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the sin against the holy Spirit?

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

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Much confusion abounds in connection with “the sin against the Holy Spirit”. The general idea is that it will not be forgiven, for all eternity. This is supposed to be the message of Matthew 12:31,32 (and parallel to it: Mark 3:28-30 and Luke 12:10). There are many Christians who fear they have committed this sin and consider themselves, now, to be a hopeless case. This is extremely tragic.

How is that to be dealt with? What is the true meaning of these Scriptures? Here are a few points, in sequence.

the context

Jesus had freed a man, who was possessed, from his bondage and had cured his blindness and dumbness (12:22). While the people were beside themselves with amazement, the Pharisees said: This man drives out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons (12:24). In response, Jesus makes clear that this is an absurd accusation, because then it would be the opponent driving out the opponent, and thus, he would be divided against himself (12:25,26). What the Pharisees were saying, was not only a blasphemy against the Son of Man; from that, one can come back. But they blasphemed the Spirit of God by whom Jesus performed this miracle (12:28). Please note: they knew that God’s Spirit was at work, otherwise one cannot blaspheme the Spirit. So it is not, “the sin against the holy Spirit,” as it is commonly called, but “the blasphemy of the Spirit” (12:31). I.e., knowing that the Spirit of God performed a miracle, but attributing this to satan. No additional miracle would convince the Pharisees, and that is why Jesus said that this blasphemy will not be forgiven, “neither in this eon nor in the eon to come” (:32). These people would not repent and, therefore, there would be no forgiveness for them.

hopeless?

Are these Pharisees thus hopelessly lost? No, they are lost for “this eon and for the one to come.” That is what Jesus said. No less, but no more, either. Do not subtract from it, but neither add anything to it. The coming eon is certainly not the last eon. Paul speaks of “the coming eonS” (Ephesians 2:7). And the Scripture says that Christ will reign “until the eons of the eons” (Rev.11:15). Unfortunately and utterly incorrectly, this is translated: “for ever and ever”. One thing is certain: Christ will not reign endlessly. His last act of rulership is to abolish death, which means to make all mankind to have life beyond the reach of death (1Cor.15:22-28). The knees of these unrepentant Pharisees will bend and they will realize and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God, the Father (Phil.2:9-11). Very significantly, no man can realize and acknowledge this, except by the Spirit of God (1Cor.12:3).

unforgivable

It is the climax of deception what the translators have done in Mark 3:29:

But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:

To stay with the terminology: this is an unforgivable error! This is not a translation, but bad theology. Here, there it is not a question of “eternity” but of “eon”, the same word as in Mat.12:32. And it is not “eternal”, but an eonian sin, a sin that is related to this and to the coming eon. That makes the story completely different!

Conclusion:

Nobody needs to worry about having committed “the blasphemy of the Spirit”, for such an anxiety proves that one is not a slanderer. In the second place, we do not live in the time that the Spirit of God manifests itself, as when Jesus performed this miracle. No one can blaspheme such activities. And most importantly: also they (who will miss out on the future eons) are not hopelessly lost, because the living God IS the Savior of all mankind; so also of them!

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not demolish but to fulfill

Thursday, January 31st, 2013

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Question:

What is for us the meaning of Jesus’ words in Mat.5 :17-20?

17 “You should not infer that I came to demolish the law or the prophets. I came not to demolish, but to fulfill.
18 For verily, I am saying to you, Till heaven and earth should be passing by, one iota or one serif may by no means be passing by from the law till all should be occurring.
19 “Whosoever, then, should be annulling one of the least of these precepts, and should be teaching men thus, the least in the kingdom of the heavens shall he be called. Yet whoever should be doing and teaching them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.
20 For I am saying to you that, if ever your righteousness should not be superabounding more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, by no means may you be entering into the kingdom of the heavens.

