Matthew 22:1-10 NKJ
And Jesus answered and spoke to them
again by parables and said,
"The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king
who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out
his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding
and they were not willing to come.

Again, he sent out other servants,
'Tell those who are invited . . . . See I have prepared
my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed,
and all things are ready.
Come to the wedding.'

But they made light of it and went their ways,
one to his own farm, another to his business.
And the rest seized his servants, treated them
spitefully, and killed them. 

God in zeal and urgency "summons" us
to His long waiting Feast,
The consummate finale of His creation.

The killing has come, no oxen or mere cattle
but His own Dear Son whose name is Jesus,
bloodied and slaughtered for this Great Banquet.
"It is finished" . . . all is ready.

This is a mandate, not an invitation.
We exist for the event, fitted for this intention.
He who made us for it, has the right to
demand our willing presence.
And the right to fury if we shun it.

God commands the call of the Bride
yet . . . the Bride has the choice of answer.
She can say yes or she can say no.
And all of heaven moves to give her the fruit of her choice.

You are the one called.
and you have answered.

Somewhere in your fostered being
you have given God your answer.
And your life has turned to the direction
of that thrilling-yes . . . or that shattering-no.

You have gone to the trades of your world,
to the loves of your indulgence, or . . .

you have stopped the common futility of fools
and turned to an immortal adventure.

The Bride must consent, always.
This is no forced marriage of obligation . . .
only a union of love,
a betrothal of rapt affection.

No unloving Bride and no vulgar Wife
will sit with the Lamb as He serves the
glorious banquet of His wedding.

No, only the Bride of passion will be there.
Only the one who says yes to the proposal.
Yes and yes again.
Yes to the costly preparation.
Yes to the heart of her patient King.
yes to His hourly will and
His unworldly ethics.

Yes to the ultimate end . . . the
gathering of all things to
the feet of this Beautiful Son.

Long before it occurs in the sure future,
the Believer who loves the Son
will - in eager passion - say
yes to the invitation of the Father to
the Supper of the Lamb!

Yes! Yes! Yes!
I will be there!

Copyright © 2001 Martha Kilpatrick