Furlough Fragments

Yesterday, February 14th, Valentine's Day marked the 10th year of when I walked into a cancer infusion center clinic to receive my first dose of chemo.  I was there over 8 hours that day and that would become my new routine over the next 5 months returning every 3rd week.  It does seem like a life time ago but my colostomy bag reminds me of the year 2011 every day.  Many view 2020 as a bad or challenging year.  Mine was 2011 but as I said to Stephanie yesterday after saying, "Happy Valentine's Day" was "I'm still here and thankful to be productive for my God."  

I am not a sermon preparer right now but now a sermon listener.  As I have said before, I am thankful for the church we attend here when back at "home base."  It is so important to search out a church that preaches the Word of God and is filled with people who are there because it is holding to the Word of God.  I held off sharing this post because the pastor's sermon was a two parter on the passage found in Matthew 22:1-14, The Parable of the Marriage Feast.  I wanted to get the full message before sharing some insights I gained from this last parable of Jesus before going to the cross.

In some parables, the characters are a little more obvious of who they may represent.  This is the third parable that addresses the Pharisees' question in Matthew 21.23b of, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?"  The Pharisees are the 2nd son in the first parable who says he will go and work in the vineyard but then doesn't go.  The Pharisees are the vine-growers in the second parable who take the vineyard owner's son and kills him thinking they would receive the inheritance of the vineyard because the son is the only son of the vineyard owner.  In this third parable, the Pharisees are those who were invited to the marriage feast but now outright refused the invitation or the one who was there but not wearing the proper wedding clothes provided by the king.  In all three parables the Pharisees are the "bad guys."

So in this kingdom parable, my list of characters looks like this:

• a king who gave a wedding feast = God, the Father
• a son who the wedding feast was given for = God, the Son, 1st coming
• the slaves to call those to the wedding feast = the prophets of God, the apostles of God
• those who had been invited 2 times, past (before Jesus' coming) and present (now at Jesus' first coming) = the Jews and specifically the Pharisees
• his armies = the Romans of 70 A.D.
• their city = Jerusalem destroyed
• the good and evil of the 3rd invitation from the main highways = us who assessed by the world are either good or evil but all needing an invitation
• wedding clothes = salvation provided by the king by the son's occasion (1st coming)
• the man not dressed in wedding clothes = someone not saved, not thinking what only the king can provide is absolutely necessary, his clothes are "good enough"
• outer darkness = hell 
• weeping and gnashing of teeth = continuing actions of hell
• called = an invitation going out to all, the world (to the many)
• chosen = someone who has responded to the invitation with repentance to disregard their own clothes of sin for the wedding clothes provided by God through His Son Jesus of His righteousness (the few)

I have never claimed to be a theologian, just a simple man following after God, but these are my observations to make application of this final parable of Jesus.  What was my takeaway from Sunday's sermon?  "Jesus gives us another warning about a coming judgment (near - 70 A.D. and far - The Day of the Lord), even to those who are about to kill Him, but do I see His mercy?"  "As the mouth piece of the gospel now by God's design, do I share the warning of a coming King and judgment?"  "Do I share that warning like Jesus does with mercy, love, and grace?"  

Where is the mercy in Jesus' warning?

1.  Jesus shares this information about 30 years before it happens.
2.  Jesus gives them the greatest evidence of all time, His death and resurrection just as He said it would happen.
3.  Jesus gave them the birth of His church which carried on His words directed by the Holy Spirit and through the eye witnesses, the apostles.
4.  Jesus gave them signs and wonders performed by His apostles.
5.  Jesus gave them thousands of converted Jews in Jerusalem who spoke of Jesus as Lord, the Messiah, and even some of their own like Paul.
6.  Jesus gave them the near judgment actually happening as He said in 70 A.D. to give weight to His warning the far judgment of heaven or hell.

Do I share the warnings of God's impending judgment on those who don't accept the invitation and respond with a switch from "my clothes" with "His clothes?"  Do I share it out of a love for them and therefore it comes across not with a bony pointing finger but rather a quiver in the voice and a tear coming from the eye?  If Jesus and His apostles did not shy away from "the whole story" then why do we?  Why do we think it would be less merciful and loving to speak about the judgment of hell?  

Those are the thoughts of a preacher who isn't preaching right now but listening intently to God's word shared by another.  Keep taking notes, now and forever.

Adam

p.s. - Here are the links to both parts of this sermon given by Pastor Mike Sprott from Grace Bible Church of Tampa.

Part one - https://livestream.com/gbct/events/9520824/videos/217228999

Part two - https://livestream.com/gbct/events/9529558/videos/217535967 - starting at minute 21:00