Matthew Chapter 22 Verses 1 – 5

• A couple of interesting points here. In that day, in their time, a wedding was THE big event. No expense would be withheld! There would be food, décor, music, dancing, lots of people…a huge social event…and so if you received an invitation…well and what’s more, this is a royal wedding! So there will be the BEST food and plenty of it! Awesome music like Bieber and Timberlake! HA!!! This would be an event of a lifetime for them! And so if you received an invitation, it would be strangely foolish to reject it…it never would have happened! That would be so DUMB!
• Man and I love that interesting point because just like this parable and no doubt their reaction…it is strangely foolish to reject the invitation of God All Mighty to come into His Kingdom! And yet folks do it all the time! STRANGELY FOOLISH! And I think the secret of the rejection may be held in what Jesus says here. He says that they “made light of it and went their own way!” Man welcome to the very definition of anti-faith!
• Another way to translate this phrase “made light of it” is that they neglected the invitation…they neglected the call of the king on their lives…and that is precisely how I act strangely foolish sometimes and unfortunately how some act out their lives…

Matthew Chapter 22 Verses 6 – 10

• The Father so loves the Son that the wedding banquet must be filled…I often wonder why God delays the destruction of this division of time…that’s really all we are…one little speck in the story…and yet He allows the earth to go on spinning another day when horrible atrocities persist upon the face of the earth…and yet this gives me a small glimpse…that the price paid for the sins of man was a very precious price and there yet remains a child of God to be saved…And God so loves the Son that He withholds justice at His request…

Matthew Chapter 22 Verses 11 – 12

• Can I just tell you a minute how wonderful that statement is? This wedding garment that is required in the kingdom of heaven is described for us several times in the Bible. Job 29:14, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban.” Revelation 19:8, “It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Isaiah 61:10, “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exalt my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation.” Zechariah 3:4, “He spoke and said to those who were standing before Him, saying, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again He said to Him, “See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with rich robes.”

• God has taken away our sins through the power of the cross of Jesus Christ and given us the wedding gown robe of His own special prize…and yet today, for you maybe, or your co-workers, or your enemies…or our enemies…that have not the righteousness of God…have rejected the invitation of God…I love this…God looks upon them and calls them, “friend.” Do you? That is so often not my attitude towards the world…but man…heart check.

• And notice this…there will be no explanation or excuse or defense to give to a holy and just God who has loved you to the point of giving His all for you if you do not give your all to Him…what will be your excuse for living for self? The truth is, the thought of an excuse will be ridiculous in light of who He is…and the White Throne Judgment will be eerily silent…this man was “speechless.” That’s sobering.

Matthew Chapter 22 Verses 13 – 14

• The truth of the matter is revealed to them and to us…no works of religion or good deeds of man will be enough to grant anyone entrance into the kingdom of God…it is only the righteousness of Christ that has the power to erase the impurity of mankind and pay the debt of sin…fulfilling the law individually and personally for each person that will bow their heart and lives to God through Jesus Christ. And as God regards them as friend, they are now refused entrance because they themselves refused to heed the call of the invitation…oh they came, but they snuck in…
• You see…there was something written on that invitation…These scribes, elders and Pharisees…they come to the temple, they come to the Kingdom of God…just like Satan presented himself before God in heaven as we read in the Book of Job, but they did not heed the invitation…the Word of the King…and they came on their own merit…while the invitation says to them, you must be born again…well at this point, they had had about enough of Him!

Matthew Chapter 22 Verses 15 – 17

• The Pharisees and the Herodians, two groups of people that hated each other, team together to try to trip Jesus up. And they really think they’ve got Him. If He answers, “Yes, you should pay taxes to Caesar,” then the Jews would turn on Him because that is basically saying that the Jews should be under the control of Rome.
• But, if He said, “No,” then they’d have Him arrested for treason against Rome. So they think they have Him trapped…

Matthew Chapter 22 Verses 18 – 22

• It’s such a great answer! Jesus showed that He is in complete control! He rebukes them for their hypocrisy and their trickery; He makes them act, and then He shuts them down! And His answer is awesome! Whose image is on the money? Caesars…and so it belongs to him, give it back. Whose image is upon man? God’s…and so you belong to Him…give it back!
• I love this answer because it shows that we do have an obligation to governmental systems and that we should be civil assets to our country…but, there is a line. If it belongs to God, it doesn’t belong to Caesar…Now what’s amazing, if the nation had of rendered unto God what was God’s…acknowledged Him as God and obeyed His Word, then they would have NEVER had to render anything to Roman oppression…just an interesting thought…they’re in this predicament with Rome in the first place because they had not obeyed God…
• And when they heard this, the multitudes, the haters, the disciples, they marveled…what a perfect answer. Do you ever just pray for a perfect answer to give…? Or the perfect thing to say? I mean words are amazingly powerful. By them deals are struck to build the world, and by them deals and agreements like marriages are dissolved…words are extremely powerful…more powerful than the sword…choose them wisely…and…I know who you can turn to for perfect answers like this one…!
• In fact, Jesus has the answer to every issue and question of life. Oh the answer won’t always be easy…this one certainly was not…but man the depth even of this answer rings still today…even as we marvel. The answer of the Lord will turn away those that have teamed up against you…take control of them even…and have them working for God, unbeknownst…
• God’s heart for you…perfect! God’s wisdom and power available to you in His Word…perfect! And you’re invited to both!