The initial ministry, that of John the Baptist, was to `prepare the way of the Lord' (Matt. 3:3), `prepare' being

the same word as `ready'. It was also `to make ready for the Lord a prepared people' (Luke 1:17). Note, not to

make everyone ready, but to make ready a prepared people. In Revelation 19:7 we read:

`Let us rejoice and exult, and give Him glory; for the marriage of the Lamb is come and His wife has made

herself ready' (Author's translation).

And in 21:2:

`And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of the heavens from God, prepared as a bride

adorned for her husband' (Author's translation).

In the second ministry, that of the Acts of the apostles, the servants who gave the invitation could indeed lay

emphasis upon the fact that all things were ready. `But they neglected it'. The word translated `made light of' is the

word which occurs in Hebrews 2:3:

`How shall we escape if we have been negligent of so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by

the Lord (the first invitation), and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him (the second invitation), God

also bearing witness both with signs, and wonders, and with divers miracles, and distributions of holy spirit,

according to His will?' (Author's translation).

This is the second invitation of the parable. That `the signs, wonders, divers miracles, and distributions of the

Holy Spirit' are to be read as equivalent to `All things are ready', may be seen by reading Acts 2:1-4,22,23,43;

3:12-16; 4:9-12 (note the reference to the stone rejected by the builders, and Matthew 21:42, which immediately

precedes the parable of the Marriage Feast), and 5:30.

What was the result of this added testimony? `They neglected it'. The parable says that `one went to his own

field, and one unto his traffic'. Readers may remember that in the Parable of the Sower the third sowing indicated

the ministry of the Acts (without necessarily precluding the thought that, at the end, all these sowings will be true of

the period then). That third sowing `fell among thorns, and the thorns choked them', which by interpretation means:

`That which among thorns being sown, this is he who hears the word and the cares of this age and the delusion of

riches, choke the word and it (he) becomes unfruitful' (Matt. 13:22 Author's translation).

This same cause is expressed in the words, `his own field', and `his traffic'. Here is the divine statement as to

the failure of the second invitation. This is not all, however. While some `did not care for it', but preferred the

things of this age, `the rest' violently opposed. `They seized the servants, insulted and killed them'. The Lord Jesus

had told His disciples that if the world had hated Him, it would hate them, that He sent them forth as sheep amid

wolves. That the days would come when they should be delivered up to be afflicted, hated and killed. This we find

in measure in the Acts. Some were imprisoned (Acts 4:3; 5:18; 8:3; 9:1,13,21). Stephen was stoned (Acts 7:59);

James was killed with the sword (Acts 12:2). At the first rejection, which culminated in the betrayal and brutal

death of the Lord Jesus, the Lord in wondrous mercy withheld the punishment of which they themselves had thought

themselves worthy (Matt. 21:41), and sent to those who were guilty of such sins the second ministry of pardon and

invitation. The neglect of this `so great salvation', accompanied by the ill-treatment of His servants, was not a

second time passed over. This time they had `crucified unto themselves afresh the Son of God, and put Him to an

open shame', and `that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be

burned' (Heb. 6:8). They had `trodden under foot the Son of God'. `For if they escaped not who refused Him that

spake on earth (first invitation), much more shall not we, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven'

(Heb. 12:25) (second invitation). And so we read:

`But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and

burned up their city' (Matt. 22:7).

Between verses 7 and 8 of Matthew 22 comes the dispensation of the Mystery, just as it comes between `the

acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God'. When the Lord once again takes up the threads

of this purpose, the words of verse 8 onwards become true. `The wedding feast is ready, but they which were

bidden were not worthy'. Because of their rejection of the head stone of the corner, `the kingdom of God will be

taken from them, and given to a nation producing the fruits of it'. Because of their refusal and neglect they made