ANGLICAN DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTINAL FORFEBRUARY 13, 2023 (HE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING FEAST)

  TOPIC: THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING FEAST

TEXT: Matthew 22: 1-15(NKJV)
1. And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:
2. “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,
3. “and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
4. “Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘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.” ‘

5. “But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.
6. “And the rest seized his servants, treated [them] spitefully, and killed [them.] 7. “But when the king heard [about it,] he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

9. ‘Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’
10. “So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding [hall] was filled with guests.
11. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
12. “So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

13. “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14. “For many are called, but few [are] chosen.”
15. Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in [His] talk.

MESSAGE
In our text today, a king prepared a wedding feast for his son and invited special guests. He even sent servants to remind them, but the people refused to attend and treated his servants spitefully and some were killed. The angry king sent his army to destroy those murderers and burn their city. The king out of his love, sent his servants to invite other people from the highways to the feast. The king here is God. He has prepared a feast and a place for us in heaven (John 14: 1-3).

The invitation has been sent out by his ministers through the Gospel, first to the Jews, but they treated it with levity and then to the Gentiles. However, there is a condition: You must have a wedding garment. Anyone without this wedding garment will be cast into outer darkness for punishment. Only the Lord Jesus can give that wedding garment when one surrenders to His Lordship and becomes born again. Whosoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3: 16)

Only the blood of Jesus can wash away sins (1 John 1: 7). Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? If not call on Him now!

PRAYER: Father thank you for your love for mankind. May my garment always be white!