For many are invited, but few are chosen

Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

For many are invited, but few are chosen.

Jesus' parable of the guests invited to the wedding feast illustrates what he has just said. The day will come when God no longer invites those who repeatedly refuse him. The invitation will go to others. Verses 11-13 are a warning to the newcomers. Those who come must come on God's terms.

Why?

The banquet of the king invited the people of Israelite, but many of them refuse to come. So the Lord invites the foreigner, no matter who he is, good or bad may come. Jesus gives chance to everyone on the world to his salvation banquet. But there are some guests who look down this banquet of the King, they did not follow the rule of a banquet. So they will be thrown outside. It means at the end of the day, the judgment comes, many people will be discarded outside of heaven. For they did not have the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

We will see that many are invited to be Christian, but few are chosen. Be careful with our behavior and our deed.

------------

惡園戶與邀宴都是天國邀請人的比喻，一個是工作，一個是邀請。兩個都有規矩，宴席雖然是享受還是有要求必須穿禮服。一個從服事，一個從恩典角度來看。一個要交帳，一個是接受邀請，有自己的事情，即使要我去享受，也要看我是否願意去。惡園戶把葡萄園當作自己的，大宴席，把自己的生命時間，當作自己人的。最後園主把園子交給願意交帳的人，宴席後來給其他人。用心經營葡萄園，是工作，是使命其實也是恩典，且先領受恩典了。基督徒領受神兒女的身份，同時自己已經先領受，所以去分享給別人。受邀者不願去赴宴席，認為我自己有更重要的事情，呈現了我們是主人還是神是主人的問題。我認為重要的才是重要，人何等愚蠢，擴建選擇那辛苦的道路。選的人不配，主要是願意的人才配得。時間的主人是誰?人常常不放心，寧可自己走辛苦的路。願意的人要用實際行動表達，放下自己的事。要有屬靈的眼光。看見神邀請我們是去享受。積極方面穿著禮物，很慎重的預備，因為知道這是很重要的。照著神的規定，照著請帖上的說明書，我們才能收到。照著神的說明，必得這最屬靈的應許。

------------

How?

We need to struggle to enter the kingdom of heaven and do our best to honor the name of the Lord until we see the face of the Lord.