What did the people of Jesus’ day who did not like Him do about it? They said, "We know how to handle somebody like that, we'll crucify Him." Afterward, perhaps they said to themselves, "Well, we got rid of all those things we did not like about Jesus”—such as His sovereignty, holiness, omniscience, truth, and grace. But you see, He is the immutable God. He rose again from the dead and He's the same today as He was back then. You and I simply have to come to terms with that, whether we want to or not. That, for many people, is a barrier.
Yesterday we concluded by talking about people’s resentment toward God for having characteristics that sinners hate. Sovereignty was the first one we mentioned, which you see demonstrated on Palm Sunday, as Jesus rides into Jerusalem as a king who is marked by humility.
Now, if you come to the point where you understand the cost, even though you're not willing to pay it, let me at least say that you have come a long way, and that's a good thing. We have a kind of preaching of the gospel in our day that tries to minimize the cost. Those who do it certainly do their hearers no favor. They think what they want to do is make it sound so attractive that they'll win a lot of converts. They may win a lot of people but conversion is another matter. Jesus Christ didn't minimize it. He explained the cost, and if you've come to see that there is a cost, well that is a very valuable thing.
It's very easy to interpret this parable of the great banquet. Sometimes the parables are hard, but not this one. The people that were invited were the people of Jesus' day, particularly those in Jerusalem, and the banquet was the great marriage supper of the Lamb, a symbol of salvation. And those who were finally invited that did come were all of the outcasts, the Gentiles primarily, but also the kind of people that we would pass over and say, "Well, they really aren't worthy of such a thing." The problem is not in the interpretation of the parable but rather in the application of it to our own day. How do you apply it today? I'm afraid that the people who give flimsy excuses today are far more numerous than the people of Jerusalem. They apply to most people in our time.
