St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 14; The Called and the Chosen.

Our paragraph topic is:  (One guest is cast out) Part 4.  

Our parable comes to an end with Christ telling the people the final meaning of this story.  He wants the people to have some understanding of the kingdom of heaven.  So he tells a parable that relates the kingdom of heaven to a king who exercises power over his people in his kingdom.

This king wants to give a party, a celebration, for his son and the bride on the union of their wedding.  The king wanted all to attend and celebrate with him this happy and joyous occasion.  He wanted the word to spread of this party for his son so that all would know of his graciousness and his love for his son and the union with his new bride. 

Yet there were many who did not want to attend, many who did not want the word to get out about the party.  He sent out invitations to all in the town and villages in his kingdom but none would come.  So he sent his servants at to the crossroads and invited all the travelers who were passing through to stop and come to the party.  Many were invited and many came both good and bad.

Many came from the crossroads to see the kings hospitality at this event.  And as the party got underway the king came down to view the guest and to celebrate.  As he walked through the crowd he saw one who came without the proper attire, one who decided to come anyway.  He was displeased.  So he had his servants bind his hands and feet and cast them out into the darkness where there was the weeping and gnashing of teeth.  "For many are called, but few are chosen."  

And this was the lesson that Christ wanted the people to hear from this parable.  That all are called to the celebration of the kingdom but few are chosen to remain.  

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 12; The Guest is questioned.

Our paragraph topic is:  (One guest is cast out) Part 2.  

The party had started and the king was ready to make his entrance to see all the guest.  He was excited that he finally had the celebration that he wanted for his son and the bride.  So he entered the feast and viewed the guest as they were celebrating and feasting.  Finally he came upon one guest that was not properly dressed for the occasion and inquired how he came to enter.

"And he said to him, ' Friend, how didst thou come in here without a wedding garment?' But he was speechless."  

It is interesting to note that all were invited to attend the wedding feast.  All were told that they were attending a wedding feast and all knew that the proper attire would be a wedding garment for this occasion.  But this guest decided to come without a wedding garment.  It was as though he decided to dishonor the host by coming without one.  

The king wanted all to remember this happy occasion.  He wanted all to talk about this event to everyone they saw.  He wanted the word to spread of the wedding feast that took place so that people would know of this special event.  The king did not want this event to be scarred by talk of one who came without a wedding garment, one who came in disrespect of the king and the bride and the groom.  This was a happy occasion, a joyous occasion, one to remember for many years to come and not one to be talked about with scandal.

So Christ is telling this parable to the people that they will understand how the kingdom of heaven works similar to this wedding feast given by the king.  God our Father wants all to come to the wedding feast.  He invites the good and the bad, but all must come with the proper attire and not in disrespect of his graciousness.  Come one come all let us celebrate the union of the Christ and the Church here on earth for the sacrifice has been made, the price has been paid, and the union of the two will now take place in this grand celebration.


Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 11; The Improperly dressed Guest.

Our Paragraph topic is:  (One guest is cast out) Part 1.  

After all the preparation and all the invitations, the celebration began.  The wedding feast of the bride and the groom will be an event to remember for all those who attended.  All those who stopped their journey at the crossroads of the town and came to the party, they will remember this celebration and talk about it to all whom they meet wherever they travel.

There was music and dancing and food and laughter and happiness all around.  Even the king was happy when he came down to see the great hall filled with music and laughter.  But there was one thing that displeased the king.  "Now the king went in to see the guests, and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment."  

Now this was a wedding party and all knew the attire.  Yet here was a man who decided to attend but refused to wear the appropriate attire.  It was not that he did not have a wedding garment, but it was that he refused to wear a wedding garment and decided that he was going to attend anyway no matter what the attire.  It would be like attending a formal event without having the formal attire and saying that you were going anyway without the formal attire to show disdain for the event and the host.

The king went to great lengths to host this event for the bride and the groom and he did not want anything to take away from this occasion.  And certainly this person would was not going to be a distraction for everyone to see and talk about at this great event.  Christ is telling this parable to the people because he wants them to understand the conclusion that he is leading up to.  He has a lesson that he wants them to learn.  He teaches in parables but within the parables are life's lessons that the people can take with them and remember for the rest of their lives and apply in situations when they come up.

