The Feast

The feast

"Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:  
“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  
He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 
“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ 
“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.  
The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.  
The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.  
Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’  
So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  "‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. 
“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.” 
                                           Matthew 22:1-14

This parable notes several things.
First the King (God) sends out invitations to heaven. First of all to invited guests who refused to come.
Since they refused the Kings judgement is passed on them.
Secondly he sends his servants out to the streets to invite people to the banquet.
One report I read said that it was the custom for the host to provide wedding garments. However one person did not avail himself of the garments thus the King told his servants to throw him into the darkness.
I believe the interpretation is simple.
Many people are invited to heaven to sit at the marriage supper of the lamb but these people must first of all want to come.  If they refuse to do so God’s judgement is passed on them.
Secondly when they come they must be willing to put on the wedding clothes. New garments casting their old clothes aside.
In other words abide by the word of God. Turn from their old life. And live the life Jesus wishes us to live as Christians.
God does not choose people arbitrarily to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He gives everyone a choice and sets the rules as to how they are to behave.
True we are saved by faith but James makes it clear our faith without works is dead, when he writes,
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder....
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.  
                                                                     James 2:14-19,26.
In order to get to heaven we must act both in faith and deed. The writer of 2 Chronicles saying,
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
                     2 Chronicles 7:14.
Think about it.