Chosen

A reflection on Matthew 22:1-21

     

     [And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.' But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."]

   In once sense it appears as though Christ was simply rebuking the religious leaders for their rejection of salvation. (And that it is, make no mistake!) But Jesus is going deeper than that here. His choice of wording is exposing something far deeper and infinitely more glorious. We know this because every time Jesus veers suddenly away (in word or action) from what would be expected, he is doing so to reveal more of the immensity and splendor of God. 

     "For many are called! But few _________!" 

Accept? 

Respond? 

Choose? 

     This should be obvious! He just went into length describing the failed response of those invited to the banquet! What does being chosen have to do with ANYTHING in this parable? The king invites, the guests refuse. Point of the story: Don't be a decliner! 

But this is so much more powerful than anyone was anticipating.

     This parable is not a shout out to the power of man's choice, or the importance of making the right decision. This is instead a monumental, awe-inspiring, pride-humbling, dominating demonstration of the width and breadth of God's merciful grace. We who believe in Christ are those who have been both called, (and even more gloriously) chosen. We are not called (one point for God) and choosing (one point for us). No, our very lives are invaded with the unacceptable offer that the Holy Spirit must re-create us to receive. That what it means to come to be born again. This is what underlies the parable. 

     Getting into the kingdom is impossible without both the calling and choosing of our sovereign Lord. If there was only calling, even if God were to speak audibly from heaven to each individual, there would be not a single believing soul in all the history of the world. If you are a true Christian, its because you were called and chosen and these two words are fatal to sinful hearts. These words are a war declaration and a announcement of victory. For this is what it means to be saved from sin. Our deepest hearts fight to the death against the invasion of grace. (And die they do, on a cross, with Christ.) The old way of living is dead, never to resurrect. Reinstated in its place is not an overturned, disorganized rebellion, abandoned to make it on our own once the evil dictator of sin has been assassinated. Christ does not dispose of the tyrant and leave the oppressed soul to live as it wishes. No, when the conquest is complete, he takes the crown, he sits in the throne and says unto the scattered remnant of the sinner's heart, "Behold, I make all things new!" The soul of darkness becomes the dominion of light. For from eternity past Christ has ordained that this territory, this province, this city, this village, this house, this heart will be his. 

And no one can stop this warrior-king. 

Many are called. The message of the king will certainly shake the corners of the earth. Many will hear, many will cover their ears. Many will scoff. But a precious, beloved few will be rescued. 

     He will come for you, little sheep.Though as frail as frail gets, he will come and deliver you. This great shepherd spoke these very words, "I have other sheep, not of this (i.e. Israel) sheepfold. I must bring them also," (John 10:16) Who can stay the hand of God? Who can bring any charge against God's elect? If God himself justifies, who is it that condemns? (Romans 8:33-34) For all the power and might of hell, flesh, the world, the devil, or even our own sin will never be sufficient to blot out the word written next to our names in the lambs book of life.

"Chosen"

Blessings,

Jake Rivers

Imperial March

Love exists when you hear your wife hum the Imperial March, as she makes you hot chocolate in your Darth Vader mug.

Join me!

Jake Rivers

Keeping the Box in Boxing Day

I am disgusted I tell you. Disgusted! It seems like every where I go, I'm hearing nothing but families planning on getting together to celebrate Christmas on Boxing Day! Apparently, December 25 just isn't enough anymore. Now we need to take the celebration of food, family, and ultimately the birth of Christ himself, and completely annex the 26th as well.
Why don't we remember to keep the Box in Boxing Day?
Sure, maybe values have changed, but aren't we clearly out of line when we feel we have the right to include and omit whatever we want on these ancient traditions? How would you feel if you were a flat screen tv, just sitting in the display window at Best Buy and all you see is people bypassing the stores to spend time with their families? You'd be heart broken! Ever since October you've been blasted with the message that the season is not about materialism and then when the big day finally comes, the masses bail on you once again.
So this is my shout out to all the shoppers maintaining the sacrament of the Day. Thank you for your devotion and for reminding us how foolish we are for thinking we can change the focus.
God bless us, everyone!

Jake Rivers

P.s. Wait, what then are the implications for Easter? These fluffy symbols of mass fertility are making me nervous...

Some thoughts on biblical humour

I'm considering giving up making puns about bible names. They always sound funny in my head, but whenever I tell them, they always seem to go down like a lead Zebulun.

Back Pain

My back is killing me.

     I'm almost 4 weeks in visiting the chiropractor and the pain has been increasing steadily since then. I find I have less energy, less motivation, and much more difficulty performing basic tasks. To make matters worse, I'm not even allowed the decency of complaining because the reason my back hurts in the first place is because it's in the process of being corrected.

