Tuesday - Jesus Challenges the Religious Leaders

Okay, we are slowly making our way through the last week of our Lord's life, and I say slowly, because there's a lot of information in the gospels. Someone, I don't remember the exact numbers, but someone has said if there were as much material in the gospels for the whole life of Christ as there is about the last week of Christ, the Bible would be, I don't know, how many 10, 15 times longer than what it is now. There's just an amazing amount of material in the last week of our Lord's life, and so we're slowly making our way through it. We saw that on Sunday, he made a triumphal entry into the city, was late in the day, and so they looked around the temple, left and went back out to Bethany. On Monday, he cursed the fig tree, went in and cleansed the temple, and then on Tuesday, as we are seeing, also on Monday met with the Greeks, or at least had a question from the Greeks about meeting with him. Then Tuesday morning, they go back into the city and see the fig tree that had been cursed all withered up, and Jesus enters into the temple to start teaching. That's where we left off last week. Jesus entered into the temple. We're in Matthew 21 tonight, where as Jesus begins teaching, we find that he is challenged by the religious leaders. There is a confrontation with the religious leaders. We talked about that last week, chapter 21, verses 23 to 27. When Jesus started teaching, the chief priest and the elders came to him and said, by what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority? Basically, they're challenging him because Jesus has taken over the temple. On Sunday, he drove out the money changers, overturned their tables, drove out the animal, stopped the traffic through the temple. He's been teaching in the temple. On Monday, the children were still crying, the Housannas, the Psalm 118 that was being cried when Jesus came into the city and the triumphal entry. They were still doing that. The children were in the temple. There's a lot going on in the temple. Now it's Tuesday and Jesus is going back into the temple to teach and he's basically taken control of the temple. The chief priests and the religious leaders are threatened by him. It's quite clear that they are intimidated and threatened by his seizing control of the temple, if you will. They challenge him. Why are you doing this? Where did you get your authority from? You didn't go to our schools. You weren't trained by our rabbis who gave you this kind of authority. Remember Jesus answered. Jesus said, I got a question for you too. John's baptism was it of human origin or divine origin? Remember Jesus basically painted them into a corner with that question. There's no way they could answer it and not be hurt in some way. It's interesting, isn't it? They were always trying to trap him. Never succeeded. He asked them one question and traps them where they can't answer. If they said, well, it's of human origin, then they were afraid of the people because the people thought John was a prophet. John was very popular among the average person in Israel. If they said it was a divine origin, John's ministry, then because John introduced Christ to the nation, then basically they're admitting Christ's authority comes from the Father too. They couldn't answer. There's no way they could answer. They said, we're not going to tell you. Jesus says, well, I'm not going to tell you about what authority I'm doing this either. That wasn't because Jesus was ashamed or didn't have the authority, obviously not. It's because Jesus is saying, I do not need your permission to do what I'm doing. This is my Father's house. This is not your temple. This is God's temple. My Father's temple. In doing this, Jesus is by refusing to give them an answer. He's basically saying, I have my own authority to do this. I don't need your permission. He's asserting his authority. Okay, now that's where we left off. What Jesus does next is he follows up with three quick stories. It's amazing while they're still kind of back against the ropes and reeling from this question that they couldn't answer, Jesus hits them real quick with three stories that unmask their hypocrisy, the wrath of God against them, the fact that God will judge them. Jesus basically pulls the mask off of their self-righteousness and hypocrisy and shows that they are in the wrong. Three stories. Let's look at them tonight. The first one, verse 28, is the parable of the two sons. What we have in this story is two sons and a command. Two sons and a command, and notice how Jesus begins the story, verse 28. What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, here's the command, son, go and work today in the vineyard. I will not, he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, I will, sir, but he did not go. Get the story in your mind. Father with two sons, he gives them one son a command and the son basically indicates that he will not. He resists, he rejects the command of the father, but then later notice what it says. He changed his mind and went. That's almost a dictionary definition of repentance. A change of mind, which issues in a change of direction. He changed his mind and went. That's classic description of repentance. The other son is given the same command and he makes a profession of obedience. Oh, I will. Outwardly, he's professing obedience to his father, but then his actions give the lie to his profession. He