The tension between "now" and "not yet"...

At the church where I serve we are nearing the conclusion of a sermon series entitled the kingdom of heaven is. During this series, we are spending our time together looking at a series of statements that Jesus made that are recorded for us in an account of His life that has been preserved in the New Testament of the Bible, called the gospel of Matthew. 

During this series, we are discovering how Jesus described the kingdom of Heaven. During this series, we are discovering how one enters into the Kingdom of Heaven. During this series we are discovering how one should live as part of the kingdom of Heaven. And as we go through this series, our hope and our prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit, in our heads, hearts, and hands in such a way that we would live lives that reveal and bring the light and love of the kingdom of Heaven into the areas of influence we have been given.  

This week I would like for us to spend our time together talking about a tension that we must wrestle with when it comes to the kingdom of heaven. As we have been going through this series, one of the tensions that we have found ourselves wrestling with is the reality that while, in one sense, the kingdom of heaven is in the here and now, in another sense, the kingdom of heaven is not yet.

You see, in one sense, when we recognize and feel remorse for what we have done that has hurt God and others as a result of our selfishness and rebellion and see our and need for forgiveness and respond by changing the trajectory of our life that was moving away from God back to God by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader, we receive forgiveness and enter into the relationship with God that we were created for as part of the kingdom of heaven. In a very real sense, we are participating in the kingdom of heaven in the here and now.

And yet, at the same time, there is this other sense that the kingdom of heaven is not yet. While as followers of Jesus we are members of the kingdom of heaven, we are not participating in the kingdom of heaven in its fullest sense; the kingdom of heaven has not yet been arrived in its fullest sense. We still have to deal with our old nature that is dominated by selfishness and rebellion; we still have to deal with the flawed and broken nature of the world we live in; we still have to deal with things like the Coronavirus; we still have to deal with our aging and decaying bodies.

As followers of Jesus and the church, we are waiting for Jesus to come again to earth. And the reason that Christians, that followers of Jesus make such a big deal about Jesus return to earth is because of the hope that we have at his second coming; the hope of the kingdom of heaven being arriving in its fullest sense and the establishment of God’s royal reign on earth where selfishness, sin and death will be removed and we will experience the fullness of the life and relationship with God as it was designed to be.

Now this tension between the kingdom of heaven as being in the here and now and the kingdom of heaven as being not yet is not a new tension. You see, 2000 years ago, as Jesus walked the earth, His disciples felt this same tension. You see, the disciples heard Jesus state the that kingdom of heaven is at hand. The disciples saw Jesus fulfill predictions that were made hundreds of years earlier that validated His claim as being the Messiah, the promised one of God who would usher in the kingdom of heaven.

Yet Jesus kept bringing up that He was going to be crucified; that He was going to allow Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life. So the disciples were confused as this tension built in them as they followed Jesus. And some 2000 years ago today, Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which we celebrate this morning as Palm Sunday.

And as Jesus entered into Jerusalem on what we refer to today as Palm Sunday, His closest followers felt this tension grow as the tide slowly began to turn against Jesus and opposition grew against Him. As we saw last week, by the Wednesday afternoon after Palm Sunday, Jesus had a heated confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees, who were the self-righteous religious leaders of His day. And after that confrontation, these self-religious religious leaders began to plot how they might kill Jesus.

The following day, Thursday morning, as the Jewish people began their preparations for the Passover feast, Jesus went to the temple and pronounced a harsh condemnation against these self-righteous religious leaders. And as Jesus and the disciples left the temple, the tension was palpable. And that Thursday afternoon, after walking from the temple to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, the disciples could take the tension no longer and asked Jesus the very question that we still ask today “When is the kingdom of heaven coming in its fullest?”

And it is in this context that Matthew gives us front row seat to an event from history where Jesus tells a story in response to their question, and the tension behind the question, that reveals for us a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. So let’s take that front row seat together, beginning in Matthew 25:1-4:

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² "Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. ³ "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴ but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps.

Matthew begins to give us a front row seat to this event from history as Jesus responded to the disciples question about the kingdom of heaven’s arrival by telling a parable. As we have seen throughout this series, a parable is an earthly story that is designed to reveal a deeper spiritual truth. In this parable, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

To understand what Jesus is communicating in this parable, we first need to understand what a wedding looked like in Jesus day. As we talked about last week, in the Jewish culture of Jesus day, a bridegroom would make a wedding proposal to the bride and her family. The bride and her family would then agree to the wedding proposal. At this point, the bridegroom would then go back to where his family lived and would prepare a place for them to live, with his family.

