JESUS to appeal to GOD’S chosen people, especially the
religious leaders. JESUS was speaking to those who should know the scriptures and who should know who HE was.

Since JESUS had their attention, HE gave them another parable.

A Jewish wedding was a grand and festive occasion. A wedding banquet was celebrated over several days. The finest of food and wine were brought out to celebrate the occasion. This is an event to which all Jews could relate. This is an event hosted by the king. It would be spectacular.

Typically the host would issue two (2) invitations. One to alert those invited that a banquet was being planned. The second one was issued when the banquet was ready. In this parable, the king issued three (3) invitations showing that he really wanted those invited to come.

JESUS began the parable by telling those listening that it related to the kingdom of heaven. This refers to the reign of GOD over HIS people. GOD is the authority and ruler. GOD is planning a banquet and issued an invitation to those who chose to
attend. However, the choice is theirs to make.

The setting for the story was that a king had a son who is about to be married. The king had notified specific people within his kingdom of the up-coming event. (Invitation one (1).)

We can relate this parable to GOD as the king and JESUS as the son. The slaves delivering the invitation referred to the prophets and John the Baptist who spoke and wrote of the coming Messiah.

When the king issued the invitation the first time, no one refused. So the king proceeded with the preparations. Now the banquet had been prepared and the king sent his servants to let the invited guests know. (Invitation two (2).)

The servants got negative responses. The invitees decided not to come. The king thought maybe they didn’t understand the food was ready. So he sent a second group of servants who made it clear that the food was ready and they were invited. (Invitation three (3).)

To show the king that they fully understood the invitation but rejected it, they mistreated his servants, even killing some who brought the message that the banquet was ready. It is clear those invited do not want to attend the banquet. They did not have a good excuse for not attending. They went about their daily routine – business and farm. So the king responded with a show of force. The rejection revealed the heart of those the king thought were open to his invitation.

Some Bible scholars relate the show of force by the king to how GOD brought destruction upon the Israelites over the years when they disobeyed HIM. It also showed that the king was the authority.

Let’s read Matthew 21:8-10:

8 “Then he told his • slaves, ‘The banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore, go to where the roads exit the city and invite everyone you find to the banquet.’ 10 So those slaves went out on the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding banquet was filled with guests.[2] Lit those reclining (to eat)

Since all preparation had been made, the food is ready and the people, the king wanted to attend the banquet, had refused. The king instructed his slaves or servants to go and invite everyone they can find to the banquet. Regardless of the attitude of those invited the event will be celebrated. He sent them to the area where a wide variety of folks would be found. So the slaves responded, inviting both the evil and the good. Even these new invitees had to make a decision whether or not to respond to the invitation. We know that many did respond.

We know from the Bible that the promised MESSIAH was promised first to the Jews. The Bible is replete with this message to the Jews. The Jewish religious leaders were the experts in the scriptures but had rejected JESUS (The son). The king, who represented GOD, now included all of mankind in the invitation to come to the banquet for his son - Jews, Gentiles, Barbarians, all people regardless of their gender, race, economic status, social status, religious training, education, wealthy, personality, age and the list goes on.

We, as believers, can relate to this parable. We can consider ourselves as slaves or servants of our King. HE asks us to issue the invitation of salvation to everyone regardless of their social standing or our opinion regarding their worthiness. HIS invitation is to everyone and HE will provide the necessary wedding clothes after HIS invitation is accepted. Our job is to be obedient to our calling. GOD does the rest. The banquet is prepared. The time to accept the invitation for eternal life is now.

The slaves were successful and filled the wedding banquet with guests. Let the festivities begin!!!

Let’s read Matthew 21:11-14:

11 But when the king came in to view the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed for a wedding. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. 13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot,[3] Other mss add take him away and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

The king entered the banquet to see the guests and to welcome them when he spotted a man not dressed for the wedding. My first thought was, “Gee the slaves invited everyone. So why pick on this poor man?” The LORD was quick to answer.

It was a custom for the host to provide suitable wedding clothes for their guests. The man not wearing proper attire is an example of a person coming to the wedding banquet on his (or her) own terms and not on the terms of the king. The king had a right to toss him out of the banquet. He had provided the proper clothes but this guest chose not to wear them. [Some Bible scholars think the wedding clothes were normal clothes but clothes that had been cleaned. The king spotted the man wearing dirty clothes. Others think they were special wedding clothes. I lean toward special wedding clothes. It does not matter except the man did not comply with the king’s rules.]

This gets us back to the original question. Who will GOD allow to enter into HIS heaven, anyone that chooses to follow any path to heaven? NO!!! GOD makes it plain. HE sent HIS ONLY SON into the world to die for the sins of mankind. All who accept that forgiveness and acknowledge CHRIST as their SAVIOR is immediately cleansed of all unrighteousness. Believers are made righteous by the shed blood of JESUS and clothed in the clothes of righteousness. GOD provides all we need to attend HIS banquet. WOW!!!

2 Corinthians 5:21:

21 He made the One (JESUS) who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

HIS righteousness makes us acceptable to GOD. This allows us to approach GOD in HIS very throne room and call HIM DADDY. This is not to trivialize this relationship but to let you know what a heritage we have through CHRIST and through the miracle of rebirth.

The man entering the banquet on his own terms as asked how he got into the banquet. He was speechless. Had he simply followed the crowd? Was he hoping that since the king was so generous that he would allow him to stay? But that did not happen. There was no opportunity for him to get a wedding garment. Instead he was bound and cast out of the banquet. Comply with the rules or else you cannot enter or remain.

Why did the king have him bound? The fact that the man did not comply with the rules, revealed his heart. He wanted to do things his way and would disrupt the banquet. The fact that he did not have on the proper wedding clothes showed disrespect to the king and the son. He was bound and cast out to show the king’s authority over him and to show to those who complied, to the king’s rules, the reward for their obedience. Binding him would keep him from trying to reenter the banquet and disrupting it.

Why take a chance on not getting to heaven based upon you own theology?

One day every human on the face of this earth will know the truth. GOD has sent HIS servants, has given us HIS Word and sent HIS ONLY SON. It is clear what GOD requires of those who seek salvation and eternal life. Shall you believe the truth or what sounds good? Stick with the tried and proven. Stick with what the Bible tells us. JESUS is the way and the only way to the FATHER. Argue all you want but the truth is recorded in HIS Word.

See you at the banquet!!!