Answer:

First, we need to remember that Jesus, according to His own words, was ONLY sent to the house of Israel. And He added that it is NOT GOOD to give the bread of the children of Israel to the nations. (Matt.15:24-26). This also applies to these words in the “sermon on the mount”. However much we can learn of these words, we should be aware that they are not addressed to us.

According to the apostle Paul (who is the “teacher of the nations”; 1Tim.2:7), Jesus was born under the law (Gal.4:4). Why? In order to redeem those (=to FREE those), who were under the law (Gal.4:4,5). The law, which was given on Mount Horeb to Israel, 430 years after God’s promise to Abraham (Gal.3: 17), has been an escort TO CHRIST (Gal.3:24). Please note: It does not say “to Jesus”, because that would not be correct. No, “to Christ“, a title that refers to His resurrection from among the dead (Acts 2:36). In this path of obedience unto death, Jesus Christ FULFILLED the law, even as He also fulfills the prophecies, in the past, the present and in the future.

The law also is prophecy!

The righteousness that is ours, as believers in Christ, we have not acquired, but have RECEIVED. And abundantly so!

For if, by the offense of the one,
death reigns through the one,
much rather, those OBTAINING
the SUPERABUNDANCE of grace
and the gratuity of righteousness
shall be reigning in life
through the One, Jesus Christ.
-Rom.5:17-

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the fire in Matthew 25

Tuesday, August 14th, 2012

From a visitor to this site, I received the next question:

In Matthew, Jesus speaks about the judgment of the nations. Those who have “treated” Israel “well” will be placed at God’s right hand. Here, there is no resurrection preceding this judgment. Yet, there is mention made of the punishment of Revelation 20, the lake of fire, comparative with the fact that they are thrown into the fire with Satan and his minions. However, I do think it to be a different judgment, because there is no resurrection preceding it. How is that exactly to be understood?

ANSWER:

Here, in Matthew, it is about the gathering of the nations in Jerusalem, prior to the thousand years (Rev.19:19-21). Meanwhile, “the Son of Man” (Ben Adam) has taken His place on “the throne of His glory” (Matthew 25:31). Those who have not been good for the least of His brethren (= brethren in the flesh = Israelites) are dispatched to the fire, prepared for the devil and his messengers (Matthew 25:41). In this connection, we are to think of his messengers as the beast and the false prophet. Of these three, we read that they will be thrown into the lake of fire and of brimstone (Rev.19:20; 20:10). This judgment will take place in the region that at one time burned with fire and brimstone, near the Dead Sea (Gen.19:24,28). In this environment, also the “goat” (= unwilling) nations will perish. The judgment in Matthew 25 runs parallel with what we find at the end of Revelation 19. There also, mention is made of a gathering of nations, as well as the end of “the beast and the false prophet”. In one breath it is added: “and the rest (> goats) were killed with the sword” (Rev.19:21).

Also in Joel 3:1 and 2, we read about this judgment:

For, behold, in those days, and in that season, when I shall turn back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also convene all the nations and bring them down to the vale of Jehoshaphat (=the Lord judges). And I enter into judgment with them there concerning My people, and My allotment, Israel, whom they disperse among the nations, and My land which they apportion…

Please note the sequence: the restoration of Israel, the convening of all nations in “the land” and a judgement “because of my people” (cp. “the least of my brethren”).

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“Concerning that day, no one is aware”

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

countdown

Matthew 24 is also known as “the second Sermon on the Mount”. Seated on the Mount of Olives, with a clear view on the buildings of the temple and the city of Jerusalem, Jesus speaks extensively about “the conclusion of eon” and “the sign of His coming” (Matt. 24:3). He expressly continues on what was already recorded by the prophets of the O.T.

