WEDNESDAY 17TH OCTOBER 2018 MORNING
Matthew 22:1-14 New International Version (NIV)
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
The invitation to know God and to enter His kingdom first came to the Jewish people but many rejected the Messiah. God then extended His offer of salvation to all people. We can all come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ. We need the wedding garment which we receive by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ who died and rose again so that our sins can be forgiven.
Make sure that you are wearing the wedding garment. You cannot enter heaven by your own efforts.
JUMATANO TAREHE 17 OKTOBA 2018 ASUBUHI MATHAYO 22:1-14
Mathayo 22:1-14
1 Yesu akajibu, akawaambia tena kwa mithali, akisema,
2 Ufalme wa mbinguni umefanana na mfalme mmoja aliyemfanyia mwanawe arusi.
3 Akawatuma watumwa wake wawaite walioalikwa kuja arusini; nao wakakataa kuja.
4 Akatuma tena watu kwa wengine, akisema, Waambieni wale walioalikwa, Tazameni, nimeandaa karamu yangu; ng'ombe zangu na vinono vimekwisha kuchinjwa, na vyote vimekuwa tayari, njoni arusini.
5 Lakini hawakujali, wakaenda zao, mmoja shambani kwake, mmoja kwenye biashara yake;
6 nao waliosalia wakawakamata watumwa wake, wakawatenda jeuri, na kuwaua.
7 Basi yule mfalme akaghadhibika; akapeleka majeshi yake, akawaangamiza wauaji wale, akauteketeza mji wao.
8 Kisha akawaambia watumwa wake, Arusi i tayari, lakini wale walioalikwa hawakustahili.
9 Basi enendeni hata njia panda za barabara, na wote mwaonao waiteni arusini.
10 Watumwa wale wakatoka wakaenda njia kuu, wakakusanya wote waliowaona, waovu kwa wema; arusi ikajaa wageni.
11 Lakini alipoingia yule mfalme ili kuwatazama wageni wake, akaona mle mtu mmoja asiyevaa vazi la arusi.
12 Akamwambia, Rafiki, uliingiaje humu nawe huna vazi la arusi? Naye akatekewa.
13 Mfalme akawaambia watumishi, Mfungeni mikono na miguu, mchukueni mkamtupe katika giza la nje; ndiko kutakuwako kilio na kusaga meno.
14 Kwa maana waitwao ni wengi, bali wateule ni wachache.
Mwanzoni Mungu alijitambulisha kwa taifa teule la Israeli. Lakini wengi walikataa wito wa kumwamini Yesu Kristo. Baadaye Mungu alikaribisha mataifa yote katika ufalme wa Mungu. Njia ya kuingia ni kwa kutubu dhambi na kumtegemea Yesu Kristo kama Bwana na Mwokozi. Yesu alitufia msalabani na kufufuka ili tuweze kuokolewa. Lazima tuvae vazi la arusi. Tunapokea vazi la arusi kwa njia ya kumwamini Yesu Kristo na kutubu dhambi zetu. Wokovu ni kwa neema ya Mungu na tunapokea kwa imani. Hatuwezi kujiokoa kwa nguvu zetu.