really doesn't have any hard interest in doing what he said he was going to do. That's the story. Notice how Jesus draws out the application. Verse 31, which of the two did what his father wanted? The first they answered. And by the way, when people are answering here, at least in the next parable for sure, maybe in all of them, it may be the crowd. Remember Jesus is teaching the crowd. And so the crowd is quick to catch what he's getting across. The first is the one who did what his father wanted to do. And then Jesus drives home the application. Verse 31 in the middle. He says, Jesus said to them, truly, I tell you the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to show you the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. That's Jesus' application of the story. And it's pretty easy to see who the two sons represent. Right? I mean, Jesus mentions them. Tax collectors and prostitutes have obeyed the command and you, the religious leaders, have not, in spite of all of your profession. Okay, so it's pretty easy to see what the deal is here. Now, here's the lesson. And we'll talk about this a little bit. The lesson is this. Repentance is genuine evidence of genuine faith. Repentance is the evidence of genuine faith. In other words, what God is looking for is obedience, not profession, not outwardly saying, I will, I profess obedience to the Father, but He's looking for obedience. And even on the part of the one who resists at first, who is rebellious in the beginning, but the one who changes his mind and then ends up doing what he's supposed to do. Repentance, change of mind leading to a change of conduct, that's what God is looking for. The first son, even though he halted, resisted, eventually showed the evidence of a true heart change. The second son showed evidence that there was no heart change. Okay? Now, who do they represent? That's pretty obvious question. Who do they represent? Who's the first son represent? Believers? Okay, believers? Okay. In Israel, who were the believers? As Jesus is speaking, who are they? Gentiles will be, yes. Tax collectors in the harlots. Some people, his disciples, came from common people, not rabbis, not religious leaders. Who's the second son represent? The religious leaders? Pretty obvious, isn't it? This story, now the other two are going to get a little more complex, but by the time they got this story, then they knew how to interpret the other two, it was pretty clear of what this represents. The religious leaders professed to be sons. Remember, they professed to be children of God because they were children of Abraham. And since they were ethnic, racial descendants of father Abraham, in their minds, that made them sons of God. So they professed to be obedient sons of God. That's the religious leaders. But they would not humble themselves and repent and do what God said needed to be done. They didn't listen to John's message as Jesus points out and certainly they did not listen to Jesus' message either. So they did not respond with genuine faith because there was no evidence of faith in their repentance. This is turning away from sin in faith to God. It's well represented by the first son who although he's living in disobedience at first, he changes his mind and ends up going and doing what the Father said. Obedience is the evidence of genuine faith. Who was the person who was a genuine son? The one who by his obedience demonstrated that he really was a son. I think that's a lesson that is important for us to learn. And that is that change in the life is the evidence of genuine faith. The New Testament is absolutely full of that. If a person is genuinely saved, there will be some evidence in a changed life. Just think of the many times that is described in the New Testament. When Jesus gave the parable the soils, there were three different kinds of soils that really bore no fruit. Even though a couple of them looked kind of good in the beginning but really no fruit. The one that bore fruit was the one that had some 30 fold, some 60 fold, some 100 fold. But there was growth, there was fruit, there was evidence that life had actually germinated, there was fruit there. And not everybody has the same level of fruit, not everybody has the same level of growth or obedience, but there's some evidence if you're truly saved, there will be some evidence that have changed life. Jesus or Paul said, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, the new is come. There's a change in the life. James said, our faith is seen by what? Our works. And what did James say about the demons? The demons believe in God. You believe in God? James says, great, that's wonderful. You ought to believe in God. The demons also believe in God. You think that's going to get you to heaven? No, no, belief in God doesn't get you to heaven. It is the kind of genuine faith in Christ that is evidenced in the way you live, some change in your life. And the change in the life can mean many different things. What are some of the evidences of a changed life for a true believer? What happens? Character? Character development, growth in the graces of Christian life, sure. We want to please him. Yeah, the one son, first of all, said no, gets to thinking about it, it's working on him, he realizes that's wrong, he wants to please the father, changes his mind and goes and does what the father said. We want to please him. What else? What kinds of fruit or