The bridegroom would basically build an addition on his parent’s house for them to live in. After the addition was completed, bridegroom would then come back with his entire family banging pots and pans in a loud parade-like celebration. The parade would then stop at the bride’s house, where a wedding ceremony and reception would take place, which could last several days. At the end of the celebration, the bridegroom would pick the bride up, and take her to be with his family.

With that background in mind, when Jesus refers to ten virgins, these would be unmarried friends and relatives of the bride and bridegroom who would be looking and waiting for the bridegroom to return from preparing a place for the couple to live. These friends and family would then meet the bridegroom and His procession and lead the procession back to the bride’s house for the wedding feast.

Of these ten virgins, Jesus explained that five of them were foolish and five were prudent. Jesus then provided the reason for their foolishness and prudence. The foolish virgins were foolish because they took no oil for their lamps, while the prudent took oil flasks with their lamps. Now the fact that the foolish virgins took no oil for their lamps was significant because of the nature of the wedding.

You see, the virgins had no idea how long they would have to wait until the bridegroom arrived. And because they had no idea when the bridegroom was going to arrive, the foolish were foolish because they were not prepared for the potentially long wait. The prudent virgins, on the other hand, were prepared for however long it took the bridegroom to prepare the place for the couple and then come back for His bride.

Tomorrow, with that background in mind, we will see Jesus continue His parable…

While the kingdom of heaven is calling to all, it is only given to few....

This week, we are looking at an event from history where Jesus told a parable about a wedding invitation that reveals for us a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. In the midst of this confrontation with self-righteous religious people that Jesus told a parable that compared the kingdom of heaven to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.

Jesus explained that those who were invited and had accepted the invitation had changed their mind and were unwilling to come. The king responded to their change of mind by sending out other slaves to remind those who he had invited about the wedding feast. This second appeal revealed how much that they king had already done for the guests.  Yet, in spite of this second appeal, Jesus explained that the king’s guests were still unwilling to come.

The guests were disregarding and neglecting the commitment that they had previously made to the king by rejecting the invitation. Instead of following through on their commitment, those were invited proceeded to give a variety of excuses as to why they were not willing to attend. Each of the excuses demonstrated that the invited guests had put their own selfish concerns before their responsibility to the king. And in doing so, they demonstrated that they cared more about themselves than the king.

Jesus then explained that those who did not reject the invitation due to selfishness responded to the king’s reminder by mistreating and killing the king’s messengers. Not only did they reject the message of the invitation, they rejected the messenger as well. Now this rejection would have been considered nothing less than a slap in the face and a betrayal to the king by those he invited.

Jesus explained that the king was enraged by the rejection of his invitation. The king responded to the rejection by doing two things. First, the king ordered his armies to go and punish those who had rejected his invitation. You see, those who were invited were not worthy because they refused to put into practice their professed acceptance to his invitation. They originally accepted the king’s invitation to be present at the wedding feast, but when push came to shove, they backed away from their commitment to the king out of their own selfish concerns and commitments. And because of their failure to practice what they had professed, they revealed where their true allegiance was.

Second the king did commanded his servants to go to the main highways and invite everyone that they could find to the feast. The king responded to those who rejected his offer by extending his offer to everyone. The king even invited those who did not seem to have any natural status or advantages. But even though they may not have had status or advantages, they were willing to come if invited and needed no second invitation or reminder.

This would have been considered a gracious offer by the king. Jesus then explained that the slaves responded by going out and gathering together all that they could find, both good and bad, into the wedding hall to the point that it was filled with guests. Now once the wedding hall was filled with guests, then the feast can begin right? Not exactly, as we see what happens next in Matthew 22:11-12:

"But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, ¹² and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless.

Jesus explained that prior to the beginning of the feast, the king came in to look over the wedding guests. And upon looking over the guests, the king noticed a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. You see, there are times when Julie and I go to a special occasion that requires that we dress in a way that is appropriate for the occasion. And as much as I hate wearing a tie, there are times when the occasion requires me to wear a tie. And because the occasion requires a tie, I respond by changing my clothes so that I recognize and respect what the occasion requires, and more importantly, the relationship that I have with the person who invited me. To do anything less would be a sign that I did not respect either the occasion or the relationship.

