Reflective Bible Study

During Jesus’ final week leading up to the crucifixion, He shares a parable that has a number of fascinating characteristics. In this parable, we discover that simply having an invitation is not enough to guarantee our salvation. Instead, we discover that there is another detail present that we need to include when discussing salvation.

To set the stage for discovering this big truth, let’s read Jesus’ parable before unpacking what it means for each of us. Our passage is found in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 22, and we will be reading from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 1, Matthew tells us that:

¹ Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ² “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ³ He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

⁴ “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

⁵ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. ⁶ The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. ⁷ The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

⁸ “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. ⁹ So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ ¹⁰ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹² He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

¹³ “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

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

We can learn many things from this parable, but the one I want to focus our time on for this episode is specifically on the last section. While Jesus could have ended the parable after the banquet hall is filled with everyone the servants could find who were willing to come, He continues by describing how the king then enters the banquet only to find someone who isn’t properly dressed.

At this point in the parable, all the king’s “friends” who had rejected his invitation are dead and their city was burned, and the banquet hall is full of random people from off the streets and this assorted group of people contains both bad and good people.

Setting the stage in this way leads us to a somewhat obvious conclusion: I doubt any of those who ultimately came to the wedding hall were dressed for a wedding when they accepted the king’s invitation. The timetable of this parable suggests that those who were invited, if they were to get a place in the hall before it was full, would need to come immediately, and not go home to get ready for a wedding.

We find this idea in the detail that when a banquet is ready, there isn’t any time to stop to actually get ready. If those the king invited had gone home, taken showers, gotten into their best clothing, and then came, chances are the food that had been prepared would no longer be good. Those who were invited at the last minute only had time to come.

But this gets tricky when we transition to talking about the king’s harsh response to someone who is present who doesn’t have the proper clothing on. The only way this makes sense with the details included in this parable is if the king offers wedding clothing for everyone to change into when they arrive.

If the king invites anyone and everyone to fill his banquet hall, he shouldn’t be surprised if some of those he invited were not wealthy enough for clothing. We don’t know anything about the man who the king confronts, but the question the king asks seems ridiculous if the king expects something that the man could not afford while accepting the invitation that was “free”.

In contrast, if the king offered everyone wedding clothes on their arrival, then he does have a say regarding who should be included. Accepting the invitation is free and the wedding clothes the king offered are free as well. Why this man decided to accept one gift and not the other is as informative as his “speechless” response. The only rational explanation is that he believed one gift was significant while the other one was not.

However, this detail is powerful for us to pay attention to because it describes how many Christians believe their faith in Jesus works. Many people today believe all they must do is accept God’s invitation through Jesus’ crucifixion. These Christians accept the first gift of salvation correctly, but when they are offered new clothing – the King’s clothing — which represents the King’s character, they determine this gift is optional. They are represented by this man who ends up standing speechless before the King of the universe when He calls them out for refusing one of His gifts.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to accept the invitation Jesus gives us through His death on the cross, and accept the gift of His character that is freely offered to all who decide to come to Christ. We accept the gift of clothing by intentionally focusing on God, on Jesus, and on growing closer to Him. We accept Jesus’ life when we put our sinful lives in the past and start fresh with God. When we accept Jesus’ invitation, we would be fools to not accept the free gift of His character, because Jesus’ character is sinless, perfect, and it is the only thing that makes us “safe to save for eternity”!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

If you haven’t accepted Jesus’ invitation, or the gift of His character, do so today. Know that God has done everything necessary for our salvation, but we must accept His free gifts in order to be accepted into His kingdom.

Also, be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself because it is through prayer, study, and walking with God that we demonstrate we have accepted His character and “clothing” into our lives.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or outright reject where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

During the time Jesus walked on the earth, every time He shared a parable or illustration, it was to teach those present a spiritual truth that they might not have already known. Sometimes those present were the crowds of people, while other times, those present were the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders who felt challenged by Jesus’ ministry.

During one of these latter times, where Jesus is teaching while some priests and leaders are present, we find a fascinating illustration about what God thinks about our words compared with our actions. In this illustration, we find the answer to whether our words are more important or whether our actions are.

While we could easily say that both are important, and ideally one should align both their words and actions with God and His plan, what happens when only one of these things is present. It is this scenario that Jesus draws our attention to in this parable.

