Go into the Highways - Matthew 22:9

Matthew the apostle wrote how, “Jesus answered and spoke unto” the chief priests and elders in Jerusalem” “again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then said he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy”, and in chapter twenty-two and verse nine of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus said the king gave instruction to, “go you therefore into the highway” where we read:

Go you therefore into the highways, and as many as you shall find, bid to the marriage.

The verse reads, “Go you therefore into the highways, ...” Matthew began with the words, “go you therefore” which means “servants of the king depart, continue and make your way” “into the highways” or “to the exit ways and outlets of the open roads and courses out of countries and the entrances into cities”. Matthew shared how Jesus said the king told his servants to “depart and leave” to the major “courses and traveled roads” that lead out of the countries and into the cities.

The verse goes on to say, “... and as many as you shall find, bid to the marriage.” Matthew continued with the words, “and as many” which means “as great and far” “as you shall find” or “as the servants of the king shall discover, discern and recognize”, “bid to the marriage” or “invite and request to attend the wedding festival and feast for the king's son”. Matthew wrote how Jesus said the king told his servants to go into the far reaching places to invite anyone they found to his son's “wedding feast”.

When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we discover the distance this king desired his servants to travel to invite people to his son's marriage. God wants the whole world to come to His Son Jesus' “wedding feast” as it is written, “...You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;” (Revelation 5:9). People from all around the world will attend God's “wedding feast” because they have accepted His invitation through Jesus to attend. May all who read these words choose wisely and receive God's invitation to “come”.

Next time Matthew shares how Jesus told how the servants of the king, “gathered together all as many as they found”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.