Then the king said to his servants, “We will have guests at my dinner! Go out into the highways and back alleys. Bring anyone you can find. Good, bad, it doesn’t matter.” In so doing, they filled the tables with guests for the banquet.
Now, none of the guests had an inkling that morning that he would be dining at the palace that day. This was the ultimate come-as-you-are party. However, as each one entered the door of the palace, he was given a wedding garment, perhaps a white robe. (We’re not told.)
Finally, the king entered to survey his banquet hall. Every place was taken, everything was ready. Then, he spotted someone out of place, a fellow sitting there dressed in his own clothing.
The king said, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” And the man was speechless. He had no excuse.
Had that fellow come in by the door, the servants would have dressed him appropriately. Clearly, he had entered the palace through some other way. He wanted what the king was offering, but wanted it on his own terms.
The king told his servants, “Bind him and throw him into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
A perfect picture of many in our time who want the salvation and full benefits of Heaven, but on their own terms.
4. Many do not come because we (the Lord’s servants) are sending out mixed messages
If God’s good news is so life-altering, if it is the best thing in the world, one would expect that we who are Christ’s disciples would be telling the news wherever we go. However, since we tend to keep the news to ourselves, or worse, to act bored by the whole thing, the world concludes there’s not a lot to it and turns away to something exciting, like “America’s Got Talent” or “Dancing With the Stars.”
God says, “If the trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who will prepare for battle?” (I Corinthians 14:8)
The church today–and most believers–are giving out uncertain sounds. We are not clear and solid in our gospel message. Amazingly, many calling themselves believers do not even agree whether people are lost without Christ. If we are not clear on this, our offer of salvation will be meaningless.
Too many of those who claim to believe that people are lost without Christ and that the cross alone atones for our sins live as though this were all so much make believe and that the real world is what’s on television tonight and at the office tomorrow.
From the 19th century comes a tale of a British prisoner who was condemned to be hanged at sunrise. As the hour approached, the official party arrived and began to lead the condemned down the corridor. In front, the priest read scripture. “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he lives.” “Come unto me all you who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest.” And so forth.
The prisoner stopped. “Chaplain,” he called out. “What are you reading?”
The chaplain murmured something about the scriptures. The condemned man said, “Mister, you clearly do not believe what you are saying. But I’ll tell you one thing. If I were you and I believed the message you are reading, friend, I’d crawl on my hands and knees on broken glass if it would reach one sinner and keep him out of hell.”
Sometimes the world has a better understanding of our situation than we do.
