WATCH!

 

Good day, I’m Duane Matz and welcome to Today’s Living Word.

 

I want to get back to the parable of the wedding feast today found in Mt 22.

 

Mt 22:1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son,

 

An “arranged marriage” would be very familiar to the people Jesus was talking to here. Though we cringe at the idea in our culture, it was the way things were done by the Jews. A father who desired a bride for his son, would approach the father of the perspective bride and work out a price.

 

When agreed upon, the betrothal period (engagement in our culture) was on. The groom would then set about going to the family compound and prepare a place for he and his wife to live. When it was completed he would come unannounced for his bride, and after the wedding celebration, he would whisk her back to the family compound where in a perfect world, they would live happily ever after.

 

This is a beautiful picture of what the kingdom of heaven is like. The king here is God the Father. The price HE worked out for the purchase of His Son’s bride, was the death of his Son on Calvary1

 

Normally, that would be the end of the story, but this Son rose from the dead, and after 40 days headed back to the home compound to prepare a place for His bride (you and me)

 

When that place has been prepared, when all the rooms are ready, He is ready for the Father to give Him the green light to return. Not one mansion will be unfinished!

 

When all is prepared, the Son will return unannounced to claim His bride. This unannounced return is emphasized time after time by Jesus and serves as a reminder to all of us to WATCH! Be ready for His return at all times! Don’t get sloppy with your God-given faith!

 

Mt 25:13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.