There Will Be a Wedding

Matthew 22: The King and His Law (1)

Pray Psalm 110.3, 4.
Your people shall be volunteers
In the day of Your power;
In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,
You have the dew of Your youth.
The LORD has sworn
And will not relent,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”

Sing Psalm 110.3, 4.
Aurelia: The Church’s One Foundation
Your people in Your power, arrayed in holiness,
like dew of morning’s hour shall serve like youth refreshed.
The LORD has sworn and never will He His promise check:
“You are a priest forever after Melchizedek.”

Read and meditate on Matthew 22.1-14.
Who are the servants in this parable? What do they do?

Prepare.
1. Who would not come to the wedding feast?

2. How did the king respond to their excuses?

Meditate.
Jesus could go to cross because He did not fixate on it. He was saw beyond the cross to His resurrection and enthronement, the coming of His Kingdom (Ps. 22.21-31), and the great glory and praise that would bring to His Father. And even beyond that, He looked to the coming of the new heavens and new earth at the wedding feast of the Lamb (Rev. 19-22).

We glimpse that distant focus here in the parable of the wedding feast. It is self-explanatory: The king is giving a feast, to honor his son and his son’s bride; and he intends that all should make ready and attend (vv. 1-4). Not everyone who heard the announcement would prepare, however. Some even treated his messengers with scorn and abuse, even killing some (vv. 5, 6).

The king sent armies to destroy those who opposed him (v. 7). Then he sent his messengers beyond the local confines “into the highways” beyond, to call all people, “bad and good”, to come to the feast (vv. 8-10). But they must prepare, lest, should they show up not properly dressed, they would be cast into judgment with those who ignored or opposed the king’s plans (vv. 11-13). Only the few who were actually chosen would join the king in his feast (v. 14), and they would be identified by the wedding garments in which they arrived. They would be few, but enough to fill the king’s great wedding hall (v. 10).

Jesus could see all the way to the wedding feast of the Lamb, and He was calling all to prepare for it. The religious leaders and others would not; instead, they killed the Son and then persecuted, even to death, His messengers and servants.

We who have heeded that call look forward to the feast and prepare now by putting on the garments of Jesus’ love and righteousness (Rom. 13.12-14), which will prove that we are among the chosen of the Lord and His proper guests.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Wisdom has built Her house, 
She has hewn out Her seven pillars; 
She has slaughtered Her meat, 
She has mixed Her wine, 
She has also furnished Her table.
She has sent out Her maidens, 
She cries out from the highest places of the city, 
‘Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!’ 
As for him who lacks understanding, She says to him, 
‘Come, eat of My bread and 
drink of the wine I have mixed. 
Forsake foolishness and live, and 
go in the way of understanding’” (Prov. 9.1, 2).
Jesus is the Wisdom of Proverbs.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over” (Ps. 23.5).

“Tell those who are invited, 
‘See, I have prepared My dinner; 
My oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and 
all things are ready. 
Come to the wedding’” (Matt. 22.4).

God is a most-generous and well-prepared Host.
He offers us the consecrated Bread of His dear Son.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
I AM the Bread of Life’” (Jn. 6.47, 48).

The only prerequisite to entering God’s feast, is to be dressed properly in the garment of Jesus’ work—
His perfection, suffering, death, and resurrection. 
Sans this specific wardrobe requirement, we will be cast out.

Jesus is the only way to admission; and the only way out of eternal exclusion.

“I AM the way, the truth, and the life [The Invitation].
No one comes to the Father [to His majestic Wedding Feast]
except through Me [properly clothed in My righteousness]” (Jn. 14.6).

“Forsake foolishness and live, and 
go in the way of understanding” (Prov. 9.2).
You’ve been invited. Go. Attend the party. 
But: Remember the right attire. Then: wear it.
P. S. A Thank You note, following the festivities, 
would be respectfully appropriate (Jn. 14.15; 15.14; 1 Thess. 5.18).

Reflect.
1. How can you prepare each day to help ensure that you will be clothed with Jesus?

2. Why do we need to maintain a continuous self-watch over our soul? How should we do that?

3. What excuses do people give today for not wanting to accept the King’s invitation? Are you prepared to answer those excuses?

We are correct when we say that love is the wedding garment because this is what our Creator Himself possessed when He came to the marriage feast to join the church to Himself. Only God’s love brought it about that His only begotten Son united the hearts of His chosen to Himself. Gregory the Great (540-604), Forty Gospel Homilies 38.9

Pray Psalm 110.1, 2, 5-7.
Jesus is preparing the world for His coming wedding feast. He intends to use you today as His messenger. Commit this day to working at the preparations for the coming wedding feast of the Lord, both in your life and in your Personal Mission Field.

Sing Psalm 110.1, 2, 5-7.
Aurelia: The Church’s One Foundation
“Sit by Me at My right hand,” the LORD says to my Lord, 
“until I make Your foot stand on all who hate Your Word.” 
The LORD sends strength from Zion: “Rule all Your enemies.”
While those who Him rely on go forth the Lord to please.

The LORD is at Your right hand to execute His wrath,
and judge all kings and all lands—doomed sinners in His path.
Then, all His foes defeated, He takes His hard-won rest,
in glorious triumph seated with us, redeemed and blessed.

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Other columns of interest: This week: Our Read Moore podcast continues readings from the book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart. Our Crosfigell teaching letter is pursuing a series on the spiritual poetry of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column is focusing on how we can improve our powers of reasoning. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.