Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Genesis 41-42; Matthew 22:1-22.
Today's portion of Genesis is where things go much better for Joseph than they have for a while now. The cupbearer suddenly remembers the man who interpreted his dream and tells Pharoah about him because Pharoah's "wise men" can't tell him what his dreams mean. I notice in particular that in both cases where Joseph interprets dreams, he says that it is not he who is able to interpret them, but God. I think that Joseph knew very well that things could have gone much worse for him all along if God were not with him. I think that Joseph fully recognized that had it not been for God, he would have been much worse off than he had been in Potiphar's home. I think he knew that it would have been much worse for him in jail if God had not been with him and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warden. In spite of the fact that he was a slave and then a prisoner, he had an entire household and then a prison entrusted to his care. That doesn't happen all by itself.
I found it really interesting that Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh - “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” It seems that Joseph had given up hope of ever seeing any of his family again. I'm sure he probably thought that by now his father was dead, and since his brothers were the ones who had sold him into slavery in the first place, they probably wouldn't be too happy to see him. I would have loved to get a glimpse of his face when he saw his brothers before him, asking to buy food. Once again, the meanings of dreams are a part of his life, as his brothers bow before him just as the sheaves of grain in his dream from before he was sold. I wonder if it was difficult for him not to reveal himself to them after hearing them speak of being punished for what they had done to him? I think probably that he wanted to see if they would actually keep their word and bring Benjamin to him before revealing himself to them. Perhaps to make sure they hadn't done something to Benjamin as well!
As an aside, I'm pretty impressed with Reuben at this point. Not only did he prevent his brothers from doing worse to Joseph than they did, but he was truly distressed when Joseph was sold into slavery without his knowledge, and he makes a vow to his father that he will bring Benjamin back from Egypt, or lose his own sons in exchange. He was also not one of the brothers who attacked the city where their sister Dinah was violated. This is a pretty stand-up guy!
Moving on to the parable of the wedding banquet, this parable was a little confusing to me, so I looked up the meaning. Forgive me if this was clear to everyone else, but here is what I learned. I did catch on to the fact that the king is God and his son is Jesus. The wedding banquet is referring to heaven. That is fairly standard imagery in the NT. The servants sent to those who had been invited were the prophets who told the Jewish people about the coming Messiah in the OT. The next servants he refers to are John the Baptist and himself, who were ignored, seized, mistreated and then killed. God was enraged, sent his army, destroyed the murderers and burned their city. (According to what I read, this happened to Jerusalem about 40 years later, in 70 AD.) Then God tells his servants to go to the street corners and invite anyone you find. So now that the chosen people have rejected their invitation and are not worthy to attend the feast, the invitation is open to anyone. The part that was confusing to me was the part about the guest who wasn't wearing wedding clothes.
From The Marriage Feast by Hampton Keathley IV:
Those who were invited were not worthy. What makes one worthy? To Matthew, worthiness comes through reception of the invitation. A right response to the message. In the parable about the two sons (from yesterday's reading), we saw that belief was what was necessary, so faith is the key to becoming worthy. Who makes you worthy? The one who graciously invited you. Worthiness is not the result of merit. It is the result of faith. (emphasis mine)
The king sees someone not wearing wedding clothes. In verse 12 the king calls him “Friend.” In Matthew, this is a term of distancing and condemnation. It’s like “Hey, Buddy” or “Hey, Lady.”
Notice that the man is speechless when the king confronts him. Rom 3:19 says that “every mouth will be closed” when people stand accountable before God. Perhaps that is what Jesus is referring to.
Wedding clothes were often provided by wealthy hosts. (Gower, New Manners and Customs of the Bible, p. 69) It may be that this man refused to wear them. He thought his own clothes (i.e. deeds) were good enough. This fits the context of the parable of the two sons (from yesterday's reading). The son who said he would work and didn’t was symbolic of the Pharisees who thought they were doing enough already. Therefore, the wedding clothes provided by host symbolize the righteousness of Christ provided by God for entrance to Heaven - as opposed to our garments/merit which are not good enough to get us into heaven/banquet.
Application
God is gracious and patient and keeps on offering the invitation.
God has made the offer to everyone.
Do not presume on the patience of God. A time will come when it will be too late.
Do not be caught unprepared (i.e. not believing) when the feast begins.
Reasons for not believing:
Indifference - 3-5 - too busy with family, business, hobbies, etc.
