“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

What is the 'mercy' Jesus is referring to?

Jesus is discussing both God's mercy upon us, and the mercy that we may choose to extend to others.

We are each a child of the Supreme Being. We are His individual creations. Though He has imbued us with individuality and freedom of choice, we are still of the same nature as He. Being of that same nature, we have the same propensity for love, mercy, and compassion.

Though we do not maintain the perfection of these propensities as does the Supreme Being, we nevertheless have the ability to advance a portion of these propensities to those around us.

While requesting the Supreme Being's mercy and compassion, it is contradictory to not extend mercy and compassion to others. This was also expressed by Jesus in a statement referred to as the “golden rule:”

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)

This concept prevails elsewhere among Jesus' teachings, with mercy coming in the form of forgiveness:

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15)

Does God have mercy on us?

Everything we are and have are products of God's mercy.

For example, through His mercy, He bestowed upon us the freedom of choice. Each of us can make so many choices for ourselves, independent of Him. Even though God could dictate, He doesn't. He gives us a myriad of choices in terms of our activities, goals, and decisions. He has even given us the choice to ignore Him if we want.

Certainly, these choices are required for love. No one can be forced to love. As such, God gave us the choice to love Him or not. And yes, God wants our love. But we can give it or not. That is our choice, and that choice is the product of His mercy.

These choices are reflected throughout our lives. We can choose to act in a way that hurts others or act in a way that is kind and merciful to others. It is our choice.

Inherent in our choices is another type of mercy. The ability to change. Not only does God allow us to act in a self-centered fashion. He also allows us to become better. He allows us to change, and learn to care about others. He also extends His personal assistance towards helping us make those changes in the long run.

The Supreme Being's mercy is reflected not only in allowing us to change, but also in setting up the situations that allow us to change. This world delivers so many consequences for our actions - which in turn teach us and encourage us to change for the better.

So God not only provides the mercy to forgive. He also provides the mercy and the space to change.

Does self-centeredness oppose mercy?

Actions that hurt others simply reflect our choice not to recognize the Supreme Being. They reflect self-centeredness.

This is because self-centeredness is the polar opposite of mercy.

Thus when we choose to be merciful to others by caring about others, we are choosing to align ourselves with the merciful nature of the Supreme Being. This is part of the merciful nature we inherited from Him.

Such a merciful nature towards others attracts the Supreme Being. The Supreme Being is attracted by activities that are merciful to others because He Himself is merciful.

Therefore, when we care about others and are merciful to others, we naturally become closer to the Supreme Being.

But being merciful to others includes understanding who we are. In other words, we should understand who we are and who others are.

What if a starving man came to us and asked us for food. Would we give him a can of gasoline to fill his car with? How would that help the man's hunger?

In the same way, realizing that our identity is spiritual is an important aspect of mercy. Certainly helping others with their physical needs is being merciful. But seeing each other as spiritual means understanding that we need spiritual food.

Spiritual food means re-establishing our lost relationship with the Supreme Being. We can help each other achieve this by praising God and reminding each other that we can only be happy if we re-establish our loving relationship with Him. This is confirmed in Jesus' teachings:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ..." (Matthew 9:12)

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:10-13)

What does Jesus mean by 'call'?

Notice that he doesn’t say that "I have come to die for people’s sins." He specifically says that he has come to “call” the sinners. How does he “call” the sinners?

The word "call" is being translated from the Greek word καλέω (kaleō) - meaning "to call aloud, utter in a loud voice." Let’s consider the practical meaning of the word “call:”

Let’s say it is dinner time, and we want the kids to come in the house from their play, and eat dinner. What do we do? We call them.

Let’s say that we want to go out to dinner with a friend. What do we do? We call them.

Let’s say that we have a long-lost relationship with an old friend, and we’d like to renew that relationship. What do we do? We call on them.

Let’s consider what Webster’s Dictionary says about the meaning of “call:”
1) a: to speak in a loud distinct voice so as to be heard at a distance: shout; b: to make a request or demand c: an animal: to utter a characteristic note or cry; d: to get or try to get into communication by telephone; d: to invite or command to meet: convoke; e: to rouse from sleep or summon to get up; f (1): to give the order for: bring into action."