Whenever, then, you may be perceiving the abomination of desolation, which is declared through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him who is reading apprehend!); then let those in Judea flee into the mountains.
Matthew 24:15,16

In this case, Jesus refers to the last heptad (last year-week) in the book of Daniel (9:27). In that prophecy, we read that from the moment “the abomination of desolation” will stand in the holy place, until the beginning of the Kingdom of Israel, will be a half year-week or 3.5 years or 42 months (Dan 9:24-27). Then will the Son of Man (= the Heir of Adam) appear and “all the tribes of the land” will see Him, after which the rest of the chosen people will be gathered from the four winds (Matt.24:29-31). It must be clear that this advent can be calculated, with precision, by the Jewish believers in those days. It will be a matter of counting 1260 days, after the idol in the holy place has been set up.

The question arises, to what was Jesus referring, when He said in this same chapter:

Now, concerning that day and hour no one is aware, neither the messengers of the heavens, nor the Son; except the Father only.
Matthew 24:36

Concerning which day, here, was Jesus speaking? Evidently, not concerning the day of His appearing to Israel, since that day can be calculated, exactly. But what then? The answer can be found in the preceding verses.

32 Now from the fig tree learn a parable: Whenever its bough may already be becoming tender, and the leaves sprouting out, you know that summer is near. 33 Thus you, also, whenever you may be perceiving all these things, know that it is near-at the doors.
34 “Verily, I am saying to you that by no means may this generation be passing by till all these things should be occurring.
35 Heaven and earth shall be passing by, yet My words may by no means be passing by. 36 Now, concerning that day and hour no one is aware, neither the messengers of the heavens, nor the Son; except the Father only.
Matthew 24

the summer

After Jesus had spoken about His appearing to Israel and the gathering in of the chosen people into the land, He compares these events with the budding of a fig tree, in the spring. The fig tree is an emblem of Israel, as a nation, and the budding of the leaves refers, in this connection, to the new life that the nation will experience. Israel’s restoration and the return of the Messiah, at the end of the 70 weeks of years of Daniel (which had been spoken of in the preceding verses), is illustrated in the budding of the fig tree. When one will see this, then one can know that summer is near. The summer, here, refers to the beginning of the Kingdom, worldwide. Within one generation will this take place, said Jesus. But He adds: concerning THAT DAY and THAT HOUR no one is aware. It will be known that summer will come within one generation, but how long it will take to come, exactly, is not known. “That day” refers to the start of “Summer” or to “the conclusion of the eon”. It will be the day on which, worldwide, the wicked will be taken away.

36 Now, concerning that day and hour no one is aware, neither the messengers of the heavens, nor the Son; except the Father only. 37 “For even as the days of Noah, thus shall be the presence of the Son of Mankind.
38 For as they were in those days before the deluge, masticating and drinking and marrying and taking in marriage until the day on which Noah entered into the ark, 39 and did not know till the deluge came and takes them all away, THUS shall be the presence of the Son of Mankind.
Matthew 24

parousia and coming

The word “coming” can give rise to confusion. The Greek word “parousia” does not indicate only one moment of arrival, but also the subsequent stay. “Presence” is the meaning of that word. The parousia of Christ is not one moment, but includes a series of events from the time of His arrival.

the conclusion of the eon

“The conclusion of the eon” (wrongly translated as “the end of the world”) is the moment that all the wicked will be taken away from off the earth, such as this once happened after Noah entered the ark. Elsewhere, Jesus also spoke in this way about the “conclusion of the eon”.

40 Even as the darnel, then, are being culled and burned up with fire, thus shall it be in the conclusion of the eon. 41 The Son of Mankind shall be dispatching His messengers, and they shall be culling out of His kingdom all the snares and those doing lawlessness,
42 and they shall be casting them into a furnace of fire. There shall be lamentation and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the just be shining out as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Matthew 13; See also: verses 49,50.

At “the conclusion of the eon” the wicked will be taken away, while the righteous will remain on earth to inherit the Kingdom. That is what Jesus was referring to when He spoke of “that day”. He continued in Matthew 24 with:

40 Then two shall be in the field; one is taken along and one left: 41 two grinding at the millstone; one is taken along and one left. 42 Be watching, then, for you are not aware on what day your Lord is coming.

