Matthew 22:8-14 Gathered from the Street
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: July 17, 2019 Matthew 22:8-14
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
(Understanding the Text) This is part two of the story. In part one the King sent out the first invitations, which were not only ignored but treated with contempt. The messengers were abused and killed, so the King responded by bringing His soldiers and killing the murderers. In part two, the wedding feast is about to begin with no guests, so the King sends out His servants to round up some guests. The servants went out on the busy streets and invited everyone they saw to the wedding feast. They got as many as they could regardless of what they looked like.
It says that the guests were both bad and good. The condition before the invitation is irrelevant. However, they were given beautiful robes to put on so that they would look good at the feast. They might have been different in their backgrounds, character, and appearance before they went to the wedding feast, but they were all dressed beautifully once they got there, which made the one person who chose not to wear the robe really stand out. I don’t know why he chose not to wear the robe. Maybe, he was too proud to accept a gift. Maybe, he thought that his own clothes were just as good as, if not better than, the provided robe. Maybe, he held the King in contempt and was attending to protest the King. The King was not putting up with it in any case. He had the guest tied up and thrown out.
Of course the servants are us and the angels. We are to go out on the busy streets and other places where there are lots of people and invite them to accept Jesus as their Savior and become part of the kingdom of God. We are not to make a difference between worthy or unworthy people. The invitation is to go to everyone. We direct them to where they can get the robes of Christ’s righteousness and help them to put the robe on, if necessary. We are also the guests. We must have the robe of Jesus’ salvation on to be in the kingdom of heaven. We will never get there by our own efforts.
Jesus says that many are called, but few are chosen. There is something here that is special, but my mind is not comprehending it this morning. On the surface it just means that a lot of invitations go out, but only a few end up participating in the kingdom of heaven, but there is something deeper that I am not getting.
(Revelation of God) Jesus wanted people to know that He and the Father wanted everyone that they could get to be with them in the kingdom of heaven. The Father and Son are not picky about the kind of people we are; they are only picky about the kind of people we will be. They insist on loyalty, but they will do all the work of transforming us into guest who are suitably clothed for a wedding. We do not have to worry about what we will be like; we only have to worry about being loyal to God.
(Application / Prayer) There is light and happiness inside the feast, but there is darkness and grief outside the party. We have the choice of joy or sorrow. Why do we keep choosing sorrow? I want joy. To get joy, I need to abide in Jesus. I need to cover myself with His beauty. This world is a dark place full of crying and bitterness and pain. I choose not to be part of it. I choose the light. I pray for You to fill me God with Your Spirit and transform me into the beauty and light of heaven.