As we review the applications of the word "call" to this situation, it would probably apply most appropriately to: c: "to summon to a particular activity, employment, or office d: to invite or command to meet: convoke e: to rouse from sleep or summon to get up f: to give the order for: bring into action."

What does 'call the sinners' mean?

In this case, what would the “particular activity” Jesus use to “call” ‘sinners’ (like us)? Quite simply, the "call" is coming from Jesus' teachings - the most important of which is the greatest commandment:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37)

None of this has to do with anyone dying for our sins. The concept of Jesus dying for the sins of future generations was the creation of sectarian institutions to attract followers by creating an easy, yet imaginative way for feeling saved.

This is easy because no change of heart or change of one's lifestyle is needed.

But this isn't what Jesus taught. Jesus was asking us to have a change of heart - a change of consciousness from being self-centered to being God-centered.

Jesus' teaching to love God "with all your heart" is the opposite of self-centeredness. And this requires work. It is not so easy. It requires a commitment to change.

As far as sins, we already know that God can forgive all of our sins, simply by our humble request for forgiveness. This is why Jesus advised his students to pray to God for forgiveness:

"Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us." (Luke 11:4)

If God can forgive our sins, why would Jesus need to suffer on the cross for that purpose?

Furthermore, what good is it to have our sins forgiven if we just go back and do them again? What gain is made? Unless we are pursuing the “call” that Jesus is making - the call to return to our loving relationship with God, we will simply fall back into 'sin' after being forgiven.

Who are the 'healthy' and who are the 'sick'?

It is also clear that Jesus is seeking to educate and teach those in need. When he says, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick,” what is he saying?

He is clearly saying that those who are lost need his help. In other words, he has come to bring the fallen back home to God - back to their loving relationship with God.

Then he says, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’”.

This is taken from the Book of Hosea when God said:

"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Like Adam, they have broken the covenant — they were unfaithful to Me there." (Hosea 6:6-7)

Jesus is explaining the meaning of God's statement with his activities of sitting down with 'sinners.' Rather than focusing on rituals, God is looking for our focus upon Him - He wants us to give Him our hearts and our dedication to Him. He wants us to return to our relationship with Him. And He is looking for those who seek Him to also have mercy upon others - helping Him "call" them home.

This is loving service. Acknowledgment and mercy are actions. They are expressions of love.

And this is precisely what Jesus is doing, and what he is explaining. Jesus is pleasing God by having mercy on the 'sinners' by inviting them to dinner and teaching them about the Supreme Being.

Yes, Jesus was exhibiting mercy in his loving service to the Supreme Being.

“Haven’t you read what David did ...” (Matthew 12:3-8)

“Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread--which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that One greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:3-8)

Why is Jesus talking about David and his 'companions'?

This statement by Jesus is in response to the criticism by the Pharisees who saw Jesus and his disciples walking through a grain field on the Sabbath - a day known for fasting. Some of the disciples were hungry and picked some heads of grain and ate.

Jesus compares this situation to when David and his companions ate consecrated bread from the temple and this went against institutional temple law at the time.

Jesus also points out here that the scriptures say that when temple priests ate bread on the Sabbath, they were not guilty of breaking the law.

Jesus is comparing himself and his disciples to David and his companions - and the temple priests who also broke the law of the Sabbath. What do they have in common?

What they have in common is that they were loving servants of God, involved in using their lives to teach others about the Supreme Being.

This is why Jesus says here:

"I tell you that One greater than the temple is here." 

Is Jesus calling himself 'greater than the temple'?

Many sectarian teachers have interpreted this statement to mean that Jesus is calling himself "One greater than the temple." But would Jesus really make this kind of statement about himself? Is this the same Jesus who said:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me." (John 6:38)

"For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:50)

“My teaching is not my own. It comes from the One who sent me." (John 7:16)

Notice the use of "the One" in the last quote - and its use ("One greater") here. Since there must be another sender besides Jesus if someone else sent him, Jesus is not referring to himself as "the One."

