MATTHEW CHAPTER 22 THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT FEAST JESUS TOLD MANY PARABLES SUCH AS THIS ONE: THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN CAN ALSO BE ILLUSTRATED BY A KING WHO WAS PREPARING A GREAT WEDDING FEAST FOR HIS ONLY SON...WHEN ALL WAS READY HE SENT HIS SERVANTS TO NOTIFY ALL WHO HAD BEEN INVITED...BUT THEY REFUSED TO COME! SO THE KING SENT OTHER SERVANTS TO TELL THEM...THE FEAST HAS BEEN PREPARED...THE BULLS AND THE FATTENED CATTLE HAVE ALL BEEN KILLED...ALL IS READY...COME AND EAT! BUT THE GUESTS STILL IGNORED THEM AND WENT THEIR OWN WAY...ONE WENT TO HIS FARM...ANOTHER HIS BUSINESS...BUT OTHERS SEIZED THE KINGS MESSENGERS AND KILLED THEM. WHEN THE KING HEARD THIS HE WAS FURIUOS...SO HE SENT OUT HIS ARMY TO DESTROY THE MURDERERS ALONG WITH THEIR TOWN...THEN THE KING SAID TO HIS SERVANTS...THE FEAST IS READY...AND NONE OF MY INVITED GUESTS ARE WORTHY OF THIS HONOR...SO GO INTO THE STREETS AND INVITE EVERYONE YOU SEE. THE SERVANTS DID AS THE KING ORDERED...THEY BROUGHT IN ALL THEY COULD FIND...BOTH THE GOOD AND THE BAD...FILLING THE BANQUET HALL WITH GUESTS. WHEN THE KING ENTERED AND BEGAN TO GREET HIS GUESTS HE NOTICED A MAN WHO WAS NOT WEARING THE PROPER CLOTHES FOR A WEDDING...FRIEND...THE KING SAID...HOW IS IT THAT YOU HAVE COME HERE WITHOUT YOUR WEDDING CLOTHES?...THE MAN WAS SPEECHLESS...HAVING NO EXCUSE TO GIVE...SO THE KING SAID TO HIS AIDES...QUICK...BIND HIM HAND AND FEET AND THROW HIM INTO OUTER DARKNESS...WHERE THERE WILL BE WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH! FOR MANY ARE CALLED...BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN. PAYING TAXES TO CAESAR THE PHARISEES BEGAN TO PLOT AND PLAN HOW TO TRAP JESUS INTO SAYING SOMETHING SERIOUS ENOUGH TO GET HIM ARRESTED...SO THEY SENT SOME OF THEIR DISCIPLES...ALONG WITH SUPPORTERS OF HEROD TO MEET WITH JESUS. TEACHER, THEY SAID...WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE AN HONEST MAN...YOU TEACH THE WAYS OF GOD TRUTHFULLY...YOU ARE IMPARTIAL...PLAYING FAVORITES TO NO ONE...PLEASE TELL US WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS: IS IT RIGHT TO PAY TAXES TO CAESAR OR NOT? BUT JESUS,KNOWING THEIR MOTIVES WERE EVIL SAID TO THEM...YOU ARE A BUNCH OF HYPOCRITES...WHY DO YOU TRY TO TRAP ME...SHOW ME THE COIN USED FOR THE TAX....WHEN THEY HANDED HIM A ROMAN COIN HE SAID...WHOSE PICTURE AND TITLE ARE ON THIS COIN? CAESARS...THEY ALL REPLIED. THEN GIVE THAT WHICH IS CAESARS TO CAESAR...AND TO GODS WHAT IS GODS. JESUS REPLY AMAZED THEN SO THAT THEY WENT AWAY WITHOUT SAYING ANOTHER WORD. THE DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE RESURRECTION THAT VERY SAME DAY JESUS WAS APPROACHED BY A GROUP OF SADDUCEES...THESE ARE THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS WHO SAY THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD...THEY POSED THIS QUESTION TO JESUS SAYING THIS: TEACHER...MOSES SAID...IF A MAN SHOULD DIE WITHOUT EVER HAVING ANY CHILDREN...IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF HIS BROTHER TO MARRY THE WIDOW AND THEN HAVE A CHILD WHO CAN CARRY ON HIS DEAD BROTHERS NAME....BUT WHAT IF THERE WERE 7 BROTHERS...THE OLDEST MARRIED HAVING NO CHILDREN...SO THEN HIS BROTHER MARRIED THE WIDOW...BUT THEN THE SECOND BROTHER ALSO DIED...THIS CONTINUED WITH ALL 7 OF THE BROTHERS...FINALLY THE WOMAN DIED...SO WHOS WIFE WILL SHE BE IN THE RESURRECTION...SINCE ALL 7 BROTHERS HAD BEEN MARRIED TO HER? THEN JESUS SAID...YOUR MISTAKE LIES IN THE FACT THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW THE SCRIPTURES...OR THE POWER OF GOD...FOR WHEN THE DEAD RISE AGAIN THEY WILL NEITHER MARRY...NOR BE GIVEN IN MARRIAGE...IN THIS RESPECT...THEY WILL BE AS THE ANGELS IN HEAVEN. BUT AS FOR YOUR QUESTION CONCERNING THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD...HAVE YOU NOT READ ABOUT THIS IN THE SCRIPTURES...LONG AFTER ABRAHAM,ISAAC AND JACOB HAD DIED GOD SAID THIS...I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM,THE GOD OF ISAAC AND THE GOD OF JACOB...SO GOD IS THE GOD OF THE LIVING...NOT THE DEAD....WHEN THEY HEARD THIS THEY WERE ASTONISHED AT HIS TEACHINGS. THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL COMMANDMENTS WHEN THE PHARISEES HEARD THAT THE SADDUCEES HAD BEEN SILENCED BY JESUS REPLY THEY MET TOGETHER TO QUESTION HIM AGAIN...ONE OF THEM...WHO PRIDED HIMSELF IN BEING AN EXPERT IN RELIGIOUS LAW TRIED TO TRAP JESUS BY ASKING HIM THIS QUESTION: TEACHER...OF ALL THE COMMANDMENTS OF MOSES...WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT? JESUS REPONSE...YOU ARE TO LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART...AND ALL YOUR SOUL...AND ALL YOUR MIND....THIS IS THE FIRST AND THE GREATEST...A SECOND ONE THAT IS OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE...LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF....THE ENTIRE BOOK OF THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS ARE BASED ON THESE 2 COMMANDENTS. WHOSE SON IS THE MESSIAH BEING SURROUNDED BY THE PHARISEES JESUS ASKED THIS QUESTION...WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE MESSIAH...WHOSE SON IS HE? AND THEIR REPLY...HE IS THE SON OF DAVID. THEN JESUS SAID...IF THIS IS SO THEN WHY DID DAVID...WHILE SPEAKING UNDER THE INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,CALL THE MESSIAH MY LORD...FOR IT WAS AT THAT TIME THAT DAVID SAID, THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD...SIT IN THE PLACE OF HONOR AT MY RIGHT HAND...UNTIL I HAVE HUMBLED YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET. SO SINCE DAVID WAS CALLING THE MESSIAH MY LORD...HOW CAN THE MESSIAH BE HIS SON? EVERYONE WAS SPEECHESS...AND NO ONE DARED TO ASK HIM ANYMORE QUESTIONS AFTER THAT.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 23:14:27 +0000
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