The Living Word: A Daily Devotional with Jeff & Dale from The Jenkins Institute

Years ago, a man named Mark M. Jones asked this question in song. It

echoes Romans 14:12, “So then everyone of us shall give an account of

himself to God.” The words to the song are as follows:

Verse 1: Someday you’ll stand at the bar on high, someday your

record you’ll see; someday you’ll answer the question of life, what

will your answer be?

Our text today takes us again to the parable of the bridegroom and

the banquet. When we left the Biblical account yesterday, we saw

that the king was enraged that his guests arrived at the banquet

improperly dressed. In verse 12, one man was asked why he came to

the banquet dressed incorrectly. The man did not have an answer.

The king had the man bound hand and foot and cast into the street

during the night! That must have been frightening.

Have you ever attended a party or a special dinner and found

yourself “underdressed” or even “overdressed?” There is an old

saying, “The clothes make the man.” The formality of the occasion

determines the style of dress one is expected to wear. The right

clothes honor the host or hostess of the function. Dressing sloppily

is an insult to the host. I want to please God, don’t you?

Have you ever received an invitation in the mail and, after reading

the complete invitation you saw these small letters at the end—

R.S.V.P.? Many in our busy culture do not pay attention to those

small letters, but they are very important. The letters are from the

French language, and mean: “répondez s’il vous plaît.” This directly

translates to, “Respond, if you please.” The acronym is often used

to confirm attendance at an event, such as a wedding, birthday

party or baby shower. If a R.S.V.P. is requested, good manners

dictate that you answer or give your regrets that you cannot attend.

A parable is defined by some as “an earthly story with a heavenly

meaning.” This parable should be read along with the accounts by

Mark, Luke, and John. The other writers differ somewhat, but

Matthew’s account is listed during the final week of Jesus’s life on

earth. If I had to give a title to this parable, it would be “You Have

Been Invited to a Banquet... Please R.S.V.P!”

What brings you joy? There might be many things that God has

given that come to mind. Your spouse, your children, your friends,

your job, traveling, working out, coffee, reading, watching and

playing sports, hiking, cooking, gardening…the list could go on

and on.

What happens when you don’t have enough money to pay for an

item you want? Do you give up and walk away? Or do you find a

way to pay for it? Our man in Matthew 13:44 found a way to pay for

it. He sold everything else that he had to pay for it! He knew that

what he would receive from the field would be far more valuable

than anything that he already had.

Married people…do you remember when you first started liking

your spouse? That moment when you thought, “This person might

be the person for me!” Maybe you were not so sure that your crush

had the same feeling for you. Maybe you were afraid that you might

miss out on the opportunity to date and marry this person. Maybe

one of the scariest thoughts to you was the possibility that they

would eventually become interested in someone else.

In February of 2025, a couple of hikers in the Czech Republic

stumbled upon an aluminum box that was hidden in a stone wall.

Imagine their joyful shock to open it and find several items,

including 598 old gold coins and 17 gold bracelets. The hikers

immediately brought their amazing find to the Museum of Eastern

Bohemia and had a coin expert evaluate it. The gold is worth well

over $300,000.

What do pirates, Indiana Jones, and California miners in 1849 have in

common? They wanted treasure! Name a time in history, and you can

name a successful pursuit for treasure. Jesus is going to capitalize on this

universal desire in this short parable (Matthew 13:44). Today, we are going

to analyze the parable. In the days to follow, we will make application.

• “The kingdom of heaven…” Jesus often referenced this “kingdom”