"And Jesus answered and spake unto them 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 saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye, therefore, into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all, as many as they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment; and he saith unto him, Friend, how earnest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few chosen."
It will be needful for the reader, in order to understand the meaning and force of this most solemn parable, to look at it in immediate connection with the two which precede it. In all three we have vividly and forcibly set before us, first, man's incorrigible evil; and, secondly, the marvelous painstaking love and grace of God. All scripture, most surely, illustrates these things; but they are presented with peculiar point and power in this remarkable group of parables.
Let us turn for a moment to Matt. 21, and read at verse 21. " And when he was come into the temple"—the place which had been built for His worship, and where He surely ought to be honored—"the chief priests and elders of the people"—the very men who ought to have been foremost in leading the people to His feet, in adoring homage—" came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?"
Reader, ponder this, we pray you. Only think of the fact here set forth. God came into this world of ours, in perfect grace and goodness—came in love, to seek and to save that which was lost—came to meet man's need—came to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to lift the sinner from the depth of his ruin and misery, and bring him into everlasting blessedness and glory—came to do all this; and yet man had the audacity to ask Him for His authority! Only conceive—a wretched worm of the earth challenging God for His authority for coming into the world which His own hands had made, in order that He might remedy man's ruin! God, forsooth, must tell man whence He derived His authority for coming into His own world!
It will, doubtless, be said in reply, that those elders and chief priests did not know that Jesus of Nazareth was the God of Israel. But how will this mend their case? It is, alas! painfully evident that they knew Him not; but why did they not? The very scriptures which were read in their synagogues every sabbath-day clearly set forth the truth that Jesus was the Son of God; yea, was God over all, blessed for evermore. Why did they not know this? Why were they grossly ignorant of a truth which shines, with heavenly luster, from beginning to end of those " lively oracles" in which they made their boast, and of which they ought to have been the faithful expositors to the people? The truth of the Godhead of Jesus is the keystone of the glorious arch of divine revelation. If you take away that, if you deny that, if you are ignorant of that, you have absolutely nothing left that is worth having. Not to see the Godhead of Jesus, is not to see the sun in the solar system. And how could you have a solar system without the sun?
But these elders and chief priests were blind—mentally, morally, spiritually blind. Just so; and how, then, could they teach the people? And is there not something peculiarly awful in the thought of men setting themselves up, or being set up by their fellows, as religious guides, leaders, and teachers of the professed people of God, and, all the while, ignorant of the grand foundation-truth that Jesus of Nazareth is very God as well as very man? How awful the condition of such men! How awful their end! How awful their eternal destiny! They may be very clever, very amiable, very moral, very benevolent, very philanthropic, highly cultivated, very refined; but what is all this without Christ? Nay, more; what is it all when connected with the denial of His essential Godhead?
It will avail nothing to talk of Christ as a good man, an example of lofty virtue, the very fairest sample of humanity ever exhibited in this world, as one who lived a blameless, benevolent life, and died in defense of His principles. All this is but to cast dust in our eyes; it is to deceive us with vain words; it is the veriest sham that could possibly be pawned upon us. And, as to our adorable Lord, it is but to add insult to injury—to betray Him with a kiss—to mock Him with flattery, while robbing Him of His divine rights, and blaspheming His sacred Person.
If Jesus was not God, what was He? Hearken to these words, " For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son; that all should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath sent him." John 5:21-2321For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. 22For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. (John 5:21‑23).
If the man that uttered these words was not God—not equal with the Father—what was He? Mark what He says. " That all should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father." Nothing short of this will do. Nothing less than divine homage will avail. It will not do to place the Son on a level with Moses and Elias. When Peter, in utter ignorance of what he was saying, and in the confusion of the moment, suggested such a thing, a voice from the excellent Majesty instantly corrected him, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him." Moses and Elias disappeared, and Jesus was left alone.
Again, He says, " I and my Father are one." If the utterer of these words was not God, was not equal with the Father, what was He? Could He possibly be termed a good man? Could a mere pretender to Godhead be esteemed a good man? Could He be viewed as an example of lofty virtue? Impossible. We cannot conceive anything more grossly or impiously absurd than to talk of Jesus as a good man, and yet deny His absolute Godhead, His essential Deity. The fact is as clear as a sunbeam; if Jesus of Nazareth was not God over all, blessed forever, He could only be looked upon as—we dare not pen the word.
