I would encourage you to read through the rest of the parable but I did want to point out the very first indictment made regarding all those who did not come and refused the invite. We are told there in vs. 3 - “they were not willing to come.”
In the very next chapter of that same gospel, we read where Jesus was looking over His beloved city of Jerusalem, which I might remind you, is a type of the church. And listen to this cry of heartache we hear Him utter: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem...the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but....you were not willing.” (23:37)
And in John 5, we are given a ‘front row seat’ to hear what He had to say to the religious leaders of that day...who were quite versed in God’s word...yet wanted Him dead and out of the picture. (18). I know....that’s a hard one to wrap your head around...the very ones who had the word and should have recognized Him...didn’t. And you only have to go back to the first chapter of this gospel to read where ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”...and how ‘He came to His own, and His own received Him not.” (1:14, 11). But...’to those who did receive Him, He gave them the right to become children of God.” (12)
But look what He had to say to those who did not receive Him back there in chapter 5. He told them: “You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life...BUT...you are not...willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (39-40)
I cited these three passages yesterday encouraging you to look them up and to see if you noticed a common theme or word in all three of them. I felt impressed to share the passages here today to start out. We are told that God desired something good for His people...the ones whom He ‘called’.
But they were not...willing. They. Were. Not. Willing.
We’ve always been told, correctly, that God created us with ‘free will’. He did not want a bunch of ‘robots’ running around serving and fellowshipping and loving Him because that is what God programed us to do.
He gave us a will...and free choice. Every single one of us. Let that sink in for a moment.
He is not going to force any of us to ‘turn to Him and follow’. It’s our choice. Now Jesus does later explain that we don’t come to Him, nor can we, unless the Father ‘draws’ us to Him.(John 6:44) But before you think this is some selective ‘clique’ where only the cool people go, please also note that Jesus said “IF...I am lifted up, I will draw ALL people to Myself.” (John 12:32)
Can I just say here and now...that if there was ever a reason why we should and want...to ‘decrease so that He might increase’ in our lives, this would be the reason. (John 3:30). There is a world of folks wandering and held captive to the darkness and many are looking for the light and would run...to the light...if they could see it. Sadly, many only see ‘another Jesus’ who is not The Light of the world, but indeed a counterfeit. Did Paul not say how people would be sucked in to other gospels and ‘follow another Jesus’...going on to say how a deceptive devil can appear as an ’angel of light’. (2 Cor. 11:4,14)
Admittedly, we are also told in John’s gospel where Jesus made it clear, even though the true light has come into the world, men loved darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil and they will not come to the light’. (3:19-20)
But here is something to ponder and I hope you will. We are taught that this whole world is under the sway or influence of the wicked one...and that men have been taken captive by the devil himself. (1 John 5:19; Rev. 12:9; 2 Tim. 2:26; Acts 26:18). And if you have an extra moment, flip back and read Jeremiah 13:15-17 and see if you can easily decipher as to the cause that the “Lord’s flock has been taken captive”. Whose flock was taken captive?
We are either going to be enslaved to God, or Satan. As I mentioned the other day, we get to choose...whom we will serve. Funny thing about serving sin and the darkness and our fleshly lust, is that Satan lets us think...we are ‘free’ and making our own choices. We just fail to see how blind we are. (Eph. 2:1-3).
Here’s an amazing truth about the power and love of this gospel...no matter how badly you are held captive by the powers of darkness, the one thing they cannot do is prevent you to running to Jesus with All your heart and soul. Period. Don’t believe me? Go read the account of that man who had thousands of demons in him and controlled him like few others had seen...and how the moment he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped Him and experienced true freedom and deliverance that very day. It did not take a lifetime of therapy and years to ‘get there’. (Mark 5:1-20). When Jesus sets you free, you are free indeed. (John 8:36)
But if you want to ‘stay free’, you have to be willing...to abide in Him. As in continue, or remain and...follow Him. If you want to call that a ‘catch’ or a ‘condition’, so be it. But what other options are you entertaining? Do you want to join that crowd of the nine lepers who after they got what they wanted, they ran off, unlike the one who turned...and came back to Jesus. (Luke 17:15). Or maybe those disciples in John 6:66 who ‘no longer followed Jesus’?
You and I were created with a free will...the gift to ‘choose this day whom we will serve’. (Joshua 24:15). To have a free will means you can...or cannot...choose to be willing to come to Jesus with All you heart. IF you think you want to just ‘try Him out’ or maybe come with one foot still in the world, don’t waste your time. It won’t work. Even being 90% in won’t do it for you. Just ask the young rich ruler who was ‘almost there’ and then blinked and left grieved. (Mark 10:21-22). He wasn’t willing. His choice.
Which takes me back to this abiding thing I was talking about yesterday. We were looking at passages that stressed the importance of abundant and lasting fruit in our lives....fruit that remains year round, not just ‘seasonal’. And Jesus stressed ‘much fruit’, not me. This, He taught us is how His Father is glorified. (John 15:8) And this fruit will not be produced if we don't abide in Him.
You can get a pretty quick read on just how ‘willing’ your heart is when the Holy Spirit begins to deal with you early on, and begins to direct you in the ‘paths of righteousness’. (Ps. 23:3) If you balk, or deflect, or make excuses, or offer up ‘other suggestions’ to God...chances are, you came in to this with ‘conditions’. That does not surprise me. I think all of us did, due to a lack of knowledge and good teaching. Maybe that is why God said His people (the same ones who were taken captive’, are ‘destroyed for a lack of knowledge’. (Hosea 4:6)
Keep in mind, the children of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for forty years...never had issues with hearing God’s voice and knowing His will. Their problem was in doing it. Not much has changed since then. Probably why Paul admonished us with warnings pointing to this group back then and letting us know they served as examples to us on whom the end of the ages have come. (1 Cor. 10:11)
Today, when we get someone ‘in the church doors’, we really do present ‘another gospel’ message to them. It has more to do with how God wants to bless their lives and fulfill their destiny in them and through them. (partial truth). We just fail to read them all that small print (and not so small print) about how they have to take up a cross, turn and lay down their lives and deny themselves so that they can be conformed and transformed into the nature and likeness of Christ. (Rom. 8:29) which is God’s plan for them and whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord.
New believers, I am convinced, truly are sincere in wanting to know what God’s will is for them. But while we get sidetracked wanting to know who God wants us to marry, or which college to go to, or which job to take and how big a house we should build or what car we need to finance, etc...God is back at square one waiting to deal with all those matters of the heart. It’s as if we thought we could skip grades 1-11 and get on the fast track to graduation so we could go out and seize the world by the tail. It just doesn’t work that way contrary to popular theology and thought.
“Despise not the day of small beginnings’, we are told in Zechariah 4:10. There is this little matter of obedience we have to learn. And there will be some ‘suffering’ involved as we learn to deny self/flesh. Jesus Himself ‘learned obedience through the things He suffered’. (Heb. 5:8) And He becomes the author of eternal salvation to all those who OBEY Him. (5:9). You just have to be willing to do it His way. No strings attached. We have failed to communicate that truth effectively.
We read where a leper came to Jesus in Matt. 8:1-3. He worshipped Him saying...”Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” And you know how Jesus responded? He said: “I am willing; be cleansed”. The issue has never been as to whether Jesus was willing.
The underlying issue has rested with us and our selfish, deceived and sinful hearts. Are we willing? You want to be cleansed? You are going to have to give Him...All your heart. And if you do, you can read what awaits you in Deut. 30:1-20. Have a great day. :- )
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