I’m in Thailand, speaking at a conference, so these posts are short!

Matthew 22

The parable of the wedding banquet serves two purposes
1) The expected recipients of the invitation (Jews) are interested.
2) So others are invited to come (Gentiles)
3) Uninvited guests get chucked out

You need to come to God the right way – through Jesus. Although we choose to come, He has already chosen us.

The Pharisees clearly don’t like this parable, so they try to trick him with a question about taxes. Jesus is a smart cookie and answers well!

Next the Saducees who also didn’t like the parable come to test Jesus. They are “sad-u-see” because they don’t believe in the resurrection so they come up with a bizarre marriage and remarriage scenario at the resurrection. Jesus tells them – you don’t know Scripture or the power of God.

So now the Sadducees and Pharisees come together to trap Jesus. What’s the greatest law? Jesus replies with love God and love your neighbour.
In Matthew we have the Great Commandment (Love the Lord your God and love your neighbour) and the Great Commission (Go and Make Disciples)

If you are an activist the temptation is to do the Great Commission first and foremost over the Great Commandment – but Christianity is all about love – they come in order for a reason. Love God, do his mission! Jesus’s call to the disciples has an order Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Let’s be massively missional, but doing it from a place of relationship with Jesus!