For our episode today, we’ll be reading from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 21, using the New Century Version. Starting in verse 28, Jesus turns to the priests and leaders present and asks them:

²⁸ “Tell me what you think about this: A man had two sons. He went to the first son and said, ‘Son, go and work today in my vineyard.’ ²⁹ The son answered, ‘I will not go.’ But later the son changed his mind and went. ³⁰ Then the father went to the other son and said, ‘Son, go and work today in my vineyard.’ The son answered, ‘Yes, sir, I will go and work,’ but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two sons obeyed his father?”

The priests and leaders answered, “The first son.”

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before you do. ³² John came to show you the right way to live. You did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. Even after seeing this, you still refused to change your ways and believe him.

Of all the illustrations Jesus gave, this one likely hit the priests and leaders the hardest. After the priests and leaders give their answer, Jesus shifts the focus back onto reality and onto how they responded to John the Baptist when compared with how the most sinful sinners responded. The priests and leaders listened to John the Baptist’s message, but they didn’t change their ways, while on the opposite end of the spectrum, tax collectors and prostitutes were challenged by John’s message and they did change their ways.

Perhaps each group’s response was because each group had a different frame of mind about their starting point. Those in the sinner group knew they were not living rightly, so they chose to change, while those in the religious group believed they were already walking along the path God wanted them on, so they didn’t.

What I find fascinating about this illustration is that the priests implicate themselves. They identify the son who acted according to his father’s will as the one who obeyed. The refusal on the front end means nothing in comparison to the action that followed. The other son, who verbally said he would help but didn’t cannot be said to have obeyed because his actions didn’t match his words.

However, if we look at this story, and simply change one word, we see another fascinating idea. Instead of asking “which son ‘obeyed’ his father?”, let’s ask “which son gave respect to his father?”

On the surface, the answer to this second question sounds like the second son. After all, the second son tells his father that he would help, which is a lot nicer than the first son who said no.

But is respect best shown through words or through actions? If we say we respect God, is that best displayed by what we say or by what we do?

Jesus’ illustration in our passage gives us the very strong impression that to God, actions speak significantly louder than words. While both our actions and words will ultimately line up when given enough time, while they are not in alignment, our actions are a better representation of who we are and of our character.

But we don’t have to focus on Jesus to learn this truth. All we simply need to do is ask ourselves the question that Jesus asked these leaders. We can ask ourselves whether we value someone’s words or someone’s actions more. Would we rather have a friend who simply says they’re our friend while no one else is around or one who acts like our friend while others are present?

Obviously, someone who says they are your friend and acts like it is the best case, but if you could only have someone’s words or someone’s actions, which would you prefer?

This is Jesus’ point in this illustration. For God, our actions are more important than our words. For God, obedience and respect means living a life that is within His will, and not simply putting on a front when other spiritual people are present. God can use us in a bigger way when our actions are within His will than when only our words are.

God cares about our holistic selves, and this includes both our words and actions, but if He has to choose, He would rather our actions and our obedience.

With this said, as we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As always, choose to intentionally place God first in your life – and do it in a way where your respect and obedience are shown through your actions. While other people simple talk a good talk while not actually following through with actions, resolve to be someone that follows God through your actions first, and if possible, also match up your words to your actions. In other words, resolve to both say you will follow God while also actually following Him, but if you must choose, follow Him with your actions over your words.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself and learn what God is like through how Jesus lived and taught while here on earth. Through what we read in the gospels, discover what Jesus was like and how His life challenges us to live for God.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

As the week before Jesus’ crucifixion begins, one of the early days in this week finds Jesus doing something significant, while also very disruptive. It is as though leading up to the cross, Jesus starts pushing emotional issues with the religious leaders in an attempt to get them to pay attention, to return their focus onto God, or to seek to kill Him. We know from history, and from our passage for this episode, that they picked the last option, but while it might seem like Jesus pressed for death, when we read our passage closely, He was more focused on something other than death.

The event we will be looking at is found in three of the four gospels during the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, and for our episode, we will focus in on Mark’s version. This passage is found in the gospel of Mark, chapter 11, and we will read it from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 15:

¹⁵ When they came to Jerusalem, Jesus went into the temple courtyard and began to throw out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those who sold pigeons. ¹⁶ He would not let anyone carry anything across the temple courtyard.

¹⁷ Then he taught them by saying, “Scripture says, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a gathering place for thieves.”

¹⁸ When the chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings heard him, they looked for a way to kill him. They were afraid of him because he amazed all the crowds with his teaching.

¹⁹ (Every evening Jesus and his disciples would leave the city.)

