Stay on mission

Each season in the FEBC Skywaves newsletter, I share a devotional message to encourage you to ‘stay on mission.’ That is, to keep focussing your eyes on Jesus Christ, and your heart on his mission in the world (ala Matthew 28 “Go and make disciples…”).

This post is an amalgamation of the last two Skywaves editions, capturing five points from the parable of the Wedding Banquet in Matthew 22. It is a variation on the previous blog post “Punished for a dress code violation.” Enjoy:

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

This parable of Jesus’ is a thorough and beautiful explanation of the good news, but it is often misunderstood. Many people find it hard to understand why the guest is thrown outside.

1. The King invites everyone to the wedding banquet of his son. vv3,4,9,10. No one is excluded from God’s welcome list.

The deserving and the undeserving, the bad and the good (v.10). Notice that all are invited, gathered, and welcomed into the King’s palace. Radio and broadcast media invite vast numbers of people to turn towards Jesus Christ. 

2. The King sees all people who come near to him. v11. God is perfectly aware of all who approach him, even those who don’t genuinely revere him, until the last minute, God gives people room to consider his greatness, and no one is ignored by our loving creator.  

3. The King speaks kindly to all. v.12. Even the most irreverent sceptic who approaches God can expect a warm greeting like “Friend”!  Eventually humility and reverence are essential, but any gesture towards God is met with grace. Radio and media deliver the invitation to all to become a true friend.  

Please pray for FEBC listeners everywhere to hear God’s invitation, no matter how ‘bad’ they see themselves, to hear his call to closer friendship, and to respond humbly. 

4. The King invites people to think. v12. “How did you get in here?”

This is an opportunity for the guest to think about how he ended up in a palace, drinking and eating the finest fare, surrounded by well-dressed people, hosted by a King . The answer is profoundly sweet. He “got in” by the grace of the King. Our radio programmes invite people to think – How could I get into heaven? Programmes help people understand that we cannot work our way into heaven, but that salvation is a free gift. The righteousness God requires from us, is a gift of grace to us. It is offered to us in Jesus, much like the free wedding clothes offered to the ungrateful guest. Yes, all who arrived at the doorway of the palace were offered clean and beautiful clothes. Over garments to cover whatever they were wearing before. Smart clothes to dignify the guests and honour the king.

5. Don’t be silent. Talk to the King. vv12b-13. “The man was speechless.”

The man was not awestruck. The word used is “muzzled.” He literally muzzled himself and refused to talk to the king. This guest would rather be thrown outside and suffer than bow the knee to the kind king! Our radio programmes encourage listeners to respond with gratitude and faith, to the promises of Jesus Christ.  

The guest was eventually bound and thrown outside because he refused to humble himself and accept the clothes that the king offered. He refused to think, and he refused to talk. He wanted to take the king’s food, but not to give himself to the king in reverence and gratitude.  

The King is an illustration of God. He invites the bad and the good near to himself so that he can demonstrate his kindness and mercy, his grace and compassion. Every day before Jesus’ return is a day of grace, allowing people everywhere to hear and see Jesus, and put their hope in God. God the King has provided everything we need to be righteous before him. Wedding clothes were on offer freely to all who entered the king’s palace. This illustrates the righteousness of Jesus that is offered freely to all who will believe in him. This is the mystery and beauty of the gospel – Christ died in our place, and offers his righteousness to us who will believe in him. There is no work we can do to impress God.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:8-10

Please pray for listeners everywhere, to hear God’s invitation and to respond with humility. 

Kia kaha, Matt