Translators have interpreted the word “taken” to mean something positive and the word “left” to mean something negative. However, the idea in this passage is precisely the opposite. One will be taken away by the judgment, while the other one will be left alone to remain on earth to enjoy the Kingdom of righteousness and peace.

summary

“The day” that “nobody knows about”, except the Father alone, concerns “the conclusion of the eon” (=> beginning of the summer). It is the day when all the wicked will be taken away from the earth, and “the coming eon” will be inaugurated. This day must expressly be distinguished from Jesus’ second coming for Israel, less than a generation earlier (> the budding of the fig tree).

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the wicked or believers snatched away?

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

In a Dutch newspaper, het Nederlands Dagblad, of Thursday, May 9, (2011), prof. Matthew Dickerson, argued that especially believers should not expect to be “taken up” or to be “snatched away”. That article begins with…

…When the end of the world is to occur, and Jesus comes back, His followers – as is often thought – will not be “taken up”. They will remain behind, on earth.

Dickerson basis this on Matthew 24:

37 “For even as the days of Noah, thus shall be the presence of the Son of Mankind. 38 For as they were in those days before the deluge, masticating and drinking and marrying and taking in marriage until the day on which Noah entered into the ark, 39 and did not know till the deluge came and TAKES them all AWAY, thus shall be the presence of the Son of Mankind. 40 Then two shall be in the field; one is taken along and one left: 41 two grinding at the millstone; one is taken along and one left.

the flood took them all away

During the flood, the unbelievers were removed/taken away, while Noah and his family remained behind on earth. Therefore, thus so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man. Then there will be two in the field, one will be taken and the other one will be left behind. The translation “taken” suggests a positive fate, but that is an interpretation of the translators. The word “paralambano” is neutral: taking aside or taking along. In the context of the above passage, it is the idea that one will be taken, namely, by the judgment, while the other one will be left behind in peace. Therefore, no snatching away of believers (as is commonly assumed), but rather a snatching away of unbelievers! Thus far, I totally agree! This is how it is stated in Mat.24.

blind spot

However, it is disconcerting that Dickerson does not quote or reference the par excellence Scripture, which clearly speaks of the snatching away of believers (1Thes.4:15-17). He not even mentions it in his article! His reformed way of thinking about Scripture, evidently makes it impossible for him to distinguish different groups and times. Because Dickerson cannot place 1Thes.4, he simply ignores it.

the scenario in Matthew 24

Concerning Matt.24, the following: According to the context, the taking away of the wicked will take place at the “end of the eon” (24:3; incorrectly translated in the common versions as “the end of the world”). After the great tribulation of Israel (24:15-21), the Son of Man will appear for “all the tribes of the land” (24:30) and the chosen people will be gathered from the four winds (24:31). This promised restoration of Israel is compared to the budding of the fig tree, by which it will be known that summer is near (24:32). That means that within one generation, everything will be done (24:34) and that the conclusion of the eon will dawn. Note: when the Son of Man will return and will restore Israel, it will take some time before “summer” will arrive. After gaining control over Israel, it will still take some time before the other nations will be made subject. The end of this period is marked by the taking away of the wicked from off the earth.　

two phases in the parousia

Matthew 24 is about the last phase of the parousia of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 4, in contrast, deals with the first phase of the parousia. Paul’s words concern “the ecclesia, the body of Christ”. It will be snatched away to safety, prior to the day of the Lord for Israel. Then follows the great tribulation for Israel and the appearing of the Messiah on the Mount of Olives. Subsequently, the judgments will come upon the nations, culminating in the establishing of the Kingdom over all nations. Then it will be the “conclusion of the eon”, when the remaining wicked will be taken away from off the earth.

the parousia a period

It is very important to see that the return (better: the parousia) of Christ is not one moment of arrival, but includes a series of events in His presence. Parousia means literally “presence”‘ or “being present”. As the first coming of Christ includes the whole period, from his birth in Bethlehem to his ascension from the Mount of Olives, so will be His parousia, a period in which a complete scenario of historical events will be fulfilled.