Several things stand out in my mind when reading this passage. The first is that Jesus opposed commerce in God’s place of worship. While some might be quick to say that it wasn’t the buying or selling Jesus opposed, but the deception and thievery, the impression I get from this passage is that you cannot have one without the other. In other words, not all commerce is thievery, but in this context, thievery can only be present when there is commerce present.

Those in the temple had transformed God’s house into a market place, and a market place where people weren’t focused on God.

The only words Jesus says in this passage are also very profound. Verse 17 tells us Jesus’ message: “Then he [Jesus] taught them by saying, ‘Scripture says, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,” but you have turned it into a gathering place for thieves.’”

In Jesus’ message, we discover what God intended His temple to be known as. Jesus tells us God’s intention for His temple is a house of prayer for all nations. Jesus quotes this from Isaiah 56, verse 7 where God speaks through the prophet Isaiah, saying, “Then I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them happy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, because my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

It is fascinating in my mind that in the heart of the Old Testament, in the writings of one of the most significant prophets God sent to the Jewish nation, we find the goal that God’s house on earth, otherwise known as the temple, was intended to be a place of prayer for all nations. This meant that everyone would be welcome, regardless of their background or their nationality.

In an odd twist, a group of thieves would be welcome in the temple in God’s eyes if they came not to practice thievery, but to pray and ask for forgiveness. Those coming to the temple with repentant hearts and a desire to be forgiven have been drawn there by God and the last thing God would want is to give them reason to stop short or reject God based on what was happening in His temple.

The biggest issue Jesus has with what was happening in the temple is that it kept people from focusing on God, on prayer, and on bringing their hearts to Him with their gifts.

I’m not sure if it was how Jesus said the statement, or whether it was more based on the chief priests rejection of Isaiah’s message, but when they heard Jesus’ statement, verse 18 tells us that “they looked for a way to kill him”. Other religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus based on His raising Lazarus from the dead, and how that miracle drew large numbers of people to place their faith in Him. Now in this passage, we have another place where the religious leaders resolve to kill Jesus.

Jesus’ presence represented a challenge to the status quo in the religious leaders’ lives, and it appeared as though Jesus was more interested in changing their way of life than He was on simply letting them carry on as they had always done. It seemed that Jesus was there to take away their income and their standard of living – and in a way, this was true.

Jesus didn’t have an issue with the religious leaders earning money, but He did take issue with them earning money in deceitful ways, in God’s name, in God’s house. When coming to God’s house, the focus should be on praising God, praying to God, thanking God, giving to God, and learning from God’s word. Any action or activity present in God’s house that takes our focus off of God should not be present in His house of worship.

Does this extend to today’s churches? Maybe.

I will be the first to say that people meet to pray and worship together in almost every conceivable location, and in some places it is not possible to remove all distractions. A group of people who rent out space in a theater to worship likely are not able to remove all the distractions present when people walk through the lobby. The location of a theater is one example of a place where we can worship God but where the space probably shouldn’t be confused with being “God’s House”.

In contrast, a dedicated church building that was built with the purpose of worshiping God, or a dedicated space that has been renovated with the intent of exclusively being used to worship God probably should be viewed as being a part of God’s house. In situations like these, I believe Jesus’ message to the religious leaders and those present in the temple makes sense. God intends for His house to be a place of prayer for all people, and anything that distracts away from focusing on God should be removed.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

The next time you go to church, pay attention to what you see and feel when you arrive. Intentionally focus on seeking God first when you arrive and if you notice anything that draws your attention away from focusing on God, work to remove it if possible. Remember that God intends for His house to be a place of prayer and acceptance of people from every background and nationality, and if acceptance, love, and prayer are not characteristics of your worship experience, then it may be worth looking for a new place to worship.

However, with that said, also be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself, and let God’s word challenge your heart, your mind, and your life. Just as when we go to church, when we study, know that God loves each of us, and He welcomes us as we are, but He doesn’t ever want to leave us as we are. If God’s word challenges your heart and mind with something it says, that is likely God’s Holy Spirit drawing you to Him and challenging you to leave something that might be sinful or unhealthy for you.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, when God calls you to move forward with Him, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Part way through Jesus’ ministry, the gospel of John adds a side-note that gives us a glimpse into the mindset of the religious leaders living in the first century. In this side-note, John tells us two prophecies that Isaiah gave which were unfortunately fulfilled in Jesus’ ministry.

I wonder if John wrote this side-note with these prophecies to not only give us a perspective on the Jewish leaders, but to also challenge us to not make the same mistake as they did.

