The Gospel of Matthew
Session 49 – 2/1/2015
Fr. John Codis
22:1-14
Who Enters into the Kingdom
Joy and Judgment
The Jews ages ago were invited by God to be his chosen people. Yet when God’s Son, Christ, came into the world, and they were invited to follow him they disrespectfully refused.
- Invitation of God is joyous.
- Distractions are not necessarily bad.
- A sense of loss
- Invitation of Grace.
This resulted in God going out to the highways and byways, to the sinners and Gentiles, inviting all by His grace to the Wedding Feast.
The repeated sending out of servants shows Gods great desire to have His people with him in the Kingdom.
We are too often contemptuously refusing Gods call. He always takes a back seat to our lives. Sometimes not out of our own desire, but out of our own neglect. It is the grace of Christ, which allows us His invitation, and we must not make our lives so busy, being preoccupied with things that are seen but to refocus us on things that are unseen.
The Scrutiny of the King
“The door is open to all people, but when they come they must bring a life which seeks to fit the love which has been given to them. Grace is not only a gift, it is a grave responsibility.”
The door is not open for a sinner to come in and remain a sinner, but for the sinner to come and become a saint.
Garment of Mind – Expectation
Garment of Heart – Humble Penitence
Garment of Soul – Faith and Reverence
We need to enter God’s house, His Church, with a preparedness which we lack at times. A little prayer, a little thought, and a little self-examination would go a long way, then worship would be worship indeed!
February 1, 2015