evidences might there be? Love one another? Yeah, love for the brothers or sisters in Christ. First John gives five different evidences. John wrote his first epistle, he says in chapter 5 and verse 13 so that we might know that we have eternal life. And he gives five times in that epistle, he says, by this show you know that you're my children or that you know me and that's one of them. Love of fellow Christians. Okay, what are some other changes, life evidences that take place? Don't practice sin. Yeah. And that's a tricky one but James or John says that in verse 3 verses 6 through 9 that you do not live a continual lifestyle of sin. The idea is that there is that that check of the Holy Spirit in your life now that you don't live the way you once did. Doesn't mean you're sinless but you don't practice a lifestyle. What are their evidences? Changes of life. Eternal perspective, okay? And we obviously we grow in that don't we? But our sight is reset. That's really what the Bible means by regeneration. We have a new birth which gives us a new disposition, new attitudes, new outlook on life. That's regeneration. Someone has said one of the old theologians on the other, it may have been Charles Hodge always used to talk about regeneration gives you the spectacles of faith. You see things differently. Your whole life outlook is different, okay? What else? You have a heart for the lost don't you? That is one evidence. Again, that's something that can get clouded over by other concerns in life and so forth. But one of the evidences, one of the changes in your heart is that when you really get saved you have a concern for other people to come to know Christ. And sometimes sad to say but sometimes that is more apparent right after we get saved than it is after a few years. That is part of that heart change. You've mentioned a lot of things and there are others if we took one of the take the time that really show the evidence of new life, a hunger for the Bible, a hunger to know God's Word and know what He wants you to do. I mean there are lots of others too. A desire to communicate with Him, desire to be with these people, fellowship with these people and so forth. Those and many more are evidences. But what Jesus basically is saying is repentance. A change in lifestyle is evidence of genuine faith. The Pharisees had the lip profession. We're sons of God because we're sons of Abraham. We've got it. We obey God. We're the ones that are really, they could talk a good talk but there was no evidence in life change. So basically he's telling them you're the second son. You're not the one who pleases the Father. That's the left hook. Now let's look at the jab. The next parable. The story of the tenant farmers. What we have here, the story is basically a story of the tenant farmers and an owner. The key thing about the first parable was the command. The key thing about this parable is the owner. Who's the owner? And what is the owner and what does that mean? So you've got tenant farmers and an owner. Let's just read through it. Make a few comments and then we'll draw the application that Jesus is intending here. Verse 33, listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine press in it and built a watch tower. Now this is serious farming here. This guy is not just planting a few little vineyards out in the back of his yard. This is a full vineyard field. This is a field that he puts a wall around for protection. Actually digs a wine press in the field so that he can harvest and process his grapes on the spot. And then he puts a tower there. There would be a watchman at the tower making sure that no one got in over the wall to steal any of the produce. So this is serious stuff here. So he's done all this. Then it says he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. So he rents the vineyard out to tenant farmers and he leaves. So he's absent and someone else has care of the vineyard. Now let's try to remember those details because they're important. Verse 34, when the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. Remember it's his land. It's his vineyard. He's had people working at 4am and they're being paid for that. But it's his fruit. So he sends his servants to gather the harvest. In verse 35. The tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them more than the first time and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. They will respect my son, he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, this is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance. So they took him in 3m out of the vineyard and killed him. So you've got one group of servants that are mistreated, second group of servants that are mistreated. Lastly, the son of the owner of the vineyard and he is killed by the tenant farmers. That's the story of the tenant farmers and the owner. Now look at the question Jesus asks to bring out the application. Verse 40, therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to these tenants? Verse 41, he will bring those wretches to a wretched end that they replied. Probably again the crowd. He's got the crowd with him. They understand what he's saying. He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time. The crowd that he's speaking to in the temple recognizes the injustice, absolutely abhorrent behavior of the tenant farmers. They realize what's been done wrong here and what must be done to correct that. Now that's the story