Jesus is obviously not considering himself "One greater than the temple." This is an attribute that can only be made to "the One" who sent Jesus - the Father - the Supreme Being.

And this is the common bond between the comparison between himself, David, and the priests with regard to following institutional temple law. Jesus is saying that he is serving the Supreme Being. And the Supreme Being is thus present in those works.

As such, that service on behalf of the Supreme Being would qualify as trumping the ritualistic institutional temple laws.

Why? Because the Supreme Being is the Owner and Controller of everything. Therefore, He is not subject to any laws - all laws come from Him - therefore He is not subject to them.

This is the meaning of Jesus' statement: "I tell you that One greater than the temple is here."

What does 'lord of the Sabbath' mean?

And what about "the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath"? What does this mean?

Since he was speaking of the activities of David, he could not be saying he is the only 'lord of the sabbath'.

It would also be odd for Jesus to be speaking about himself in the third person, right after discussing David and the priests. Isn't he comparing his activity with theirs? Why would he then eliminate them from being "sons of man"? And if he did, why would he say it in the third person?

How many people do this when they speak? If a person named Tom were to feel hungry, would he say “Tom is hungry”? No. He would say “I am hungry.” Likewise, if Jesus were to be speaking specifically of himself here he would have used "I", "me" or "my." This would be common sense, and very clear. Also, note that Matthew does not indicate that Jesus himself was eating out of the field - Jesus was defending his disciples' activity.

What does Jesus mean by 'mercy not sacrifice'?

The quote that Jesus brings to this statement is from Hosea 6:6, when God spoke through Hosea and said:

"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."

This statement from Matthew 9:13 would also capture the essence and meaning of Jesus’ statements prior to this last sentence. Jesus is explaining, for example, with the Hosea quote, that what the Supreme Being wants from us is our loving service, not necessarily following rituals: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’

The use of "mercy" here in Hosea and by Jesus refers to service that pleases God and helps others realize their relationship with the Supreme Being. This means being compassionate upon others. If a person has heard the Truth about the Supreme Being, and he is merciful to others, that person will pass the Truth on to them. This is mercy, and this is captured by the title, "Son of Man"  which is better translated to "Servant of Humanity."

The Supreme Being loves us and cherishes us, and knows that we will only be happy when we take part in such a loving relationship. Thus He wants us to acknowledge Him with love and devotion in practical ways. Just following a bunch of rituals for the sake of being accepted by our peers or by a sectarian organization doesn’t accomplish this. 

The Supreme Being wants us to independently develop our own personal relationship with Him, and freely choose to live our lives with love in our hearts.

“You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew. 14:31)

"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" (Matt. 14:28-31)

What does 'you of little faith' mean?

The phrase "you of little faith" in Jesus' statement is being translated from the Greek word ὀλιγόπιστος (oligopistos). This word means "of little faith, trusting too little" according to the lexicon.

Thus Jesus' use of the word "faith" is not the kind of faith that implies confidence in someone's existence. Peter already had that kind of faith. He accepted God's existence and accepted Jesus' existence.

The kind of faith that Jesus is asking of Peter is trust. He's asking Peter to trust that God loves him, and trust that God is in full control, and trust that the Supreme Being will have mercy upon him and protect him.

Since Jesus was right in front of Peter, there was no sense asking Peter to have faith in Jesus.

Why did Jesus walk on water?

Was Jesus trying to prove that he was great? Was he trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records? No. Jesus walked on water in order to teach something to some of his closest followers.

Jesus walked on water because he wanted his disciples to trust him and trust in the Supreme Being - someone who they couldn't see with their physical eyes.

Jesus' lesson regards trusting the Supreme Being. Jesus confirms that his miracles come from the Supreme Being:

"I have shown you many great miracles from the Father." (John 10:32)

Jesus also was focused upon glorifying God, and not himself:

"If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the One who glorifies me." (John 8:54)

Jesus is asking Peter to trust his Father, the Supreme Being. He wants Peter to understand, as Jesus did, that the Supreme Being is in full control, and we can completely rely upon the Supreme Being. This takes not just faith, but humility.