     Oh sure, It all sounds so clean and precise after the initial assessment, when I'm told of a few minor points of concern, the potential harm of leaving them un-addressed, and the simple process for getting bones in the right place again. Of course now I'm beginning to think that a 6-12 month correcting process never feels long until you hit week 3 and your spine feels like it's made of porcupines.

     Ironically enough though, this experience is illuminating my study in Hebrews and how the author encourages the church to persevere under God's discipline and to accept his correction as a sign of love and adoption. He teaches how all discipline is part of a process and that this process will always involve pain. But it's because of love not hate that we experience what we do in Christ. How else does God show love to our dislocated and wayward hearts if not by placing us lovingly under his discipline? To submit to God's discipline is not to be out in the field taking hit after hit from God's shotgun every time a hint of imperfection arises, like some never ending game of cosmic Duck Hunt. No, like a chiropractor God knows what he's doing.

Plus He's patient enough to give us lasting relief and not the cheap cover up that the World so readily offers.  

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11

It's still true today, we are in good hands.

Blessings,

Jake Rivers

White-Out Style Conscience Cleansing

"Where there is forgiveness of these [sins], there is no longer any offering for sin."
- Hebrews 10:18

Forgiveness.

Weird idea.

    The part I don't like about it is the admitting part. I'm fine with the forgiveness that waves me through the metaphorical airport customs, blind to all the junk in my past. If forgiveness is a "let sleeping dogs lie/don't ask, don't tell" ordeal, then that is fine by me. Frankly, the less said about my screw ups, the better! My ideal Christian life would be one in which every mistake I make is greeted with blank stares and subject changes.
No attention. No detection.

I want a forgiveness that says:

"It never happened."

     But that is impossible. My memory alone is too vivid. I'm stuck with the wretched feeling of dysfunction as I identify myself the factory that mass-produces wickedness. The labour alone of white-out style conscience cleansing wearies me to death. I'm the guy with the roll of paper towels trying to dry off the rocks beneath a raging waterfall. I can't cover it all up. No one can.
     But in Christ, Sin is dealt with at the cross. Christ is not my assassin, hired to creep into my past and snuff the evidence of my screw-ups. He is the willing assassinated Saviour for sinners. To Him belongs a light that brings revelation (not concealment), to all the sin in my life. In fact, this exposure is so great that it reveals atrocities beyond my deepest fears!
     But how tremendous the power of the cross, that the great unveiling of sin becomes the damning sentence for Christ Himself! In his great authority he has laid claim to what once claimed me. And how much greater, that by that same authority He killed my sin (punching it right in its ugly face!), and graphically portraying its repugnance as a further testament to His greater glory. Christian forgiveness is as bloody as it is liberating. And it is good news. No other forgiveness can so thoroughly meat my desperation.

For I need a forgiveness that says:

"It is Finished."

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
- 2 Corinthians 5:21

Blessings,

Jake Rivers

B-How Testimonial #462

The following story is true. It is one of many.

     Just a few weeks ago, Ash and I had taken our beloved car into the shop to get some work done on a rusted tailpipe. We were just in the process of paying and getting ready to leave with our newly restored Cavi when suddenly, disaster struck. At perhaps the worst moment possible, the key slipped from my fingers. We both watched in horror as it fell through the untimely gap in the parking break. Frantically I attempted to reach through the fatal chasm, but to no avail. A flashlight and a pair of pliers were quickly procured, but only served to shove the obnoxiously flat metal key further beneath the parking break.

     The afternoon sun grew hot. Time wore on. The only other spare key we had required another 45 minute walk back to our apartment. We were losing hope.

     "You guys need a hand?" Came a familiar voice. There, standing like a beacon of hope in the sunlight stood Dr. Barry Howson. Just a few feet away, standing next to his trusty pick-up, here before us was one of the legends of Heritage College and Seminary. The only man to have a triple doctorate in Theology, Mechanics, and Awesome (well, according to rumour). His personal library is limitless. Autobots revere him. Decepticons fear him. B-How had come to save the day. 

     After explaining the situation, and doing my best with the pliers to shove the key to the best possible retrieval point, we let the Doctor do his work. He at first sought out an extendable magnet from his tool box, but when it failed to appear, he rolled up his sleeves and went for it bare-handed. It was a fierce struggle, even for B-How. The moments that crawled by in the hot sun were agonizing. Then, all of a sudden, like the articulation of a difficult theological concept, Barry held up the elusive key! 

"Here you go."

And then, almost before we had a chance to thank him, he was off again in his pick-up, no doubt following his instincts to yet another desperate theo-mechanical crisis. His work here was done. 

Thanks Dr. Howson!

Blessings,

Jake Rivers