and Jesus is drawing out the application. Now notice what happens in verse 42. Jesus really points the lesson home. Jesus said to them, have you never read in the scriptures the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes. Who do you think is being referred to in that passage? Jesus. Jesus is the stone that the builders rejected. He's going to become the cornerstone. What's he going to become the cornerstone of? The church. Some translations say capstone or the capstone of the building project. Either way it's the significant stone that either starts the building project or finishes it off. Do you know where that's from? We've got a study Bible with cross references you can pick it up real quick. Where's that from? Psalm 118. Verse 22 and 23. Is that what it is? Do you remember when Jesus rode into the city in the triumphal entry and they were crying, is it a sign of the name of the Lord? Is that a sign of the Lord? It's a sign of the Lord. Is it a sign of the Lord? It's a sign of the Lord. Blessed is he who comes to the name of the Lord. The welcome to the one who will save us is the very next verse. Verse 26. Jesus is causing them to go back in their minds to what was being called out when he rode into the city in the triumphal entry. You see the people were calling for the Messiah, the Lord who would save us. Blessed is he who comes to the name of the Lord and it's so significant. We're not Israelites. We didn't live in their day. We missed some of the significance of this. This is what would be said the end of the hallale of Psalms, 113 to 118. Right at the end of this is what every Jewish pilgrim would be singing as they went up to the city of Jerusalem for the feasts. They were going to the feasts to cry out to God for forgiveness of sin. Hosanna, Lord save us. Blessed is he who long for the Messiah. Blessed is he who comes to the name of the Lord. That's what every Jew would be quoting and singing as they went up to the temple for the feasts days. And so that's what was being cried out when Jesus entered in. He's a Messiah. He is the one that fulfills all of that. And then he says, it's so ironic. He says to the chief priests and the religious leaders, you ever read Psalm 118? They just heard it being cried out in a couple of days before. And he's basically saying, you ever read Psalm 118? You ever read verse 22 and 23? That's what I'm talking about. That's what Jesus is saying. You have rejected the Messiah. In the story the Son was killed. You're rejecting your Messiah, the Son of God. Okay, now notice how it goes ahead and applies at verse 43. Therefore I tell you the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone. Okay, Jesus is called sometimes a stumbling stone, Peter calls him that, and a rock of offense. That's also from the Old Testament. One who stumbles over that rock. Okay, that's what Jesus is referring to here. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces. Anyone on whom it falls will be crushed. And that's kind of a reference to Daniel. Daniel chapter 2, you remember the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw, the image of the head of gold and so forth. You remember the stone that was cut out of the mountain without hands and rolled down and crushed all the world empires. That stone is the Messiah that comes and sets up his kingdom on the earth. You see Jesus is making a subtle but what would have been to them with their Old Testament background. A very clear reference to the smiting of that stone that will crush all human power and set up his own kingdom. All right, these are very clear claims to being the Messiah. First of all, he's quoting from Psalm 118, a Messianic prophecy, and then he talks about the rock of offense and stumbling that Isaiah talks about. And then he talks about the prophecy of Daniel. He's talking about very clear prophecies that have to do with the Messiah and he's claiming to be the Messiah. Now look at verse 45, when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. They're getting it now. They looked for a way to arrest him but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. Again, they're intimidated by the crowd. They're looking for some way to arrest him and kill him but they can't seem to figure out a good way to do it. He's teaching in the temple of a very public place. The people are really caught up with what he's teaching and listening to him so they can't figure out how to do it. They will be given a way to do it in a couple of days. But they're trying to figure it out now. Now what's the lesson of this story? The lesson is this, rejecting Christ brings judgment. Now let's work our way back through the story. Help me out here. What does the vineyard represent? Yes, Israel. In the Old Testament, very common reference to Israel is the vineyard. So the vineyard is Israel. Who are the tenant farmers that are given responsibility to tend the vineyard? The religious leaders, exactly. They're the ones that have been entrusted with that position and authority by God. They were designed to do that even in the Old Testament. So whoever's the religious leaders, they're supposed to be tending the vineyard. Who's the owner? God, that's pretty obvious, isn't it? God is the owner. He has entrusted the care of the vineyard to others while he is gone, while he's kind of out of the picture. Who are the servants that are sent? The prophets? Yeah, because they come before the