Anesti Ministries

Chapters 21 to 27 of Matthew’s Gospel focus on the last week of Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem.

The parable of the wedding feast is a continuation from the last two parables that Jesus spoke against the religious leaders. This parable sets the context for the following encounters that Jesus has with the Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees.

The parable of the wedding feast.

Jesus describes His first coming as a wedding feast. He is the groom and His bride is the Israelites, the Daughter of Zion (Matthew 21:5). The Pharisees are likened to the weddings guests who ignored the invitation of the king. Their refusal of the king’s invitation shows their disrespect for Him. After all the preparation, God must have been greatly saddened that His guests refused to come. This is a warning that those who reject God’s offer of salvation will experience His judgment. Because of this, others will be allowed into God’s Kingdom in their place. The second coming of Christ will also be a great wedding feast between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:25-27). Very often we are so caught up in our own lives that we neglect God. We must guard our hearts from being distracted by so many things that we do not have time for God.

What does it mean that many are called but few are chosen? There are places where a minimum dress code is required to enter. The guest who was not appropriately dressed found himself removed from the wedding. This does not mean that God rejects those who cannot reach His expectations. But it means that we can only enter God’s Kingdom when we fully embrace His plan of salvation. When you receive Jesus as your Saviour, He clothes you in a garment of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). God offers salvation to every person but you must make a personal choice to receive His gift.

Paying taxes.

The Pharisees and Herodians seek to trap Jesus with a question on paying taxes to the Roman government. If Jesus answers that we should pay tax, they would accuse Him of being a traitor to His people. If He answered no, they would accuse Him of treason to the Roman government. Jesus replies that while the coin bears the image of Caesar, every person bears the image of God. Genesis 1:27 tells us that we are created in the image of God. As Christians we must obey civil laws but more importantly submit ourselves to God.

The resurrection.

The Sadducees were a sect of aristocratic priests who did not believe in the resurrection. In verse 32, Jesus quotes Exodus 3:6 as proof that there is life after death. While all humans experience physical death, Jesus promises eternal life. In eternity, our form and relationships will be entirely different. The Sadducees read the scriptures but did not know it well. The Sadducees refused to believe in the resurrection because they did not have faith in God’s power. Jesus corrects the deep flaw in their theology by pointing them back to scripture. We must allow scripture to shape our thoughts and beliefs. We must read God’s Word with eyes of faith.

The greatest commandment.

Jesus teaches that all the commandments in the Law can be summarised into two. The first is to love God with our whole being. The second is to love others as we love ourselves. Jesus then reaffirms His identity through the scriptures. Jesus quotes Psalm 110 where David has a vision of God speaking to Jesus Christ. Jesus is first the Son of God and also a descendant of David. While this may seem illogical to the human mind, we must remember that God’s ways are higher than man’s ways. It is good to desire to know God better through His Word, but we must remember that there are certain things of God which we must accept by faith.