Why did Peter start to sink?

As Peter is sinking, Jesus takes hold of his hand. This is precisely what takes place for the individual who calls upon God for help. Instead of sinking into the stormy seas of the material world, the Supreme Being will come to our rescue.

Peter began to sink because he needed - just as all of us need - to be lifted up and saved by the Supreme Being. This is Jesus' lesson to Peter.

Sometimes God will send us His messenger as was Jesus sent, and sometimes He will come personally to pull us out of the dangerous waters of the physical world. Either way, the Supreme Being is still the One who ultimately can save us from the depths of this hellish world.

The Supreme Being is our perfect Savior and Protector. He is our ultimate Messiah. We simply need to trust in the Supreme Being.

“ If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders ...” (Matthew 18:12-14)

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders off, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” (Matthew 18:12-14)

What does Jesus' analogy of the 'hundred sheep' mean?

This parable is comparing the man to the Supreme Being. And the sheep to each of us. The sheep that walks away represents each of us who rejected the Supreme Being and left the spiritual realm to chase our self-centered desires.

This statement follows Jesus' previous statement regarding being watched over by angels:

"For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." (Matthew 18:10)

Remember that the word "angels" is translated from the Greek word ἄγγελος (aggelos) - which means "a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God" according to the lexicon.

This means that Jesus is not speaking of guardian angels as merely sitting and watching - they are specifically engaged by the Supreme Being to help us.

Why, then are they watching over us? Why do we have guardian angels? Because the Supreme Being cares about us, and wants us to come home to Him. This is the reference to the lost sheep. God wants us (His lost sheep) to return to the spiritual realm and return to our innate love for Him.

So He delegates to those who serve Him, to watch over us and help us. So we can come home to Him.

How do we become lost?

Certainly, God never loses us. He is in control and we are always living in His creation. So we are never lost in that sense.

But because the Supreme Being also gives us the freedom to love Him or not - those who decide not to love Him become lost. We become lost in our self-centeredness. Without love for God, we become lost in our own desires.

When we choose ourselves over God, we become lost. It is not as if we can ever get away from God. But God does give us space to forget Him.

This is the purpose of the physical world: To allow us the freedom to forget God - along with providing learning experiences from this 'blank' slate.

You see, The Supreme Being created us to love Him and be with Him. But love requires freedom. So He gave us the freedom to love Him or not.

Those who have not developed their natural love for Him are given these temporary physical bodies. These allow us to chase our self-centered dreams around for a while and at the same time learn (if we choose) to love again.

And He wants us to learn to love, because love makes us happy. And He wants us to be happy. He wants us back - when we are ready.

How does the man save the sheep that 'wandered off'?

This describes the Supreme Being sending his messengers to the physical world to call us back. The Supreme Being wants us to come home to Him but He never forces us. He could if He wanted. But the Supreme Being doesn't want slaves. He wants to exchange love.

The Supreme Being also expands Himself within the Holy Spirit to escort each of us as we journey through the physical realm.

Thus He can be here but not have to leave the spiritual realm. Such is the absolute power and unfathomable authority over time and space. He is not limited either by time and space or by His individuality. He can expand Himself without limit and be with each of us simultaneously.

Such is the greatness of the Supreme Being.

"And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off."

Jesus is describing the unconditional love and affection the Supreme Being has for each of us. Even though we have offended Him and rejected Him, He is ready at any time to take us back. All we have to do is want to return to Him and become determined to return to Him and He takes us back to Him.

Sometimes people will wonder why they can't just pray and be taken back just like that. But we have to understand that the Supreme Being doesn't want us to whimsically decide: He wants us to make a determination to return to Him.

And sometimes, that determination must be developed. For this reason, after we ask to return to Him He will still present us with various obstacles to overcome. These obstacles are meant to make us more determined. They are meant to make us more resolute.