sun, right? So the prophets or the servants are the prophets who have come to get the fruit to see what fruit there is in the vineyard. Didn't that what the prophets did in the Old Testament? Wasn't that what their ministry and message was all about? Bring forth fruits of repentance? You're not living right, just read Amos and Jeremiah and some of those prophets. They just raked Israel over the coals for the lack of heart and life evidence kind of living in repentance. So those are the servants, the prophets. Who is the sun? Right, Jesus, obviously Christ is the sun. So the sun is rejected and killed just like the prophets were by the religious leaders, the tenant farmers. I mean, this is very clear. The parallels could not have been any more clear. Obviously, they caught this. The religious leaders know that he's talking about them. And he knows, or they know that he knows that they want to kill him. He is clear from what he says here in this in this parable. So what does the owner do? The owner comes and judges those people. What is that about? When does that happen? Tribulation? Ultimately? Ultimately? Yes. But there's even a more near time when this would be fulfilled. 70 AD when the Romans would come. And that really was the beginning of it was kind of the initiating of the judgment of God on Israel because of their rejection of the sun. Remember, Jesus, when he came into the city, the triumphal entry, remember when we saw that in Luke 19, he talked about he was weeping over the city because they did not recognize. Their day of visitation where God had visited them and the person of his son, they didn't even recognize it. And he talked about the judgment that would come upon them. Not one stone will be left on another. It's talked about the destruction of the city. Okay. I think that's what he's talking about here too. Ultimately, yes. Tribulation will be a time of Jacob's trouble. It will be a time when God judges Israel. Kind of a culmination of his judgment on Israel. But here he may be even more referring to the near judgment that will come upon them by the Romans. And the field, the vineyard is going to be given to other farmers, other people. Who do you think that is? Gentiles. Yeah. And that's even going to become more clear in the next parable what Jesus is talking about there. But, you know, Israel is going to be judged. God's work is going to move to someone else. And that is very clear in the book of Acts, how that happens. But the whole point of this is, what do you do with Christ? If you reject the stone, the cornerstone, you're going to be pulverized by that stone. He will be like the stone cut out of, cut out without hands and crushing all of man's kingdoms. If you reject that stone, you'll be pulverized by him. You'll be judged by him. So that's the point that Jesus is making that these religious leaders are like the tenant farmers who reject and kill not only prophets, but the very son of the owner. And thus the owner is going to come and judge them and give the vineyard to someone else. That's pretty clear what he's talking about. So, any questions about that one before we look at the third one? I think we may have time to get the third one in tonight. The wedding banquet. Yes, Steve? The stone that was cut out without hands, those territories he mentioned, they were originally divine, creating the divine work together. Then, did not carve stone without hands. The idea is that this is a work of God. This work of judgment in Daniel 2 is a work of God. God is the one who sends the stone to destroy the kingdoms of men. So, it is God who sends the one who then sets up his kingdom. That stone grows into a huge mountain which becomes the kingdom of God. So, yeah, it's indicating it is a work of God. Okay? Let's move to the third one. I would like to get this one in because they all go together. Jesus is left hook, jab. Now, here's the uppercut. These all three go right together while the Pharisees are still struggling to get their legs under them. Jesus is boom, boom, boom. One right after another, these three stories, and man, they're really going to be laid out by the time he gets done with these three stories. But they're going to come back in the second round. They're going to come back. We'll see and start asking him questions next time. Okay? Chapter 22, verse 1, the wedding banquet. And what we have here, the key idea here is this is a wedding banquet and a king. Okay? He figure here is the king. Verse 1, Jesus spoke to them again in parables saying, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. Okay? You're already picking up the imagery here, no doubt. King, who is preparing a banquet for people to be invited to that will honor his son. Verse 3, he sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come. But they refused to come. Now this would be very well known to the people who were listening to Jesus. There were always two invitations to this kind of banquet. The first invitation would be sent weeks and months ahead. It's a wedding banquet. So you got to get it on your calendar. Three, four, five months ahead. An invitation is sent out. A formal invitation. This is the day of the banquet. But the time of the banquet would not be set because there were too many variables about getting prepared for it. So the day would be set but not the specific hour or time. So on the day of the banquet, when people who have been invited should know to be