The same is true in our lives today.  His parables are teachings to guide us through life.  The Bible is full of the parables and teachings that we can learn from.  There are hundreds of stories that we can take with us on our journey through life if we choose to look and see, if we choose to read them, if we choose to believe that they are there for us to know.  We walk a path everyday through life lost in the physical world doing the same things over and over again telling ourselves we are happy.  We find joy in some things that we do but we wake up to the drudgery of life and have to go back to the everyday work of living instead of living the life that we dream.  Few get to live a life of freedom and even they become board with their lives.  

Find the life within and walk the journey that you are given.  Seek the true light that gives you life and you will know who you are.  Each day you will grow in the knowledge and strength of your self awareness and soon you will no longer be the physical but more the spiritual than the physical.  And in that moment of transition Christ and the spiritual will be with you more than the physical, always.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.  

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 10a; They gathered all.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The king's anger) Part 5.  

The king wanted to have a party.  He had made preparations to have a wedding feast and that was what he was going to do.  But no one came.  So he had to find people to attend.  He sent his servants out to the crossroads of the town and invited all that they saw, all that they met who were passing by the town, to come to the celebration.  There was a party going on.  There would be wine, and music, and food, and dancing, and laughter, so stop by on your journey and refresh yourself at this joyous event.

This was the message that was told to those that were met on the crossroads of the town.  They were greeted with this great celebration so that they would take a detour and come to the party and the king would have his celebration.  "And his servants went out into the roads, and gathered all whom they found."  

The king wanted to celebrate the wedding feast.  Christ is telling this parable so that the people will understand the kingdom of heaven.  God our Father wants to have a celebration and he wants to invite all to come.  He will send his servants out to all parts to gather all those that can come to the feast.  His love for all determines to what lengths he will go to make sure that all are included and no one is left out.

He has already made the invitation to those that he thought were special.  They refused his invitation and killed his messengers.  They did not want his message to spread to the people so they tried to stop it from spreading.  He sent his army out and burned their village and killed all involved.  He now invites all those who were not special, the common man, those on the crossroads of life, those who have not heard of the celebration, those who are not a part of the town where the king reigns, the outsiders.

This king is generous.  He is loving.  He is kind.  He is just.  This wedding feast is important to him because it is his son that is being wedded to the bride.  And that is something that is very important for him that he wants all to know and recognize.  Come to the wedding feast and see the bride.  Come to the wedding feast and celebrate the union of the two who will be joined together for life.  Come to the wedding feast and recognize your part in honoring the bride and groom.  For this is your future.  This is your past.  This is your place of worship and peace.  This is where you belong in this house, in this building, in this sanctuary with your brothers and sisters alike.  They await your coming.  They welcome you with open arms.  They greet you with a holy kiss.  They are yours and you are theirs.  Come! 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.    

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 9; The public invited.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The king's anger) Part 4.  

The king will not be deterred from his celebration.  He wanted to have a party.  He wanted others to enjoy his happiness, his joy.  He had invited those that he thought were worthy.  But they thought otherwise of the king.  They apparently did not like the king.  They must have hated him.  They had contempt and animosity for him because they killed the messengers. But despite all that, he would not be deterred from this celebration.

So the king continued to make preparations for this celebration.  He told his servants:  Go therefore to the crossroads, and invite to the marriage feast whomever you shall find."  And so it was that the king would invite all that would come and celebrate with him and his son.  It would be a grand occasion.  All would enjoy the music and the dancing and the food and the drinks for this happy occasion.  And the king would be happy to see such joy in the people.

What does this say to us today?  Would we like to go to the kings party?  Would we like to be one of those invited to come?  Go to the crossroads, go to the major intersections, shout it from the rooftops, tell everyone you know.  Post it on Facebook, take pictures and show them on Instagram so everyone would know of the celebration.  All will be invited and all will be welcomed at the party.

Will you come?  Will you be there with everyone else?  It will be the talk of the town.  But this is different from the parties that we know of today.  There will be no drugs.  There will be no strip dancers.  No guns allowed.  Proper attire only.  This will be the celebration of the year, of the century because this is the message that Christ wants all to understand about the kingdom of heaven.  His father is having a party and he wants all to be invited.

Don't miss out!  Don't hesitate!  You are given the notice well in advance of the event so that you will have enough time to prepare, to get ready,  to become worthy of the event.  There are those who say they are not going.  There are those who do not believe that it is worth their time.  There are those who hate the king and would persuade you that you are not worthy to attend.  Do not be persuaded by those who would turn you away from the party of the century, the party that is yours to attend.  The decision is yours to make.  Do not let someone else make it for you.  The doors are open for all to attend.  Put on your party outfit and come join the party!

