This Way to Safety

 ¹¹"But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw ^(F)a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,

 ¹²and he said to him, '^(G)Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless.

 ¹³"Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into ^(H)the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

 ¹⁴"For many are ^(I)called, but few are ^(J)chosen.

Matthew 22:11-14

This passage is from the Parable of the Marriage Feast or Wedding Banquet.  What happened here is that the king gave a wedding banquet but none of the invited came.  He invited again but nothing.  Then he decided to go into the streets and invite everyone, good and bad.  But there was a man who wasn't dressed for the occasion and he was thrown out.

What Jesus is explaining here is about the kingdom of heaven.  The Israelites, God's chosen people, here called initially but their hearts were more for their own laws and traditions than to please God.  Many repeated attempts to call them back failed so God opened up heaven to all, the Gentiles.  

But just because all are called, doesn't mean that all will get in.  The example Jesus made in this parable was that this man wasn't dressed in wedding clothes.  Yes he was invited but he didn't come with the proper attire.  This is the same with our invitation to salvation.  All we need to do is accept this holy gift and be cleansed by the blood of the Lamb... come dressed with holy white garments!  This doesn't mean we have to be perfect, without sin.  It means we need to accept we are sinners in need of the Savior, Jesus.  Putting on wedding attire means to choose who we want to be.

I'm so thankful we've all been invited to God's heavenly banquet.  And just like preparing for a worldly banquet that everyone's invited to I need to do what I can to urge everyone to go.  That feeling of close friends and family refusing to go for various reasons... too tired, busy, don't like this person, costs too much, don't want to break out of my routine... can't stop us from accepting this invitation.  If each person knew that this banquet hall was the only safe place on this planet, would they come?  If the world started crashing down and the only safe place was this huge reception hall, would people come?  Yes, absolutely!  The problem is that people don't realize that this is the safe place, the place where a Mighty God will protect and bless.  I need to have this sense of urgency every time I pray, invite, serve others to show them The Way.

Father God, thank You for showing me the way into Your kingdom.  Lord, You've shown us all.  How do I gain this urgency to usher Your lost sheep to Your throne?  That same drive that makes me uncomfortable every time I'm late, or even anxious when I'm anticipating something; that level of urgency needs to be poured into each life You've asked me to steward.  Lord, help me see as You do knowing that the end is near and that You are the way.  Love You, Abba Father!  Amen!