But yes, this is not readily grasped by those who have a totally different view of future events revealed in Scripture.

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baptize me with fire?

Friday, August 3rd, 2012

Earlier this week I wrote about the fact that as John ever baptized in water, Christ would baptize in Spirit. All four gospel accounts speak about this. But Matthew and Luke still added something to it.

For I, indeed, am baptizing you in water for repentance, yet He Who is coming after me is stronger than I, Whose sandals I am not competent to bear. He will be baptizing you in holy spirit and fire. Matt.3:11 (See also Luke 3:16)

When we consider these texts in themselves, then it would be easy to associate being baptized in fire with the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit came upon the disciples as well as tongues as of fire, on each of them (Acts 2:3). How obvious this association may be, it is not the explanation that John himself gave. Listen to his immediate explanation:

Whose winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He will be scouring His threshing floor, and will be gathering His grain into His barn, yet the chaff will He be burning up with unextinguished fire.” Matt.3:12 (See also Luke 3:17).

See there the meaning of what John was referring to with the fire! He refers to the chaff that will be burned up, when the Messiah will purify His threshing floor and will gather His grain into His barn; where the threshing floor, in the prophecies, represents Jerusalem which is actually built around a threshing floor (2Chron.3:1). In that place the nations will be convened “as sheaves on the threshing floor” (Micah 4:12,13). The grain remains, while the wicked will be burned like chaff.

With that in mind, it becomes rather difficult to sing the lyrics of some songs, “baptize me with fire”…

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John the Baptist

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

Water baptism is traditionally a known phenomenon in Judaism. Ritual cleansing plays a large role in Jewish religious life. In Hebrews 6:1,2, a “doctrine of baptisms” (plural) is listed to the foundation of what the Hebrews had practiced for a very long time. “The baptism of repentance” that John preached at the Jordan River was, therefore, not a strange phenomenon, in itself, for Israel. Indeed, they baptized at all kinds of occasions. But there is a subtle difference. John did not preach that they should baptize themselves, but that they were to be baptized. Passive. He baptized others and to this he owes his nickname, “the Baptist”. He declared:

And I was not aware of Him. But that He may be manifested to Israel, therefore came I, baptizing in water.”
John 1:31

John’s baptism is characterized by water. By baptizing others in water, he directed them to the One who would come and baptize in Spirit. To this truth, Scripture testifies in many places:

For I, indeed, am baptizing you in water for repentance, yet He Who is coming after me is stronger than I, Whose sandals I am not competent to bear. He will be baptizing you in holy spirit and fire.
Matthew 3:11,

I, indeed, baptize you in water, yet He shall be baptizing you in holy spirit.”
Mark 1:8

… I, indeed, in water am baptizing you. Yet coming is One stronger than I, the thong of Whose sandals I am not competent to loose. He will be baptizing you in holy spirit and fire.
Luke 3:16

… He Who sends me to be baptizing in water, That One said to me, ‘On Whomever you may be perceiving the spirit descending and remaining on Him, This is He Who is baptizing in holy spirit.’
John 1:33

John, indeed, baptizes in water, yet you shall be baptized in holy spirit after not many of these days.”
Acts 1:5

Now I am reminded of the declaration of the Lord, as He said that John, indeed, baptizes in water, yet you shall be baptized in holy spirit.’
Acts 11:16

With regard to Israel, John baptized in water. His activity was a picture of Him Who would come after him and also would be baptizing. However, not in water, but in holy Spirit. Note: the so-called Christian baptism is no baptism in water, but a baptism in spirit. No ritual of human hands, but a spiritual reality. Wherever anyone believes in the risen Christ, he or she receives Spirit and life (John 7:39; Eph.1:13).

For in one Spirit also we all are baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free… 1Corinthians 12:13.

That is the “one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5).