And in the same way, this man did not even take the time to dress in a way that was appropriate for the occasion. He did not even take the time to go home to change; instead he turned up in ordinary dirty clothes which would be an insult to the host. Even though this man was offered a gracious gift of being invited to the kings wedding, this newfound offer of the invitation did not result in a change that would demonstrate that a new relationship had been formed.

Jesus then explained that the king upon seeing the guest confronted the guest and asked, “How did you come in here without wedding clothes?” In other words, the king asked “why have you not responded to my gracious invitation? Do you only want the free meal without doing what it takes to be a part of the wedding ceremony?”

You see, by not wearing wedding clothes, the man was demonstrating that he did not want to be rightly related to the king; the man only selfishly wanted the privileges without the responsibilities that the relationship would have required. Jesus then stated that the man was speechless. Now this does not mean that the man had nothing to say, however.

This phrase, in the language that this was originally written in, literally means that the man was prevented from responding. There was nothing that he could say that could justify his behavior. This would be very similar to when you are in an argument and reply “Ah, Don’t! You have nothing to say that I want to hear! Shhh! Jesus then revealed what happened next in verse 13:

Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

The king responded to this man’s selfish rejection of the new relationship that he was invited to receive by commanding his servants to bind him and throw him out of the feast into outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  The man was to be permanently removed from the king’s presence and was sentenced by the king to experience the punishment that was due him as a result of the rejection of the invitation that had been made. Jesus then concluded this parable with a statement that reveals a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 22:14:

             "For many are called, but few are chosen."

And, it is here, in this simple statement that concluded His parable that we see Jesus reveal for us a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. And that timeless truth is this: while the kingdom of heaven is calling to all, it is given to few.  Like the king in this parable, God is sending out an invitation to all of humanity to receive the forgiveness of sin and enter into the relationship with God that we were created for by believing, trusting and following His Son, Jesus Christ as Lord and Leader.

Unfortunately, many people will respond to God’s invitation by rejecting the invitation. Some reject the invitation as soon as they receive it; they simply fill out the RSVP form and mark the spot “I am not planning to attend”. Others respond to the invitation by filling out the RSVP form and mark the spot “we will be attending”. Then, as the time draws near, they disregard and neglect their commitment to instead focus on their own lives. And, just like the chief priests and Pharisees who they represent in this parable, they instead choose to commit to follow a religious centered life that is based on a list of rules, instead of maintaining their commitment to their relationship with God.

And there are others who do not want to change in order to have the relationship that the invitation requires; they only and selfishly want the privileges of the party without the responsibilities that come with the relationship. And, as Jesus reveals in this parable, for all three of these responses, the end result is the same; eternal separation from the relationship with God that we were created for, but that was rejected in hell.

Now, maybe you find yourself pushing back against everything that I have said. If you are here and I have just described how you are responding to what has been said, I just want to let you know that you would not be the first, because, in the next verse, Matthew tells us that the chief priests and Pharisees went and began to plot against Jesus. They began to plot against Jesus because they knew where they fit in the parable. And many times, religious people spend much more time plotting against men than they do pondering about God.

So here is a question to consider: If you were to find yourself in this parable as a character in this parable, which character would you be? Or better yet, if those who were closest to you, who knew you best, were to place you in this parable as a character in this parable, which character would you be?

Would you find yourself in this parable as the one who responded to the invitation by rejecting the invitation outright? Would you find yourself in this parable as the one who responded to the invitation by filling out the RSVP form and mark the spot “we will be attending”, only to disregard and neglect their commitment to instead focus on their own lives? Would you find yourself in this parable as the one who responded to the invitation by selfishly wanting all the privileges but none of the responsibilities that the invitation requires?

Because, the kingdom of heaven is calling to all, it is given to few. The kingdom of heaven is only given to those who recognize the nature of their selfishness and rebellion apart from God and who see their need for forgiveness. The kingdom of heaven is only given to those who see the need to change the trajectory of their lives that is moving away from God and respond to God’s gracious invitation by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.

So, how are you responding to God’s invitation? Because, as we have discovered, while the kingdom of heaven is calling to all, it is given to few…

Responding to a rejected invitation...

