But I, O LORD, cry to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you. Verse 13
Matthew 22:11-14 Ejected From the Feast
This is a continuation, a conclusion of yesterday's passage. All of the guests are now in place for the wedding feast. However, the king sees one man who is not wearing a wedding garment. In other words, he's not dressed properly. The man is immediately cast out. The kings command: Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus's comment: For many are called, but few are chosen.
Tabletalk states that "ancient kings often provided the proper attire to the guests at their feasts." Therefore, the ejected man's "lack of a proper garment indicates that he has purposely rejected the king's own gracious provision," according to John MacArthur's commentary.
What does all this mean? We can fancy ourselves to be believers, but if we don't have the proper "clothes," we are not. And there really is no excuse for us not to, because these clothes are provided by the King.
Here's another theory. The guest accepted the clothes, but failed to put them on. Justification is a gift from God, but we have to put on sanctification, which is the only outward evidence of our justification. As James said, "Faith without works is dead." Justification without the outward evidence of sanctification is not justification. We cannot attend the wedding feast without wearing the wedding garment.
John 3:9-11,14-15,17-21
Jesus has just told Nicodemus that he must be "born from above by the Spirit of God." Understandable, Nicodemus is confused.
As I try to place myself in the shoes of Nicodemus, as he listened to these words of Jesus, I try to pick out some words or phrases that stand out to me.
Anyone who trusts in him [the Son of Man] is acquitted...
God light-streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness...they were not really interested in pleasing God.
...anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.
Why do these stand out to me? When someone is "acquitted," all of their wrongdoings are struck from the record. Completely erased. This is a marvelous truth for those of us in Christ. All of our sins--past, present, and future--are erased because of our trust in Christ. We are acquitted!
The image I get in my head of the second statement is kind of gross. But have you ever turned on the light in the kitchen to be greeted by a scurry of bugs running to get out of the light? (I have lived in places that were infested with roaches before, so I've seen this.) This is the image I get from reading this statement about men and women who run for cover when the light of God hits them. We find God's light comforting, assuring. Not everyone does. Ever wonder why so much of the world's evil happens at night? People in their natural state are not interested in pleasing God. No one wants to please God until God puts himself in their lives. Without his spirit, we don't care for him at all.
This actually leads to the last statement. If we are living in truth, we welcome the God-light, so that the work can be seen for what it is...truly the work of God. Not so that we can get reward or recognition, but so that God is glorified.
Grace and peace, friends.