After all, love cannot be whimsical. It cannot be something done just out of convenience. Love is a complete emotion. It requires complete dedication.

Just imagine if we told someone "I love you - but only when it is convenient to do so." Is this love? No. It is not love.

Love must be unconditional. It must be given without condition or convenience. It must be given with complete trust and dedication.

Why is God 'not willing that any of these little ones should be lost'?

Jesus is referring to the children he is showing before his disciples - but he is also speaking about all of us. He is illustrating that the Supreme Being is attentive and wanting each of us to return to Him.

The word "lost" has been translated to "perish" in the 2011 NIV, as it has been in the King James Version and most of the other English versions. We kept the 1984 NIV translation of "lost" here because the word is being translated from the Greek word ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi), which can mean "perish" or "lost."

What the translators may not have realized is that the spirit-person never perishes. Each of us is a spirit-person - not the physical body - and each of us is eternal. We do not die when the body dies.

But we can become lost. By rejecting the Supreme Being we are escorted to the physical world and given these temporary physical bodies and physical minds - which allow us to forget the Supreme Being and become lost within the illusory nature of the physical world.

And just as the sheep who wanders off can be found and brought back, no matter how far we go down, there is still a path back to the Supreme Being for each of us.

We just have to sincerely ask.

One might wonder why we left Him in the first place if our relationship with the Supreme Being brings us happiness. When God created us, He gave us each the ability to choose whether we wanted to love Him or not. He also gave us a piece of Himself. 

That means that not only can we choose whether to love Him or not, but we have the ability to want to be Him - enviousness.

Why does God give us these choices?

Because there cannot be love without freedom of choice. Forcing someone to love is not love - it is slavery.

Though we have rejected God, He doesn't give up on us. He still tries to teach us what will make us happy. This entire physical universe is set up to help guide and teach us. This is called mercy.

His mercy is also why the Supreme Being sends His representatives to guide us back to Him.

Also notice that Jesus specifically states “your Father.” This means that God is our Creator just as He is Jesus' Creator.

We simply have to accept the mercy of the Supreme Being and decide we want to return to His Loving Arms.

“I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:22)

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

Is Jesus referring to mercy?

The issue is forgiveness, and forgiving others as we've been forgiven. This is also called having mercy on others.

Each of us living within a physical body is here because we need to grow spiritually. This physical world and lifetime is an educational journey. We were sent into the physical world primarily to learn about love. To learn to love each other and learn to love the Supreme Being - if we choose to.

Love requires not only caring about each other but being willing to forgive each other. This means forgiving others even if they don't forgive us. This means having mercy on others even though they may not have mercy on us.

Because ultimately, God is merciful to all of us.

Here we have the freedom to ignore God, and ignore His mercy. We even have the freedom to question His very existence. We can also blame Him for our own decisions. We can consider ourselves as the center of the universe, and claim nothing exists unless we see it with our physical eyes. And we can even claim there is no God.

And yet still, God is willing to forgive us. Not seven times, but innumerable times.

So the question is, are we not going to have mercy and forgiveness for others after being forgiven by God? Are we to be forgiven yet not forgive? This is Jesus' point.

Why must we learn forgiveness?

The human form of life allows us to forget and start with a blank slate. We can learn what we want to learn. We can act with complete freedom. We don't have to have mercy. We don't have to care. We don't have to pray. We can learn what we want and we can set whatever goals we want here.

In the spiritual world, everyone loves each other. Everyone forgives each other. In the spiritual world, everything revolves around God. God is the center. Everyone recognizes this in the spiritual realm.

But in the physical world, we can completely ignore all that. We can even claim there is no God and the only things that exist are what my eyes can see. Now, this is freedom. God is giving us the ultimate in freedom. We can completely escape Him here.

The human form of life can also be a stepping stone back to the spiritual world - if we take it. If we learn to change our consciousness. If we want to change.

Here we have the opportunity to learn to love others. To be kind to others even if they are not kind to us. Here we can learn what forgiveness means. We can learn to forgive by forgiving those who have harmed us.