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The Great Commission… Israel first

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

 

At the end of the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke, we find the “Great Commission”. That is the command to make all nations disciples of Christ. However, the strange phenomenon occurred that the men who received this order, have (as far as we know from Scripture) strictly limited themselves to the people of Israel. Even a single visit to a “stranger in the gates” (Cornelius, Acts 10) was, initially, unacceptable among the disciples (Acts 11:2,3). Was this disobedience? No, quite the contrary! The reality was that of all nations, first the nation of Israel was to be made a disciple of the Messiah. Read the following:

These twelve Jesus commissions, charging them, saying, “Into a road of the nations you may not pass forth, and into a city of the Samaritans you may not be entering. Yet be going rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Now going, herald, saying that ‘Near is the kingdom of the heavens!’ The infirm be curing, the dead be rousing, lepers be cleansing, demons be casting out… Matthew 10:5-8

In the book of Acts we see “the twelve” engaged exclusively with Israel. Israel as a nation must repent and be the first people to be made disciple of Christ. And then the Messiah would return from heaven to establish His kingdom on earth. Peter preached in the temple square:

Repent, then, and turn about for the erasure of your sins, so that seasons of refreshing should be coming from the face of the Lord, and He should dispatch the One fixed upon before for you, Christ Jesus, Whom heaven must indeed receive until the times of restoration of all which God speaks through the mouth of His holy prophets who are from the eon. Acts 3:10-21

The book of Acts is primarily the historical record of Israel’s rejection and inability to repent. The “Great Commission” came to a dead end on account of it. And from out of that reality, God calls a thirteenth apostle: Paul, as an intermezzo. That is even suggested by the name Paul. His name is derived from a Greek verb “pau” (stop, interval), from where our word “pause” is derived. Paul writes:

… in their offense is salvation [come] to the nations, to provoke them to jealousy. Now if their offense is the world’s riches and their discomfiture the nations’ riches, how much rather that which fills them!
13 Now to you am I saying, to the nations, in as much as, indeed, then, I am the apostle of the nations… Romans 11:11-13

The prophets and also the gospel accounts speak of salvation for the nation, based on Israel’s repentance. However, Paul speaks of salvation for the nations, in the present tense, on the basis of Israel’s unbelief (“their fall”). Paul had a calling and mission, wholly independent of “the Twelve” in Jerusalem.

Not the making of disciples to Christ of all the nations was Paul’s (and our) great commission. No, God’s aim for NOW is, “to gather from out of the nations a people for His name” (Acts 15:14). Not the bringing in of the harvest, but the gathering of the firstfruits is the actual work of God in our day. And after this?

After these things I will turn back [= return], ‘And I will rebuild the tabernacle of David [= the royal house of David] which has fallen… And its overturned structure will I rebuild, And I will re-erect it… So that those left of mankind should be seeking out the Lord, And all the nations, on them over whom My name is invoked, Is saying the Lord, Who is doing these things… Acts 15:16,17

It is on that occasion that “the Great Commission”, as yet, will successfully be fulfilled. Indeed, by Israel.

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the future of Satan

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

Shortly after his baptism in the river Jordan, Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the diabolos (= devil, the one causing confusion). Jesus does not give into him, because He always responds with “it is written…”. Finally, the diabolos tries to have Jesus worship him. But notice how Jesus then settles the matter:

Then Jesus is saying to him, “Go away, Satan, for it is written, The Lord your God shall you be worshiping, And to Him only shall you be offering divine service.”
Matthew 4:10

Satan will worship the Lord God

Since Satan (= Adversary) in this verse is directly addressed, it is logical that Jesus’ quotation also refers to Satan. In connection with it, we have to remember that “thou shalt” concerns a prophecy, in the same way as in 11:23 (“To the unseen shall you subside”), 17:27 (“and opening its mouth, you will be finding a stater”.) or 21:2 (“and immediately you will be finding an ass, bound”), etc. In other words, Satan got to hear of Jesus that he will worship the Lord his God. The word “worship” literally means “bow forward”. And indeed, that is what Satan will do: He will bow to the Lord his God. It does directly remind us of Paul’s words in Phil.2:10 and 11, where it says that in the name of Jesus (= YAHWEH RESCUES) every knee will bow, of (lit.) “terrestrials and celestials and subterraneans” and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, for the glory of God the Father!