This week we are looking at an event from history where Jesus tells a parable about a wedding invitation that reveals for us a timeless truth about the kingdom of heaven. In the midst of a confrontation with self-righteous religious people, Jesus told a parable that compared the kingdom of heaven to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. 

Jesus explained that the king sent out slaves to call all of those who were invited to the wedding feast. Now in the Jewish culture of Jesus day, during a wedding, the bridegroom would come to pick up the bride at her parents’ house, where the wedding feast would begin with a meal.

So what would happen in Jesus day was that a wedding invitation would be sent to inform those invited of the impending wedding. Then as the bridegroom began his journey to pick up his bride, the family would send slaves to inform those who have already been invited and who had already accepted the invitation that the time for the wedding feast had come. 

In this particular case, however, Jesus continued by stating that those who were invited had changed their mind and were unwilling to come. Jesus then continued the parable by revealing how the king responded to their change of mind in Matthew 22:4-6:

"Again he sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."' ⁵ "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, ⁶ and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.

Jesus explained that the king responded to their change of mind by sending out other slaves to remind those who he had invited about the wedding feast. You see, the reception hall had been reserved, the caterer had been hired, all of the food had been prepared and the bar had been stocked. The king has already made all the preparations necessary for the feast based on the RSVP’s that he had received.

And even at this point, although the king had already sent out slaves throughout the time leading up to the wedding; he was still willing to send out another reminder to those who have been invited that the feast was about to start. You see, this second appeal revealed how much that they king had already done for the guests.  Yet, in spite of this second appeal, Jesus explained that the king’s guests were still unwilling to come.

Now by ignoring this second reminder, these guests were going back on their word. The guests were disregarding and neglecting the commitment that they had previously made to the king by rejecting the invitation. Instead of following through on their commitment, those were invited proceeded to give a variety of excuses as to why they were not willing to attend.

But did you notice the common theme behind each of their excuses? You see each of their excuses revealed the reality that they were more concerned about their own affairs than responding to the invitation from the king. Each of the excuses demonstrated that the invited guests had put their own selfish concerns before their responsibility to the king. And in doing so, they demonstrated that they cared more about themselves than the king.

Jesus then explained that those who did not reject the invitation due to selfishness responded to the king’s reminder by mistreating and killing the king’s messengers. Not only did they reject the message of the invitation, they rejected the messenger as well. Now this rejection would have been considered nothing less than a slap in the face and a betrayal to the king by those he invited. And as Jesus continued the parable, we see Jesus reveal the king’s response to this rejection and betrayal in Matthew 22:7-10:

"But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. ⁸ "Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ⁹ 'Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.' ¹⁰ "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.

Jesus explained that the king was enraged by the rejection of his invitation. Now this word enraged, literally means to be set on fire. With this word, Jesus was making it unmistakably clear that the actions of those who had rejected the king’s invitation ignited and provoked a response of anger. Now maybe you can relate to the king’s emotions here? Have you ever been enraged because an invitation that you had made to someone was rejected?

Jesus then explained that the king responded to the rejection by doing two things. First, the king ordered his armies to go and punish those who had rejected his invitation. But, did you notice the reason why the king sent out his armies to punish those who had rejected his invitation? In verse 8, the king explained to his slaves that those who were invited were not worthy.

Now a natural question that could arise here is “Well why were they not worthy? And why would the king have invited them in the first place if they were not worthy?” If that question is running through your mind, you are asking a great question. 

You see, those who were invited were not worthy because they refused to put into practice their professed acceptance to his invitation. They originally accepted the king’s invitation to be present at the wedding feast, but when push came to shove, they backed away from their commitment to the king out of their own selfish concerns and commitments. And because of their failure to practice what they had professed, they revealed where their true allegiance was.

Second the king did commanded his servants to go to the main highways and invite everyone that they could find to the feast. The king responded to those who rejected his offer by extending his offer to everyone. The king even invited those who did not seem to have any natural status or advantages. But even though they may not have had status or advantages, they were willing to come if invited and needed no second invitation or reminder.

This would have been considered a gracious offer by the king. Jesus then explained that the slaves responded by going out and gathering together all that they could find, both good and bad, into the wedding hall to the point that it was filled with guests. Now once the wedding hall was filled with guests, then the feast can begin right?

Not exactly, as we see will see on Friday…