The title of this article is the concluding statement Jesus made to summarize the teaching of His parable about a king’s wedding supper planned for his son, as told in Matthew 22:2-14. He says the kingdom of heaven is like this: “A certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, ³and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. ⁴ Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, ‘See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.’ ⁵ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. ⁶ And the rest seized his servants, treating them spitefully, and killed them. 

⁷ “But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. ⁸ Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 

⁹ “Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ ¹⁰ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. ¹² So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. ¹³ Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

¹⁴ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

(It is a long quote, but I have left the verse numbers in place for easier reference as we discuss the parable.)

This parable parallels exactly with the plan of God for salvation of those who want to be saved. Look at Revelation 19:9: “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” Then, turn to John 4:22b, “…for salvation is of the Jews,” and then, Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, then the Greek (Gentile).”

But what happened, according to the parable… and the later reality? Look at John 1:11, “He came to His own [kinsmen], and His own did not receive Him.”

In the parable, at verse 7, we see the king’s response to their rejection of his invitation to the wedding, and his punishment even led to the destruction of their city, reminding us of the 70 A.D. action by the Roman army.

In verses 8-9 of the parable, the king sends out his servants to invite, essentially, “whosoever will” to the wedding feast. Verse 10 matches the historical result of those last words of Jesus before He ascended to heaven, when He told those few disciples, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

In verses 11-13 of the parable, we see the king discovering a person at the wedding feast who is not dressed appropriately—having no wedding garment. Apparently, tradition in those days was to be so-dressed at a wedding. The king did not respond with gentle loving care, either. Why not? It points out how intense is God’s protection of the way of salvation, for John 14:6 says, “I [Jesus] am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” That is, one must be clothed in Christ to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Finally, verse 14 of the parable indicates that some kind of qualification must be in place that allows those who are called to become chosen. What is it, then? We can see it plainly in Revelation 3:20, which says, “Behold, I [Jesus] stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with Me.” As it was in the parable, the invitations were given, but none accepted—they did not open their life’s door, so to speak, and so, they could not come to the wedding feast.

It appears, then, that one who accepts Christ as his Savior confirms that he is chosen as one of the elect and predestined to be with the Lord for eternity.

Note how 2 Timothy 2:10 shows the Apostle Paul’s recognition that believing in Christ is what confirms that a person is chosen, the elect of God: “Therefore, I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”

Thus, God decrees that one who knows the gospel must go (Romans 10:14-15) and tell the world of that good news, for “faith comes by hearing the Word of God,” (Romans 10:17) and “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Peter writes of several character qualities that should be evident in the life of a person who claims to have been chosen as an elect of God that reminds us of that bold declaration in Matthew 7:16a, “By their fruits you shall know them.” (Good or bad.) Peter’s conclusion in 2 Peter 1:10:

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things, you will never stumble.”

But what about those who did not accept the invitation to the wedding feast, those who were first in line, the Jews? An interesting forward look is given to us as early as in Deuteronomy 4:30-31 about their ultimate future: “When you are in distress, and all these things [days of tribulation] come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.”

In those latter days, Zechariah 12:10 speaks of a time when the Jews will recognize their true Messiah: “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”

The Scriptures are clear and sure that Jesus died for the whole world (John 3:16; 1 John 2:2; Romans 5:18) and that salvation is the gift of God for those who accept the gift (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 1:12). His salvation is not, therefore, automatic, for Christ’s atonement is only for believers, and for that there is no argument.

Why then are many called but few are chosen? Is God choosing those He favors and casting aside those He dislikes? If so, why are they called in the first place? But God is no respecter of persons (Colossians 3:23), and the use of “whosoever” in Romans 10:13 and John 3:16 supports that attribute. This parable teaches that His choosing is based on the response of the one given the invitation to accept His gift. That is made plain in 2 Peter 3:9, “For God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Who is willing to forsake his sinfulness and turn to God?

That totally depraved descendent of Adam received by his disobedience the knowledge of good and evil, that is, right and wrong. In Romans 2:13-16, we are told that every person’s conscience is embedded with that knowledge and that mankind is held accountable and responsible for a proper answer when confronted with such a choice. Thus, depraved man has the ability to say yes or no to God. This parable teaches those truths.

The simple truth we need to know and embrace is this: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).

Contact email:  andwegetmercy@gmail.com

It may seem rather distant in our range of consideration, but the summary of all of the sacrifices and statutes of the Old Testament is fulfilled in Christ. Perhaps it can be summed up in Paul’s declaration in Galatians 2:21: “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

The commandments of God actually reveal the morality of His person. That is, if we are to be like Him, then we are to obey and take up those commandments as our way of life. And the very image of God, the Father, is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. These fulfilments are right in step with the conclusion of all things in Christ.

That first “festival” in Leviticus 23, surprisingly, is the Sabbath. It is the fourth commandment of the ten and is the first of the ten calling for a positive response from mankind. The first three are “don’t do” commands. It is a command to “take a rest” and be refreshed in the Lord.

In Luke 6, it is told that Jesus and His disciples were going through a grain field, and the disciples were eating of the grains of the field. The scribes and Pharisees took offense because it was the Sabbath and against its rules, as they had interpreted them. Thus, they accused Jesus of allowing them to do that terrible thing. Jesus closed the criticism with this reply: “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5).

In Matthew 11:28-30, we see the invitation of Jesus to come to Him for rest: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Eventually, the trail of faith will lead a believer to Hebrews 4:10:

“For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”

It is the rest of faith in the completeness of Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath.