How painful for Satan to be confronted with this truth! He therefore immediately slinks away:

Then the Adversary is leaving Him. And lo! messengers approached and waited on Him. Matthew 4:11

no Satan anymore

With some regularity I get asked whether I believe if Satan will be saved? My answer is: no, because he will bow to the Lord his God and that means that from that moment on he will no longer be Satan or the Adversary! So does God destroy His enemies: He changes them into friends! That is also what the word “reconciliation” implies: enmity changed into peace. Through the blood of the cross, God will reconcile all to Himself, whether those on the earth or those in the heavens. (Col.1:20). Satan is one of those creatures in the heavenly realms that is hostile and estranged from God. Why? He does not know GOD (as yet). But also for him is the inescapable truth: he will bow before the Lord his God. Even though he is the father of speedy lies, the truth will overtake him!

 

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few are chosen …

Thursday, June 7th, 2012

“Many are called, but few are chosen” is one of the least understood words of Jesus. It is the closing comment in the parable of the royal wedding feast, in Matthew 22. It is the kingdom of heaven likened to a king who prepares a wedding for his son (22:1). This is clearly about God, Who will prepare a feast for His Son: the Messianic kingdom. The king sent slaves to call the invited guests, but those invited do not want to come (22:3). This has reference to the sending forth of the apostles to the house of Israel during Jesus’ presence among them here on earth. Then, when everything is ready, the invitation is sent forth, once again, but this time, those invited go so far as to mistreat the slave and to even kill them (22:4-6). This invitation relates to the Acts-period, “everything is ready” and the apostles again invite the chosen people to the wedding, but they encounter brutal rejection. Now the king is angered and sends his armies out to destroy the murderers and burn their city to the ground (22:7). It is not difficult to see in this a prophetic reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. Then the king goes about it differently: he extends his invitation to anyone who wants to attend, “both the wicked and the good” (note the order!, 22:9,10). In this invitation we see an unmistakable hint at the present time, after “the gospel of the circumcision” was rejected and after the destruction of Jerusalem.

The last verses of this parable are about a man who unjustly is in the wedding hall and, therefore, is removed. This refers to the beginning of the coming eon, and everyone who is not “ready” at that time (22:8, 24:44, 25:10), will perish.

Jesus’ concludes this parable with:

For many are the called, yet few are the chosen.”
Matthew 22:14

Usually, this verse is explained to teach that many people are invited (many are called), but few respond (few are chosen). But this explanation does not at all fit the content of the preceding parable. The idea is just the opposite: the wedding hall contains many called-ones, but few of the chosen people (of Israel), the original ones invited. The point is not that there will be a few in the wedding hall. Verse 10 says:

filled is the wedding with those lying back at [the] table.

The wedding hall will be filled with those called, but relatively few chosen ones will be among them. Of course, Jesus did not make Himself popular with such statements. Earlier, He had said:

11 Now I am saying to you that many from the east and the west shall be arriving and reclining with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens, 12 yet the sons of the kingdom (=Israel) shall be cast out into outer darkness. There shall be lamentation and gnashing of teeth.”

Usually, the gnashing of teeth (see also 22:13) is being associated with pain, but the Bible never does that. The gnashing of teeth is an expression of intense anger.

Now, hearing these things, they were harrowed in their hearts, and gnashed their teeth at him.
Acts 7:54 (see also Lamentations 2:16, Job 6:9)

The parable in Mat.22 makes it clear that it is not about ethnic origin or a chosen status, but about appreciating God’s grace.

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