For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Matt. 22
In Jesus’ parable of the Wedding banquet, He mentions a man thrown out for not wearing wedding clothes. I have all kinds of questions about that. On the surface, it seems rather harsh. The host did just invite these people off the street corners at the last minute, after all. What if the man didn’t have any wedding clothes? When I read this parable this morning, though, the thing that popped into my head about the wedding clothes was being clothed in Christ.
Paul states in Galatians 3:27, “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ”. Jesus says at the end of this parable that many are invited. And indeed – Christ died for the whole world. However, He follows that with, “but few are chosen”. (Matt. 22:14). This all goes back to the fact that none of us can enter God’s Kingdom by our own efforts. If we have not been clothed with Christ and covered by His righteousness, we cannot be accepted by our holy God. Applying this back to the wedding banquet, I see that the host provided wedding clothes for all of those street corner invites. The man caught without simply refused to put them on.
Deut. 25-26
What was the purpose of giving the first fruits and tithes to God for the giver? For the recipients? The tithing of the first fruits commanded in Deuteronomy 26 is a great example to me of how God’s law is all about loving God with your whole being and loving others as yourself. Giving the first fruits to God was both an acknowledgment that every good thing we have is given to us by Him and an act of gratitude for His faithful and generous provision. And so we love God by recognizing who He is and responding accordingly.
Then we see the offered first fruits given to those who had no inheritance in the land. God was their inheritance and provision. Thus, I see this as God’s giving us the opportunity to participate in His good work; to be His hands and feet, as they say. So we love others by sharing with them what God has so graciously given to us. I believe that statement applies not just to God’s physical provision, but also to less tangible things. We can share other things God freely gives, such as wisdom and His great gift of grace. Loving others by allowing God to love them through us in this way is then yet another way that we love God with all our being.