Shall we be told that, to contend for the truth of the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, is mere dogma, and that the time for insisting upon dogma is past and gone? Can this be so? Nay, reader, it is not so. Men may talk like this; they may put forth high-sounding words about dogma, about mere opinions, about sectarian creeds, about bigotry and narrow-mindedness. They may talk largely about being liberal, about breadth of mind, about catholicity of spirit, and such like.
It is all vain, worse than vain. If a man does not worship Jesus of Nazareth as the true and living God, what does all his catholicity of spirit, his breadth of mind, his largeness of heart, amount to? Can I sit down at the same table, or stand on the same platform, or link myself in the same work—be that work what it may—with one who denies the Deity of my blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? God forbid! Can I own a man as a Christian at all who blasphemes the Son of God, and robs Him of His divine rights? Am I going to pay compliments to a man at the expense of the One who laid down His precious life to deliver my guilty soul from the flames of an everlasting hell?
We are not now speaking of ignorance. Religious leaders, teachers, and guides are not to be dealt with on any such ground. The chief priests, elders, and scribes were not ignorant men. They boasted in their knowledge; they were the professed depositaries of all the learning and religious lore of the day. And yet they denied the Godhead of Jesus, and, as we have said, had the terrible audacity to challenge Him for His authority for coming into His own world to do good. "By what authority doest thou these things? And who gave thee this authority?"
What terrible blindness and hardness of heart! What moral insensibility! What total inability to weigh evidence, or judge righteous judgment! Did not His works carry their own credentials with them? Did not His marvelous ministry prove its divine origin? Did not His whole life afford evidence sufficiently powerful to carry conviction to any mind not blinded and perverted by the god of this world? As He said, on another occasion, "The works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me."
But those religious leaders were utterly incapable of judging. Human authority they could understand and appreciate, because it was in virtue of that they held their place—to that they owed their influence and their reputation. Thus it is always. Man will not allow even God Himself to act without human authority. Divine power, without human authority, will not suffice. Human authority, without divine power, gift, or grace, is quite sufficient. It was so in Jerusalem, in the days of our Lord; it is so in Christendom, in the days of the Holy Ghost. If a man possess all the gifts, graces, and powers that the Holy Ghost can bestow, yet, unless he has human authority—unless he is ordained, licensed, or appointed by men—he cannot minister. But, if he possess human authority, although he be utterly destitute of gifts or grace—yea, though he be wholly unconverted—he may minister.
How awful the thought! How terrible the condition of things! How appalling the judgment that overhangs the professing church! Surely the Lord's people ought to rouse themselves to the consideration of this solemn matter. We are filled with horror—and justly so—at the thought of the chief priests and elders daring to challenge our adorable Lord and Savior for His authority in fulfilling His holy and gracious mission. But is it not as bad to reject the ministry of the Holy Ghost, unless it comes to us with the seal and sanction of human authority? If God is pleased to raise up a man in our midst, to endow him with spiritual gift, to fill him with the power of the Holy Ghost, to fit him as an evangelist, a pastor, or a teacher, to use him largely in blessing to souls, whether in gathering them out of the world, or in building them up on their most holy faith—will such an one be received or owned in Christendom, unless he comes with a certificate signed by a human hand?
We leave the christian reader to consider this question, calmly and honestly, in the presence of God, while we return to our immediate theme, and contemplate the marvelous reply given by our blessed Lord to the men who presumed to challenge Him for His authority.
"And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven? or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men, we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things."
What wisdom is here! What power! What masterly dealing with the moral material before Him! Ought not these religious guides and teachers of the people have been able to decide upon such a question as the mission of John the Baptist? Were they competent to teach others, if they could not answer so simple a question as that? And if they could not decide as to John's authority, what business had they to challenge Christ for His?
And, not only so, but if they were really honest men, could they not give an honest, straightforward answer?
Why "reason with themselves"? Why weigh the consequences of their reply? Alas! there was neither moral honesty, nor spiritual competency, in these men. It was not the glory of God, nor yet the simple claims of truth, that ruled their hearts and dictated their answer. It was their own reputation, on the one hand, or their personal interest, on the other.
It is always a bad sign, always suspicious, when men " reason with themselves" as to the answer they shall give to a plain question. The moment a man begins to reason as to how far his answer will affect himself, he is not to be trusted. A thoroughly honest man will answer an honest question straight out, without any shuffling, or any reference to himself.