Let’s read what John wrote, from the gospel of John, chapter 12, using the Good News Translation. Starting in verse 37, John tells us that:

³⁷ Even though he [Jesus] had performed all these miracles in their presence, they did not believe in him, ³⁸ so that what the prophet Isaiah had said might come true:

“Lord, who believed the message we told?
    To whom did the Lord reveal his power?”

³⁹ And so they were not able to believe, because Isaiah also said,

⁴⁰ “God has blinded their eyes
    and closed their minds,
so that their eyes would not see,
    and their minds would not understand,
    and they would not turn to me, says God,
    for me to heal them.”

⁴¹ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

Let’s pause reading here to draw our attention to an important point. A simple reading might make us think that God did not want the Jewish leaders to believe in Jesus. However, this was far from the truth. While God is seen as the active agent in the second prophecy, He is likely not needed at all in this prophecy since the leaders easily closed themselves off to Jesus – likely without God’s help at all.

I believe the reason Isaiah tells us that God blinded these leaders’ eyes is that it was the ministry of Jesus, specifically the way Jesus focused and directed His ministry, that pushed them away. The light, love, and warmth Jesus radiated throughout His time on earth melted hearts that were receptive to His love, but it also hardened hearts that were defensive to Him and His message. It is like saying that the same sun will either melt butter or harden clay. What matters most in the polarizing effect that Jesus had is the state of the person’s heart.

Let’s continue reading, because we will learn of a third group of people. While the first group openly followed Jesus and believed in Him, and the second group openly rejected Him with hard hearts, there is a third group that John tells us about. Picking back up in verse 42, we read:

⁴² Even then, many Jewish authorities believed in Jesus; but because of the Pharisees they did not talk about it openly, so as not to be expelled from the synagogue. ⁴³ They loved human approval rather than the approval of God.

Let’s pause again to focus on something that was just said. John tells us that there was a group of Jewish leaders who believed in Jesus, but “They loved human approval rather than the approval of God.” (v. 43)

These leaders were “secret followers” because they feared the Pharisees and did not want to be expelled from their synagogues. Some of us might fit into this group of people, because this group is known as people who believe in God, but they don’t let or want their belief to be visible in their lives.

The fearful, secret followers of Jesus, we could describe as spiritual chameleons; these believers actively adapt into whatever social setting they are in. In a worldly setting, they act to fit in, but in church on the weekend, they act differently in order to fit in as well. While they may believe they are being a light, they miss the idea that a light is only as good as how brightly seen it is. By blending in, secret followers of Jesus dim their lights and they cheapen their witness.

However, while John is finished sharing the side-note, he picks back up sharing a powerful statement Jesus says to the crowd which likely was filled with each of the three types of people we have been talking about. Continuing in verse 44, we read:

⁴⁴ Jesus said in a loud voice, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in him who sent me. ⁴⁵ Whoever sees me sees also him who sent me. ⁴⁶ I have come into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. ⁴⁷ If people hear my message and do not obey it, I will not judge them. I came, not to judge the world, but to save it. ⁴⁸ Those who reject me and do not accept my message have one who will judge them. The words I have spoken will be their judge on the last day! ⁴⁹ This is true, because I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has commanded me what I must say and speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that his command brings eternal life. What I say, then, is what the Father has told me to say.”

Jesus’ big promise to us here is that He is not the one who will judge. While this might ease our minds a little, Jesus is quick to point out that just because He isn’t the judge doesn’t mean that there won’t be a judge. Jesus directly states that His words and His message will judge them, and it isn’t because He said them, it is because His words and His message came from the Father.

Note here that the emphasis is not simply on hearing Jesus’ message. The emphasis is on obeying it. Rejecting Jesus and His message is the same as hearing it and not obeying it. These people fall under judgment, because they reject the free gift that Jesus has offered.

Jesus closes His message here by saying that He knows that God’s message and His commands bring eternal life, and that the things He says – which presumably include what He just finished saying – are what the Father has told Him to say.

God did not send Jesus into the world to fill the role of judge. The world has too many people in it claiming that role. Instead, Jesus came into the world as a Messenger, a Healer, and a Savior. Jesus came into this world to show us what God is really like.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always open by challenging you, intentionally seek God first in your life and purposefully pay attention to the things He has commanded. When discovering something that God has commanded, resolve to apply what you learned into your life. Seek to grow towards God and ask Him to melt your heart rather than harden it.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, choose to personally pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn what God has commanded, and what God has laid as a foundation for our faith and belief in Him. While other people have opinions, God wants to reveal His truth to you that is found only through personally studying the Bible.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or walk away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!