Thursday, February 03, 2005
Those Amazing Parables
Once again this week, leading a Bible study for high schoolers teaches me more than them. Last night we studied the Parable of the Wedding Feast. Matthew 22:1-14.
Of course, you know the story. It's been preached on a lot lately. A king throws a party and the invited guests don't show, in fact the invited guests get nasty when the king's servants come to urge their attendance. So, the king sends out his servants to ask whoever is available to come enjoy the banquet he has prepared.
Usually when I hear this parable preached, the story ends there. One of two points is then made:
1) We are all the flotsam off the street; see how wonderful it is to be at God's banquet, or
2) There is room at God's banquet for everyone, the sick and the lame, the poor and the ugly....
Funny thing is, I never hear anyone who preaches on the story wonder if we, the Christian establishment, are not the invited guests that get left behind. Sometimes I wonder if that is not an analogy worth exploring.
The other thing is I never really hear the rest of the story. Consider verses 11-14:
11 But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes, 12 and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
In the end some of the street flotsam that did show up got thrown out. Isn't that a fine how-do-you-do! Sorta puts a whole new spin on the issue of who really does make it to the party and who doesn't -- Huh.
I am not going to pretend to figure out how God's judgement works, all I am trying to say here is that I think it is a lot more complex than we tend to believe it is. I am saying here that we cannot afford to sit on our hands and assume our salvation is assurred.
This much I do know -- praying the sinner's prayer starts a journey, but it is not the journey's end. The sinner's prayer is the necessary first step, but it does not mean I will make the destination.
If you are reading this, chances are good you have made that first step, maybe even a bunch of them. Keep walking.
Of course, you know the story. It's been preached on a lot lately. A king throws a party and the invited guests don't show, in fact the invited guests get nasty when the king's servants come to urge their attendance. So, the king sends out his servants to ask whoever is available to come enjoy the banquet he has prepared.
Usually when I hear this parable preached, the story ends there. One of two points is then made:
1) We are all the flotsam off the street; see how wonderful it is to be at God's banquet, or
2) There is room at God's banquet for everyone, the sick and the lame, the poor and the ugly....
Funny thing is, I never hear anyone who preaches on the story wonder if we, the Christian establishment, are not the invited guests that get left behind. Sometimes I wonder if that is not an analogy worth exploring.
The other thing is I never really hear the rest of the story. Consider verses 11-14:
11 But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes, 12 and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
In the end some of the street flotsam that did show up got thrown out. Isn't that a fine how-do-you-do! Sorta puts a whole new spin on the issue of who really does make it to the party and who doesn't -- Huh.
I am not going to pretend to figure out how God's judgement works, all I am trying to say here is that I think it is a lot more complex than we tend to believe it is. I am saying here that we cannot afford to sit on our hands and assume our salvation is assurred.
This much I do know -- praying the sinner's prayer starts a journey, but it is not the journey's end. The sinner's prayer is the necessary first step, but it does not mean I will make the destination.
If you are reading this, chances are good you have made that first step, maybe even a bunch of them. Keep walking.
