Matthew 22 Devotional Sharing by Kelly Kang (Gracepoint – Berkeley):

Yesterday, we heard the news  that John’s mom passed away.  She had been battling leukemia.  As I was praying for John and his family, I thought about Matthew 22, that morning’s devotion text.  In light of this news, I saw how indeed tragic is the parable of the wedding banquet.

How did people in the parable respond to the invitation to the wedding banquet?  It says, “they refused to come.”  And when the king “sent some more servants” and invited them to come, “they paid no attention and went off – one to his field, another to his business.”  And then others took one step further and “seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.”  If they are not going to respond, at least they should just be sorry.  But why did they respond with hostility?  Maybe they knew they were being unresponsive to a loving invitation, and a part of them felt conflicted.  Maybe human pride has to power up when we let go of something that’s good for us.  Deep inside, we know that we are making a mistake but our pride wants to not acknowledge that.  So, we have to turn against the very invitation.

In the rest of the chapter, the ongoing attempts by the Pharisees and the Sadducees to trick and trap Jesus illustrate this parable.  Why were they so against Jesus? Although he amazed them again and again with his answers to their ridiculous questions, and, of course, the miracles he performed throughout, why were they so closed off to Jesus and refused to accept the invitation to the “wedding banquet?”

Like the people in the parable of the wedding banquet, they didn’t just passively resist the invitation.  They ended up killing the son of God–all because they needed to protect their agenda. But  what happened to these people?  In the end, they all died along with their agendas, their pride, their status in the religious order, etc.   In the same way, I see people walking away from the truth of God that can save them because their attachment to this world is too strong – money, success, comfortable life, family, or just pride, which causes them to refuse to submit to their Creator who has a legitimate and total claim over their lives.   Although people see human frailty within themselves and all around them, they rarely become humbled by them.  When we see our aging parents no longer so strong, when we see our friends’ parents dying from cancer, when we hear news of some young person dying in a freak accident,  these should all serve as reminders to hold on loosely to all that we think are so important.  Instead of just getting discouraged or just not thinking about it because it’s depressing, we need to let the reality of human frailty make us humbler and, therefore, wiser people and respond to the greatest invitation to the “wedding banquet.”  Because at the end of our lives, the only thing that matters is how we responded to this invitation. I’m thankful that John’s mom had responded to this invitation when she was young so that we can all take comfort during this time of grief.

Surrender All (by Sovereign Grace Ministries)

Take all I am, Lord and all that I cling to
You are my Savior, I owe you everything too
Take all the treasures
That lie in my storehouse
They cannot follow
When I enter Your house
So I surrender all to you
I surrender all