But these elders and priests were not honest. They did not own the ministry of John the Baptist, and hence they would not say it was from heaven; and yet they had not the courage to say what they would fain have said, that it was of men. They were afraid of the people. It was no question with them of God or His truth. Self was their standpoint, and hence their entire range of vision was false, and all their con-elusions utterly erroneous. They were wholly incompetent to guide others, and therefore they had no sort of right or title to challenge anyone for his authority.
Nothing can exceed the wisdom and moral power of our Lord's reply to those priests and elders. They were left without a single hair's breadth of standing-ground. They were thoroughly exposed. They had presumed to challenge Him for His authority, but He showed them, plainly and pointedly, their utter unfitness for the position which the)' assumed, seeing they could not decide the question as to whether John's baptism was from heaven or of men. If they had understood that baptism, if they had owned it, if they had bowed under its mighty power, they would have had no occasion to ask Christ for His authority. If they had taken their place in true repentance, if they had gone down under the water of Jordan, confessing their sins, they would have been in a moral condition to hail the ministry of that blessed One who came to bind up the broken-hearted, and pour the rich consolation of divine grace into every contrite spirit.
All this comes forcibly out in the parable of the two sons. " But what think ye? A certain man had two sons: and he came to the first, and said, Son, go, work today in my vineyard. He answered, and said, I will not; but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir; and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily, I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him; and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him."
The repentant son set forth the condition of the poor despised publicans and harlots. They were sinners, and they owned it. They bowed before the ministry of righteousness. They took the ground of true repentance—the only proper ground for a sinner—the ground on which the sovereign grace of God can meet him. The very moment a sinner takes the place of repentance and self-judgment, grace meets him, and conducts him, through the open door, right into the kingdom of God, where he is saved and blessed, according to all the love of the heart of God, and according to all the efficacy of Christ's precious sacrifice, and according to all the divine excellency and acceptability of His Person. The very moment a sinner truly confesses his sins, he is divinely, and therefore perfectly and eternally, forgiven. "I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Psalm 32 John 11The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; (2 John 1)
It will be well for the reader to ponder deeply this weighty point. Repentance is the grand epoch in a sinner's history. It is the first step in that pathway of moral reality which not only leads straight to the kingdom of God, but which must ever characterize all who have entered that kingdom. Repentance is not a transient emotion, but an abiding moral condition—the permanent attitude of every soul that is really led and taught by the Spirit of God. The unrepentant, the unbroken, the self-trusting, those who are building upon their own righteousness—whatever that righteousness may consist of—all such, whoever and wherever they may be, are like the second son in the parable, who said, " I go, sir; and went not." There is empty profession, without one atom of reality. It is all a sham, a cheat, a delusion.
How is it possible for such persons to understand or appreciate divine grace? How can they taste the love of a Savior-God? How can they know aught of the value of the blood of Jesus Christ? They live in a region where all is fictitious; they breathe an atmosphere of unreality; they have never taken the very first step in the pathway of truth; they have never repented; never accepted the counsel of God against themselves; never bowed ίο the sentence of His holy word; never really owned themselves to be what God's word tells them they are; they are at issue with God about their own actual condition; their whole religious life is one great, palpable, egregious lie; there can be neither truth nor reality in the religion of an unrepentant soul. The ax of divine righteousness must, sooner or later, level every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit; and the only possible way of escape is to own that we are bad trees, and take refuge, by faith, in Christ, the sinner's Substitute—God's full, free, and everlasting salvation.
It is the very height of religious folly for anyone to go on, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, giving utterance to the false and impious formulary, "I go, sir," while the whole practical life gives the lie to the utterance of the lips.
But, on the other hand, the first step in the pathway of true, heavenly wisdom, is to repent and turn to God, in true contrition, in real brokenness of spirit; and then we are in a condition to know the divine efficacy of the work of Christ, not only in the complete putting away of our sins, but also in introducing us into an entirely new condition, in which we are actually linked with Himself in all His perfectness, in the presence of God, so that we can take up the marvelous language of 1 John 4:1717Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. (1 John 4:17), and say, " As he is, so are we in this world."
Nothing can exceed this. Even the love of God could not go beyond this; and hence it is said to be the very perfection of divine love toward us; and it applies, in all its fullness, to any poor publican or harlot, yea, and to any poor scribe or pharisee who truly repents; but it has no application whatever to those who are content with a hollow and worthless, "I go, sir."
(To be continued, if God permit.)