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Tag: Matthew

  • Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom – 6

    Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom – 6

    The Parable of the Wedding Feast

    Matthew 22:

    And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,

    “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.

    If you have been following our series on wisdom you will already recognize that the banquet prepared for us by the king anticipates words of wisdom from our host. Recall also that many proverbs of wisdom from scripture were given to us by Solomon, King of Israel, son of David.

    Before we continue let’s reflect on the King and Son mentioned.

    Matthew 1:

    The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

    It is highly significant that the crowds of Jerusalem recognized this worker of miracles and teacher of parables as ‘the son of David. Jesus further frequently as the ‘son of man,’ meaning ‘a son of adam’ or human born in the flesh like you and me.

    For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. – Matthew 16:27

    Let’s be clear: Jesus’ claim to His place in this parable is Son of the King, Almighty God. He has both prepared the table and invited the guests.

    You have read the Law of Moses, witnessed the faith of Abraham and sung the Psalms of David. Though you read the wisdom and Proverbs of Solomon, you deny that the Lord tore away his kingdom, then restored Israel for a time.

    Servants of the Son of Man proclaim His message and the King now invites you to His banquet.

    Will you accept the invitation of the LORD?

    The King ‘sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast’, honored guests who claimed Abraham, followed Moses and were among the chosen; ‘but they would not come.’

    A Second Chance

    MATTHEW 22:

    4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off…

    God has prepared the feast of feasts for the Son of glory. Therefore Prophets like Ezekiel, God’s messenger frequently called ‘son of man,’ invited family to repent and come to the feast.

    2:3  וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי בֶּן־אָדָם שֹׁולֵחַ אֲנִי אֹֽותְךָ אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל־גֹּויִם הַמֹּורְדִים אֲשֶׁר מָרְדוּ־בִי הֵמָּה וַאֲבֹותָם פָּשְׁעוּ בִי עַד־עֶצֶם הַיֹּום הַזֶּֽה׃

    Ezekiel and other repentant men begged God’s chosen to also repent of their sins and humbly return to the King of creation. Most refused, yet he LORD shows mercy and compassion for those whom He loves.

    To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.  – Daniel 9:9-10

    Will your repent and return to your Lord?

    Matthew 22:

    … the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

    Certainly that had been the experience and lament of Daniel when a remnant of Israel survived in Babylon.

    A New Invitation

    8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.

    Would you be a ‘worthy guest’ of the King?

    Would the King ask you, a sinful Samaritan of sorts; a gentile, even a non-Christian?

    Hear how the Lord has reached out to many to celebrate the wedding of the Son.

    9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’

    10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

    ‘Both bad and good’ certainly includes you and me? Look at the definition of the greek word meaning bad, πονηρός ponēros.

    • pressed and harassed by labours
    • bringing toils, annoyances, perils
    • of a time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness
    • in a physical sense: diseased or blind
    • in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad

    Do any of these describe your present life?

    We are invited.

    Will you accept the invitation of the King to the Banquet for the Son?

    To be continued…

     

  • Times of Difficulty – 5

    Times of Difficulty – 5

    Godlessness in the Last Days

    2 Timothy 3:

    But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

    2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

    File- This Sept. 6, 2012, file photo shows Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon, (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
    Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos richest man in the world with a net worth of $90.6 billion

    Many lovers of money worldwide, with the richest residing in the US, France, Spain, Mexico, China and Hong Kong.

    Proud and arrogant men and women rule companies and financial interests more powerful than countries.

    We sense the extreme poverty of so many without knowing the truth of many billionaires like Carlos Slim Helú who dominates more than a country just devastated by yet another earthquake.

    Borderless prisons of poverty abuse the starving and obliterate opposition.

    Difficulty in these last days

    How many rulers of this temporary darkness are without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit and more?

    Evil rulers of countries and military forces threaten apocalypse, condone persecution and order elimination of those who oppose them. Is the Lord God their God?

    Hardly a mention of evil in these trying times. Yet one word describes all – godlessness. 

    Meanwhile international headline news conglomerates skew our focus toward consumption, power and fleeting fame. 

    Signs of the End of the Age

    Enlightened ones speculate with futily about global warming and disasters of ‘mother nature.’ 

    Earth did not create us, aliens did not plant us and apes did not conceive our ancestors. Yet idolatry abounds in these times of difficulty.

    When hurricane approaches or disaster strikes do any dare mention ‘acts of God?’

    Matthew 24:

    Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

    3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

    4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.

    6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

    7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

    9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.

    11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.

    12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

    14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

    No One Knows That Day and Hour

    In two millennia since the beginning of these last days, in recent centuries of these last hours, in passing minutes of threatening signs:

    Has your love grown cold? Will you endure to the end?

    Is your gospel of the kingdom of Christ Jesus a testimony of truth, an anchor of belief and hope of love?

    37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man…

    Hurricane Irma makes landfall in Florida, wreaking destruction

    44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

    2 Peter 3:

    … scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say,

    “Where is the promise of his coming? …”

    5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.

    7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

    Remember 9/11
    2,996 deaths

    10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

    For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man…

     

     

  • Times of Difficulty – 2

    Times of Difficulty – 2

    Signs of the Times

    [Introduction to this this series – part 1, in case you missed it.]

    Matthew 16:

    And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

    Pharisees, teachers, men of authority, including Sadducees who wielded great power over corporate worship want to debate with Jesus. Knowing the great signs Jesus has done for others they ask to see a miracle. (Perform for us, if you are the Son of God.) Show us a sign.

    He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’  And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’

    You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

    An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

    Are we so different? Are we not learned men and enlightened women? What sign of the risen Christ do we show those who live ungodly lives?

    Prophesy of Jesus

    Later Jesus would warn those of the present day of the Apostles, Pharisees, Sadducees and Roman occupiers even more things of these last days.

    Luke 21:

    5 And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

    7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”

    Jerusalem

    8 And he said, “See that you are not led astray.

    For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’

    Do not go after them.

    9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

    Did Rome destroy Jerusalem and the Temple? Have many gone after false prophets who have led astray?

    Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution

    10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

    11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences.

    And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

     

    12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness.

    How soon we forget our unity in terror and faith under God.

    24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

    The Coming of the Son of Man

    25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

    27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

    To be continued…