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.    

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 5; And they laughed at the invitation.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The marriage feast) Part 4.  

You see, Jesus is comparing the kingdom of heaven to a king preparing a wedding feast for his son.  He wants to have fun and merriment during the celebration and he wants all those invited to have a good time.  So he has made all these elaborate preparations so that there will be music and wine and food enough for all.  He has sent out invitations to all those that he would like to attend but they refused to come.

Those that were invited talked about coming.  They thought about making preparations to come.  They did not show.  "But they made light of it, and went off, one to his farm, and another to his business."  

We are party people.  Why would one turn down an invitation to a party?  In this day and time a well planned party is a welcomed opportunity.  It is like a vacation away from the ordinary dull drums of the work-a-day world we live in.  But Christ was making a comparison for those to hear who could understand his meanings and his message.  One has to question himself as to why would one not go to a celebration.

We can think of reasons why: "It's going to be a bad party.", "No one is going to be there.", "The celebration will be dull and boring, the same as before.", "It will not be a fun time that one will remember because one cannot have fun with the king present."  There are many reasons that they did not want to go to the wedding celebration.  

What are our reasons today?  Do we not want to be at the celebration?  Do we not want to go to the wedding feast of the king's son?  Do we not want to praise and honor to the one so blessed as to unite with a bride to begin a new life?  What do we have to say about the feast?  There are things that we have to do to prepare ourselves.  We must have the proper clothing to wear.  We must have the right attitude when attending so that we might enjoy ourselves.  Are we preparing to go to the feast?

Christ wants us to understand the kingdom of heaven.  He provides us with examples that we can understand and relate to so that our minds are open to the message he wants to give us.  Just as those who laughed at the invitation and made light of it, we do the same today.  We say that we want to go but we make no plans.  We say that we want to be there but we do not want to make the preparations to be there.  We say that we will be there but we go about doing the same things that lead us in a different direction.  What do we want?  What are we doing?

The path that leads to the celebration is like a path of enlightenment.  For this celebration the whole path is filled with wonderful joys and happiness that we can not even imagine.  Our eyes are opened.  Our hearts are filled along the way.  And that which is within us is awakened to the truth of who we are.  We become more alive because we realize who we are becoming and where the path is taking us.  The celebration is a wonderful place to be and the path that leads to it is filled with prizes of enlightenment.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verse: 7, They paid him homage.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Triumphal entry into Jerusalem) Part 2. 

They had no white stallion for him to ride.  They had no parade for him to be seen in.  They had no twenty-one gun salute to honor him.  They only had the ass and the colt for him to ride upon.  So as simple men they paid honor and tribute in their own simple way.

The people were with them.  They knew that he would come to the celebration.  They were waiting.  They were looking for him.  They all had heard of his miracles and his deeds.  And they expected him to come to Jerusalem to bring about change.  And the little people, the poor, the downtrodden, the beggars, those in pain and suffering from oppression sought him out and paid homage to him in their own simple way.  And they brought the ass and the colt, laid their cloaks on them, and made him sit thereon. 

This was what they knew how to do.  They were poor and lowly people who worship the Messiah.  Others could not see. Others did not believe.  Most were skeptical and refused to believe in the word that they heard.  Yet here he was, coming into Jerusalem, into their mist for the celebration of the year.  The little ones saw and believe.  They knew that he was the Messiah.  There was no doubt in their minds or in their hearts.  They knew that he had come to bring about change.  But they did not know how the change would happen.

He has said that he will return, that all will see and know.  He has said that he will return on a cloud for all to see.  And we wait with patience for that day, that time, that hour when we must be ready for his coming.  Will you be ready?  Will you be prepared?  Or will the thief catch you asleep and not on guard? 

We live in a world with many distractions, where we can be blind to the truth.  We have opportunities to play, and relax, and to enjoy all that the world has to offer.  We have opportunity to get caught up in the pleasures of the world and opportunity to forget who we are.  Be not blinded.  Be not caught up in the pleasures.  Be not deceived into believing that the day will never come.  For certain as we live and breathe the day is fast approaching.  And our time is limited.  The day is not given to us.  The hour is not ours to have.  The thief will come and take away all, when you are not ready.  Be in guard at all times.  It is written for all to see, for all to know.  And the word will be fulfilled.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ.   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.