Rebellion - 6 - similar to last parable. Perhaps they are becoming convicted of their sin and are rejecting the conviction.
Self-righteousness - The guest wouldn’t wear his robe. He was independent. This also fits context with the parable of the two sons.
Those who participated last year will remember this recurring theme in our posts - we can't earn salvation. Ever. Righteousness and acceptance into the kingdom of God is ONLY possible through faith and the grace of God. As the saying goes, "It's what's on the inside that counts." It's important to obey God and to live as upright and Christ-like a life as we can, but it is equally important that our outward actions be a reflection of our faith and love for God that is in our hearts. We don't want to be like the Pharisees, thinking that the outer shell that we portray to the world is of the utmost importance. Our own clothes will not suffice for the banquet. We must accept the wedding clothes provided by our most gracious Host.
Tomorrow's passage: Genesis 43-45; Matthew 22:23-46.
10 comments:
I find the statement in Matt 22:14 curious in light of the parable itself. I'm okay with accepting that human responsibility and divine election work together in a way mankind just doesn't understand, but here Jesus clearly refers to both. And since He's teaching, you'd think it would be possible to understand the apparent antinomy a bit better!
Guess I'll be consulting my pal Johnny Mac for some insight...
"And the whole thing closes with a very simple statement, "For many are called but few are...what?...chosen." The call goes out to so many, but only a few are chosen. Paul often talks about the call in Romans and when he does so, it is an internal call, it is the true call to salvation. Don't confuse Paul's discussion there with this. Obviously, from the parable and the context, the call referred to here is an external call. The gospel invitation is sent out to everywhere. Some are indifferent, some are hostile, some try to crash the Kingdom on their own terms. But few...oh my...are chosen. And with the word "chosen" we're introduced to the sovereignty of God. Yes there is the will of man in receiving the invitation. Yes there is the will of man in rejecting the invitation. But the perfect balance to that is that God is sovereign. And those who come choose to come, the Bible says, because they're chosen by Him. That's a mystery we'll never fathom. But we believe it."
From Responding to a Royal Invitation by John MacArthur. Which STILL doesn't really clarify anything!!
Great post Miriam. I appreciated the insight into the wedding clothes aspect. Tammi, I don't really understand that either. In the Message, the text reads: 14"That's what I mean when I say, 'Many get invited; only a few make it.'" I think it is saying that out of everyone that hear the message, only a few will obey it.
I'm not really a fan of The Message and that quote is a prime example of why ~ that phrasing almost completely changes the meaning of the sentence and makes it sound like salvation is something of a game of chance and that we, ourselves, are the "captains of our own destiny." Virtually all other translations make a very definitive statement about God's sovereignty over the process.
That doesn't make it easier to understand, but there's no question about Who's in charge.
Love the info on the wedding clothes portion of the parable. My Life Application Bible had similar notes on that.
Matthew 22:14 is a doozy all right!
Interesting. I didn't take it that way but I can see your point.
This was a great post, Miriam! My life application bible said many of the same things. To me, it deffinately portrays the fact, that invitation to the Kingdom is presented to all, but only few will choose to come. We are told in scripture that it's God's will that none should perish. But, God will not force salvation on anyone. We have to choose to accept it, just as they had to choose to accept the garment, to go to the banquet in our parable.
Election and predetination are HUGE areas of controversy. Taking vs 14, as well as all the other verses that factor in to the discussion, I have come to my own conclusion. I believe that God chose, even before the making of the earth, who would be saved, and enter the kingdom of Heaven. Why did He have to choose, or "elect" people? Because to know God, God must first seek us out. We are told, that no one seeks God. So God already chose his elect, and had our names written in the book of life before we were created. However, because I believe in free will, as the bible states, God chose us, based on His foreknowledge of whether we would accept His Gospel or not. It is God's will that none should perish, so why would he only "choose" a few select people? I don't believe he would. I believe few were "chosen" to be sought out and drawn to himself, based upon who He knew would accept His Gospel, and His Son. That's where I believe the "choosing" comes in, is in who will be sent the Gospel, and convicted, and drawn until repentence and acceptance are commited....once again, based on foreknowledge of our actions.
It's such a touchy subject. One that I believe we are all entitled to our own feelings about. It's one of those doctrinal issues that doesn't affect salvation itself, and that I wish Christians wouldn't argue about, and divide theimselves over! That happens in too many churches today!
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful Blog. What's even better concerning teaching them youth bible study lessons is that you get the chance to spend quality time along with your children.
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