ready on that day. Okay? You get the symbolism here, which would be very apparent to them. It's not as apparent to us. They've already been invited. They know what day it is. They should be ready expecting the second invitation. When the meal is actually ready on the day that they've already been invited, the second invitation goes out. And they go out and say the meal's ready. It's ready. It's time to come. Okay? They already know the day. They should have been prepared, scheduled cleared, ready to go. And when the time comes, that invitation is given. That's the invitation he's talking about in verse three. They've already been invited to the banquet but now he sends out his servants to tell them to come. It's time to come. But they refuse to come. They refuse to come. So look at what happens in verse four. Then he sent some more servants and said, tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet. Now this is a more urgent invitation with a little more detail about the meal. This is what I've prepared. You know there's a little bit more if you want to use this word enticement to come. Okay? A little bit more pull there. A little stronger invitation. Come to the wedding banquet. Verse five. They paid no attention and went off. When do we feel another to his business? Oh, in words, they just kind of slough it off. No big deal. I got stuff to do. And all they go to do their own thing. Verse six. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. Now, verse seven. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Okay? So the king responds by judging this city and the people who had treated his servants that way. And verse eight. Notice what he does next. Then he said to his servants, the wedding banquet's ready. But those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find. So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find. The bad as well as the good and the wedding hall was filled with guests. So now the people who were initially invited a long time before should have known to set aside the day. When the second invitation comes, they refuse, reject, just ignore it. It's not important to them. Now the invitation goes out to other people, whoever you can find. And the wedding hall is full. But now notice a little twist in the story in verse 11. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. Now here's a key part of the story in their culture. When a banquet like this would be offered, especially when you're inviting anyone, just to come. Anyone in the scrum of the come. The host provided the wedding garments or the garments that were to be worn for the feast. The host, it was the host responsibility to provide that for the guests. So the fact that a guy comes in without a wedding garment is not like, I'm too poor. I didn't have time to go to the store. You just invited me. I didn't know. You just invited me today. I didn't know anything about this. Okay. The guy is not excusable because he has been offered a wedding garment. He's been offered a garment for the feast and he for whatever reason has rejected it or just thought it wasn't important. Verse 12, he asked, how did you get in here without wedding clothes friend? The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, time, hand in foot, throw him outside into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are invited, but few are chosen. There's a lot of theology in that verse, by the way. But we probably won't get to that. Okay. There's the story, a wedding banquet and a king. Now, here's the lesson. Disregard for God's invitation brings His wrath. Disregard for God's invitation brings His wrath. Okay. Let's think back through the parable and how this would hit them with their culture and knowing what Jesus is driving at. The first invitation. Who? When was the first invitation given? Obviously, it's been given to Israel. Okay. That's the notice. When was the first invitation given to them? Remember the two invitations? One would be weeks, maybe months ahead, way ahead of the time for the banquet. When was the first invitation given to Israel? Okay. If you're looking at the exact, I mean the absolute first one, it would go back that far. But I'm just thinking more in terms of the wedding banquet, invitations are sent out ahead of time and then when it's the day of the banquet, a second invitation is given. What do you think that first invitation refers to? John the Baptist, yes, and maybe even back a little further to the Old Testament prophets. The point is Israel has had plenty of time to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. They have plenty of invitations. The prophets have told them what to expect. Isaiah 35 told them exactly what the Messiah would do. Kind of message you would preach, kind of miracles you would perform. They have plenty of warning. Daniel told them the actual year, Micah told them to place you would be born. There are all kinds of prophecies about the prophets had warned them, given them plenty of warning. And then what's the second invitation? What's the invitation that, okay, it's now, it's right now. Jesus himself, remember what Jesus preached and the apostles when they first started going out preaching early in his ministry. