Chosen

Chosen

Matthew 22: 1 - 14

Intro: Today’s scripture is about a wedding banquet. I have a story that I read recently that I want to share with you. A mother and daughter were attending the wedding of one of their relatives. The little girl had never attended a wedding and was very impressed. During the ceremony she leaned over and whispered: “Mommy, why is the bride dressed all in white?” Avoiding a long discussion, the mother responded, “Because white is the color of happiness and today is the happiest day of her life.” A few moments later the little girl whispered again: “So, why is the groom all dressed in black?”

I There are different wedding customs and practices in every culture.

A At the time of Jesus it was customary to extend an invitation announcing the intention of a pending wedding. Then, it was customary to inform those invited that it was time to some. (like a DR. appointment courtesy call to remind you to come.)

B VS. 4 “Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”

C This parable is a “judgment parable” in allegory form. King = God / Son = Jesus / invited guests = Israel / Slaves sent = Prophets & Christian missionaries.

II Imagine that you receive an invitation to attend a dinner at Buckingham Palace. At the bottom of the invitation are the letters R.S.V.P.

A The letters stand for the French “Respondez s’il vous plait.” Which means please respond whether you will or will not attend.

B Would you just ignore the invitation and perhaps discard it?

C Do you think you would ever receive another invitation from the Queen? How do you think the Queen would react to your disregard for her invitation?

III VSS. 9 – 10 Good and bad are invited to attend. VSS. 11 – 12 is a parable within a parable. We must remember that a parable is a story told to convey a lesson.

A What is the lesson here? The point of the parable here is contained in VS. 14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

B The word in GK is eklektos (e??e?t??) which means chosen / called / elected / accepted.

C The message for us is that the man who has not “put on” the wedding garments is likened to a Christian convert who accepts the invitation but does nothing but show up.

Concl: Churches across America are dying and closing. It seems that the zeal and passion for God is disappearing. What Jesus is telling us is that because we are lovingly accepted by the grace of God, we must live and do as Christ commands. In his explanation of this passage, John Calvin said that the wedding guest who is cast into outer darkness receives this judgment because he has refused to be clothed with Christ.

Being “Chosen” means we must be obedient and faithful to God in Christ Jesus as a graceful response to the invitation of Christ Jesus to live as a citizen of God’s kingdom.