The seven feasts then named after this one are all together in one annual pattern. If you watch closely, you will see that those seven feasts or festivals are telling the story of the high points of the Christian era, the age of the church. They were placed on the Jewish calendar for each year by the direction of God to Moses. But they are Christian events portrayed, not Jewish. They are called convocations in Leviticus 23, which means “rehearsals” for the actual coming events.

The first one is the Feast of Passover, remembered by the Jews as the mark of their deliverance from the bondage of Egypt. For the Christian, it marks the death of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, on the cross. That is the means of deliverance of sinners from that bondage. Once His blood, by faith, is spread on the doorposts of his heart, man is delivered from the bondage of sin. It is celebrated on the Gentile calendar about the middle of March each year.

The second festival is called the Feast of Unleavened Bread and follows the Passover immediately. It depicts, as unleavened bread suggests, death in the grave. There is an interesting development in the Jewish practice here, for after Passover, there is a seven-day period of unleavened bread, not two days. Why is that, we may ask.

It seems to be answered by the absence of that third feast, the Feast of First Fruits, which depicts the resurrection of Christ. In Jewish thinking, there is no resurrection of Christ because they are not looking for a Messiah who has nail holes in His hands.

The Jewish calendar goes next to the Feast of Weeks, called Pentecost, the festival of the early harvest. We know what happened at Pentecost. A major Christian era event took place, the entry of the Holy Spirit into the lives of believers in Christ. Just as 1 Corinthians 6:17 says, “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him,” it became a reality, as God had promised, but not for the Judeo faith. This feast occurs about mid-May into early June.

There is a long period of absence for any of the remaining three feasts until fall time, for the next feast is called the Feast of Trumpets and depicts the ending harvest in the agricultural season. Then comes the time of ingathering. In John 4:35, Jesus said, “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”

The time of the year was after Pentecost, and normal growth time for fruit and crops was at hand, not a harvest. But Jesus is talking about the harvest of the Great Commission that He was to establish, to go into all the world and spread the gospel. This season of sowing and reaping for a future ingathering has been long, allowing the gospel to reach many tongues, tribes and nations.

At the time of the fall harvest from the fields, the festival called the Feast of Trumpets is celebrated. The Jewish event is seen as the beginning of a time of fasting and repentance until the ten days to the Feast of Atonement arrives. It is a time of spiritual harvesting of redeemed souls into the presence of the Savior, the Rapture of the church. Just as Paul details it in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, it will come to pass: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

What a controversial prophetic declaration as for its reality and timing! This feast has received a nod of recognition over the centuries, then they pass on to “really learn when the Lord is going to return.” The Feast of Trumpets is a two-day event, and Jesus said, “No one knows the day or the hour of His coming.” Neither does anyone know what year it will happen. However, many signs point to the times and seasons when that Day will occur. The Jewish recognition of it does not present the highlight it is in the Christian era, where it is a major event, obviously. The harvest of the fruit of the Great Commission is this event of the Christian age of grace. It is not like the Holy One to remove this feast from His set pattern.

Other references of it as the time of the Rapture are John 11:25-26; Luke 21:28 and its surrounding context; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7; 1 Corinthians 15:50-53; and Revelation 4:1-4. (I list these only because of lack of space for the article.)

The sixth feast is called the Feast of Atonement and is remembered by the Jews as a time for fasting and repentance, again, but not with any reference, apparently, to One who atones for their sin. It is a feast that is first in the seven years of tribulation, the “time of Jacob’s trouble,” according to Jeremiah 30:7. It is the time of the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy in Daniel 9 of God’s punishment of the Jews for their rebellion.

In Zechariah 12:10 is told how the Jewish people turn to Christ as their true Messiah, for it is apparent that their fascination with the Antichrist must have ended when he shuts down their temple worship and declares himself God halfway through the seven years.

Zechariah wrote this: “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”

Why their fascination with the Antichrist? According to Daniel 9:26-27, he is the one who confirms a peace covenant for them and authorizes the rebuilding of their temple, which has not existed since 70 A.D. His deception was enhanced by the fact that he did not have nail holes in his hands, as did the one the Christians claimed.

Factoring in the anointment of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists in Revelation 7 and their ministry that reaches into every tribe, tongue and nation in the world, we know that the Jews will have found their true Savior. Still, two-thirds of the Jews are to be killed, and one-third will be protected from Satan’s wrath, according to Zechariah 13:8 and Revelation 12:14-15. Are these, then, the remaining mortals who will inhabit the millennium to rebuild the earth’s population?

The final feast, called the Feast of Tabernacles, depicts the return of Christ to the earth to dwell in it. Just as John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” at His first advent, He comes to live among us as King of Kings and Lord of Lords just as Revelation 19:15-16 declares.

Zechariah also describes the Second Coming of Jesus in different details that are quite impressive. His writings in Zechariah 14 follow chronologically after those quotations above regarding God’s regained relationship with the Jews, reported in chapters 12-13. Chapter 14 starts off with this in verse 1: “Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,” then in verse 4, he writes this:

“And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley. Half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south.”

This final chapter of Zechariah relates much of what happens during those thousand years when Jesus reigns on earth. It is not hard to understand when the millennium begins and ends. It begins when Jesus returns to the earth at His Second Coming, and He makes His presence known, as related above.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). And so, the festivals of the Lord of Israel are fulfilled.

Contact email: andwegetmercy@gmail.com