Again, that is our choice. We can choose to live that sort of life. We can rise to the occasion, and be the kind of person that we wished others would be.

If we come to know and learn to love and forgive, we will have developed the tools to reconnect with the Supreme Being. We will have prepared our consciousness to return to the spiritual world.

Jesus' instruction to his followers is to help them prepare for their return to the spiritual world.

Why is there still suffering if God forgives us?

Yes, the Supreme Being ultimately forgives us and loves us unconditionally. But this does not mean our temporary physical bodies will not suffer the consequences of our previous decisions and actions. Especially those decisions and actions that hurt others.

This is the law of consequences, and it is programmed into the physical world. These temporary physical bodies are designed to incur the results of our actions. If we hurt others' bodies, our bodies will be hurt. If we help others' bodies, our bodies will be helped.

This is God's perfect design because this allows us to learn. If we have harmed or abused others, we get to learn what it feels like to be harmed or abused ourselves. This helps us understand what it feels like. It is school. It is an opportunity for rehabilitation.

But these physical bodies are still temporary. They are like automobiles and we are like the driver who gets into the car to drive it. And just as getting a flat tire on the car doesn't harm the driver, the sufferings of the physical world occur for the body. Our spiritual self is only affected by the learning that takes place here.

And what are we supposed to learn from the rehabilitation center of the temporary physical world? We are here to learn how to love. We are here to learn how to forgive. We are here to learn how to have mercy for others.

Just as God loves us and has mercy on us.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared ...” (Matthew 22:1-13)

“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 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 slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' But they paid no attention and went off— one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, ill-treated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. 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.” (Matthew 22:1-13)

What does Jesus' parable of the wedding banquet mean?

Jesus broadcast his teachings through a variety of complex parables. These were intended to communicate deep spiritual values to those who wanted to learn more. But they also provided a means for filtering those who were not intent on learning about God.

This particular parable of the wedding banquet is extremely complex. It illustrates the process the Supreme Being undertakes to bring us back home to Him. It also reflects how God handles those who harm His messengers.

God is involved in a myriad of relationships and this parable details some of those relationships.

Let's understand the symbolism of Jesus' parable more closely:

Why a wedding banquet?

The king in the story symbolizes Supreme Being. And the wedding banquet is the spiritual realm. 

The reason Jesus is comparing the spiritual realm to a wedding banquet is because the spiritual realm is full of loving relationships: It is a carnival of loving relationships.

And the Supreme Being is the center of those loving relationships.

The citizens of the spiritual realm are focused upon the Supreme Being - they are loving Him in a myriad of different types of relationships. And based upon these relationships they are also loving each other in a myriad of ways.

This may not translate well in the physical world, because this is the place where those who rejected love of God have been sent. In this world, we are given a virtual body - the physical body - and a place where we can completely forget our relationship with God. 

In this world, we can execute our desires to be the center of the universe without any remembrance of who is the actual center of the universe.

Yes, if we look around, we can see that each of us is trying to achieve our version of being the center of the universe. We each have our own agenda to achieve our personal objectives.

This translates to our various activities to attempt to achieve fame, wealth, physical beauty, influencer, father or mother of a big family, and so on. While some strive to be leaders of companies; others strive to be political leaders. Some seek the admiration of workmates or colleagues; others seek the admiration of fans or schoolmates.

Then of course there is the seeking of boyfriends, girlfriends, and eventually spouses and children.

In all of these affairs, we seek to be the center. We seek to become admired and praised. But we also seek to be loved. We yearn for love throughout our physical lives, as though love was water and we were stranded in a waterless desert.

These activities all reflect the reality that we are each seeking the love that we've forgotten - love from the spiritual realm.

But why have we forgotten it? Because we sought to become the object of love rather than the giver of love.

By nature, we are givers of love. This is our natural constitution. 

God and God's children are objects of our love. When we seek to remain outside of our natural constitution we are given physical bodies in the physical realm - to play out our desires along with learning lessons that try to teach us that giving love makes us happy.

This is the state of affairs symbolized in Jesus' parable by those who rejected the invitation of the king and then harmed his servants.

