Every Single Finger

1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. 3And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. 4Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.” ’ 5But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, 6and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. 7But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. 8Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ 10Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.11 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, 12and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. 13Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 22:1-14

It is a sobering thought that God does not accept everyone, but he does invite everyone. The king sent invitations to all of those who would be perceived as wedding guests first. Those that from the outside would be the ones that should go. The ones who fit in. He even told them about the benefits. The wonderful food that would be at this wedding. Not only did the invitees reject him, but they spit on him. They paid no attention. They didn’t even politely reject. They ignored. They had better things to do. Farming and business to attend to. A world that needed them. They had good deeds to accomplish. They were invited but found themselves too important to attend the wedding. The rejection even turned to lashing out and they hurt the king’s people. The king than goes to the streets. He goes to the poor and powerless. The broken ones. There was no filter on these invitations. The evil and the good got an invitation. He went to a people who had less options. And they accepted. They were given clothes that were worthy of this majestic wedding and attended. They enjoyed the wonderful culture and sustenance of the king who was wealthy and full of rich things. But one man. One man was interested in the wedding and the blessings! He was interested in the invitation into this wonderful world of the king. But dedicating all of himself in commitment was too much. He refused to wear the clothes. It is like attending a tryout for a prestigious sports team and then refusing to wear the jersey when you are selected. It is a show of where your heart really is. You will play the sport but to be overlaid with the markings of the King is too much. Wonder if you decide to change your mind? You would look very strange to roam the streets with wedding clothes on. Better keep that set of clothes that you have just in case. So it is with the kingdom of heaven. Jesus extends a call to all those on the streets. He calls anyone who would accept his invitation. But when you attend the wedding, the full surrender is required. It is a sorrowful place to be in life, accepting of Jesus and rejecting His intimacy. Wanting the King’s benefits but never surrendering to the King’s mark. The seal. The clothes that bring the sign of commitment to the King’s mission. The Holy Spirit is like a glove and I am the hand. I can give the glove one finger and that glove can do nothing. I can give that glove two fingers and still nothing. It is not until I give the Holy Spirit every single finger that he can then shake the world with me.” Many hear the voice and miss the feast. Many hear the wedding bells and miss the beauty of being clothed by him. Many are called but few are chosen. Give Him every single finger.