Longest Engagement

In Jewish as well as other oriental cultures, the betrothal is binding to both the groom and the bride. (Matthew 1.18-19) In the eyes of the world they are man and wife though they will consummate their marriage only after the actual marriage ceremony.

The period between the betrothal and the wedding is not spent idling. Both the bride and the groom are busy in preparation for their life together. The groom prepares to build a house to bring his young bride and that takes time and effort. The bride is equally busy spinning her wedding gown as well as her trousseau. She learns various housekeeping skills to equip herself to become an excellent wife. In short, the interlude between the betrothal and the wedding is the preparation time.

Remember Jesus words in John 14.2? “I am going there (my father’s place) to prepare a place for you”. Jesus is the Heavenly Royal Groom and promised to prepare a place for His Bride. It seems like a very long time but the Bible tells us it is His patience and Love for us that makes Him tarry this long. 2 Peter 3.9

Paul says, ‘I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.’ (2 Cor 11.2)  Let us make use of this longest engagement ever, to prepare well ourselves to be the Bride worthy of her Bridegroom.

Party Time

Ever received an invitation to an extravagant wedding feast? Did you consider what your answer should be? Was it an ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’?

 

Once a king send out an invitation to the wedding banquet held in honor of his son. An invitation from a king is a great honor and is not to be refused. The honored guests were expected to arrive. According to custom, on the day of the feast, the slaves were sent out to remind the invited guests of the feast. However, instead of coming to the feast, the invited guests unanimously ‘began to excuse themselves’. Accepting the first invitation obliges the invitees to accept the second invitation and not to do so was the heights of insult.

 

The banquet was already prepared. The nobles of His kingdom had refused to come to His feast, so He opened His doors to the common man. The king ordered his slaves to go out and bring in forcefully if needed, the beggars, the lame, and the blind. Thus, instead of the noblemen of the kingdom, the commoner and the outcastes of the society became the honored guests of the wedding feast of the ages.

 

Yes this is a parable narrated by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew chapter 22. This is one of His ‘Kingdom parables’ and God the Father is represented here by the king and the invited guests are His ‘chosen people’ the Israelites. For the Jews, the Banquet is a symbol of salvation and they understood it as such from many prophesies including Isaiah 25:6-9. The Jews were confident that they would be part of this Banquet at the end times. However, Jesus uses this parable to tell them, that many of them will not be part of it of their own accord and that (surprise, surprise) gentiles and the social outcasts like the blind and the crippled will take part of the Banquet.

 

Apostle Paul explains the entire state of affairs as it effects us, in the most beautiful and understandable manner in full detail in the book of Romans, chapter 9 -11. Read it.

 

As Apostle Paul says, ‘Today is the acceptable day’ for you to say ‘Yes’ to the King. Today this post comes to you to remind you its party time. Accept the invitation and tell God, ‘Yes Father, I want to come to your Banquet, make me worthy.’ If you do, He is faithful and will adorn you with the most beautiful wedding party garment and personally escort you into the Banquet.