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. It's here. It's time. Okay, the king is here. Kingdom of heaven is the banquet is ready. Basically is what they're saying. Okay, so that's the second invitation. Disregard and rejection obviously refers to what Israel is doing now. They're religious leaders to their, their king. The judgment of God is seen obviously in his wrath as we've just seen in 8070 when the city would be destroyed. God would judge Israel for the rejection of the king. And then another invitation goes out after to the Gentiles, right? Go out and find anybody. In other words, it's not restricted now to those who were invited the first time by the Old Testament prophets preparing Israel for their coming king. Now it goes to anybody, okay? Clearly the Gentiles, right? The book of Acts, the gospel goes after everybody. So now it goes after, go out and find anybody who will respond, anybody who will come and invite them to come in. But there's one condition for getting in the banquet hall. What's that? You've got to have the wedding garment. You've got to have the right clothes on. If you want to push the symbolism a little bit, you have to have the robe of righteousness. But who provides the garment? The host does. We don't get the garment ourselves. The host provides the garment. He gives it. So anybody trying to get in without the garment obviously has not been saved. Okay? They've not received the righteousness of Christ to push the symbolism a little further, I guess. So obviously there's judgment because not only is, see, part of what's happening here, there's so much here. Part of what's happening is that Jesus is demonstrating the fact that salvation is moving away from a nation and it's going to anybody, everybody, it's not to a group, it's to individuals. Obviously it was also to individuals in the Old Testament. But the focus was on the nation of Israel. Now it's going to individuals. So there is a personal individual need to have the wedding garment on. Okay? And that's what Jesus is talking about there. Many are invited, fewer chosen. The ones who actually get into the banquet hall are spoken of as the chosen ones. Those are the ones that are ultimately saved, but they're many invited. If you study the calling of the spirit, conviction of the spirit in the Bible, there are three different kinds. We won't get into the theology of it tonight. When I sometime along the way teach the doctrine of salvation, we will get into that. There are three kinds of calling in the Bible, which have to do with the working of the spirit in people's hearts. There's a very general call. Then there's a more specific call to an individual that can be resisted. And then there's the effectual call, which results in salvation. There are a lot of people who are invited who will never be there. But the chosen will be. Okay? Those who ultimately are saved. It's obvious that Jesus is directing his comments to those religious leaders right in all three stories. He is really hitting them hard. And they're going to get up off the canvas and come back adding with some questions. They'll start firing questions at him in the next few passages. But Jesus, basically, is once again, isn't he asserting his authority and indicating that they are in the wrong, that they have rejected him and they will suffer God's wrath because of that. Doesn't matter that they claim to be the sons of Abraham. Doesn't matter that they claim to be religious leaders. They've shown no evidence in their lives of genuine repentance and faith. And so they are not sons of God. They have rejected the Messiah and they will be judged. I mean, he's hitting them hard with that message of God's wrath and judgment. Well, they're not going to like it. And they'll come back adding. Okay? Steve? Just a question. When Jesus was dying and he probably could bother to give us the number I did, he was referring to the wrong, specifically to the soldiers that were in charge of it and did not give us the news. What would the spiritual leaders do, would they do it? They tell us to reject this. The blinds and statements of God. They probably did refer mostly to the Roman soldiers, that statement on the cross, Father Forgive him. They're just carrying out what the Jews basically have engineered. There may be a broader sense and some do take it into broader sense of referring to that specific act. They don't understand what they're doing with that specific act. They don't understand the broader scope of what they're doing and rejecting. So, yeah, you're right. For the Jewish religious leaders, they should have known after this. They knew exactly what they were doing. So that comment on the cross is probably more specifically regarding the Roman soldiers. They don't understand what's going on. They don't know what they're doing. Okay. Although we do not have children clamoring to get up to you tonight, we probably still need to close. Not go to 9 o'clock. Okay. Get your home. Let's pray. Father, thank you for this time to be together and study your word. Lord, we marvel at our Savior, our Lord, as He so masterfully pulled together, Old Testament truth that these religious leaders should have known and used the Word of God taught it, broke it down so clearly that they could not help but know they were wrong and they should suffer your judgment. Father, I pray that we will take seriously the warnings and that we will understand what it means to show genuine evidence of genuine faith in our lives. Thank you for those who have come out tonight. Bless them as they go home. Keep us all safe. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.