Who are the servants?

The servants He sent out to invite people to the banquet represent those loving servants who God has sent to the earth over millennia to try to bring us home to Him. These are His devoted messengers such as David, Moses, Abraham, Noah, Solomon, Job, Jacob, Samuel, Jonah, John the Baptist and of course Jesus and Jesus' disciples like Peter and James.

The dinner preparations symbolize the readiness of the Supreme Being to take us back - even though we've neglected Him for so long. This is called mercy.

As history has illustrated, most of us have refused this invitation to return home to our relationship with the Supreme Being. That is why we keep returning to the physical world, lifetime after lifetime.

Why are the servants seized?

God's messengers have been trying to bring us home to the spiritual realm, but we have been refusing. In addition to refusing to return, some have gone out of their way to harm God's messengers.

This is precisely what occurred in Jesus' life. He was trying to pass on to others God's invitation back to the spiritual realm. But they rejected Jesus' teachings and instead persecuted him and killed him.

Why did they do it? Because Jesus was interfering in their ability to see themselves as the center of the universe. He was interfering with their self-centeredness and independence of the Supreme Being.

Why did the king send his army?

Many have misinterpreted this as the Supreme Being being vengeful. Rather, what is being described is love.

Just consider what would happen if someone hurt someone's child. The parent would be deeply hurt yes? Why? Because of their love for their child.

In the same way, the Supreme Being becomes spiritually hurt when His loving servants are harmed. This is because of the loving relationships that exist between the Supreme Being and His loving servants.

But he doesn't send others to harm us. He sends others who love us and want us to return to Him. This is God's army of love.

How is the banquet ready?

With regard to "those I invited" - Jesus is speaking of those institutions such as the temple institution involved in the arrest and murder of John the Baptist - also involved in Jesus' arrest and persecution.

As these individuals among these organizations proved unworthy because they disrespected and even harmed God's messengers, the Supreme Being reaches out to those who may not be articulate members of these institutions. He reaches out to those who consider themselves more humbly - not thinking they deserve to be invited back to the spiritual realm.

These more humble persons - often lost in the minutia of the physical world - are not pretenders. They are not faking that they know so much. They are not pretending to be worthy of sitting in judgment of others. 

As such, assuming they follow God's guidance as they follow the instructions of the king's servants and come to the banquet. This illustrates their method of gaining entrance into the spiritual realm: Being invited.

What about the man not wearing wedding clothes?

This part of the parable may be disturbing to some but only if the symbolism is not understood. The "wedding clothes" are the key to understanding this. The "clothes" represent one's consciousness. This is how one becomes entitled to return to the spiritual realm. A consciousness full of greed, envy, and self-centeredness does not belong in the spiritual realm. Such a consciousness belongs in this physical world - where we occupy physical bodies full of pain and suffering that compete for limited resources in the physical world.

"Wedding clothes" in particular symbolizes love for God, humility, and service. These are the tickets into the spiritual realm - our relationship with the Supreme Being. The person who sees themselves as the most important has no place in the spiritual realm. A person who sees themselves as great does not belong in the spiritual realm.

A person who does not want to serve - who only wants to be served - is not a citizen of the spiritual realm.

This consciousness is suited for the physical world - where we misidentify ourselves with these temporary physical bodies and chase after the illusory names and forms of this temporary physical dimension.

To gain entry into the spiritual world - to gain entry into our relationship with God - we must be wearing the proper attitude and state of consciousness. Our consciousness must become God-centered instead of self-centered.

This begins with humility. The attitude that we are not the king. We are not the center of attention. We are not being served. We are servants. We are beggars. We do not deserve God’s mercy after we have been rejecting Him.

The second and critical piece - one that cannot be separated from humility - is our reliance upon God’s mercy. Our complete faith that He will take care of us, and that He is all we need. This is also called surrender.

If we are wearing the clothes of humility and reliance upon God's mercy, we will be invited to the wedding banquet because this is the consciousness that prevails among relationships with God in the spiritual world.