Luke 7:22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.”

Jesus did the one thing that the religious leaders of that day did not attend to; the pressing needs of the people.

The people listened to Jesus because they saw Him tend to the needs of the helpless.

There was this exchange between John in prison and Johanna in the Chosen that rang true to me.

“Wasn’t it like He fed you and you didn’t even know you were hungry.”

Matthew 22 English Standard Version

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

   “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The Chosen will ask “How can I obtain wedding garments?” Do we tell the lost what is expected of them when we invite them to the feast? They don’t even know they are hungry.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.”

John 17 is a prayer for us all. John’s gospel was meant for us as much as it was for any of the first century churches. They were the first missions and in this age we have the privilege to be the later missions.

A verse has just been placed in my remembrance.

Deuteronomy 11:14 he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.

We wait with all patience for the gathering.

James 5:7

Patience in Suffering

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

Until then there is work to be done by obedience of faith.

God speaks.

We hear.

We believe.

We obey.

God does the work.

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

If we have not been gathered, the will of the Father is still at work.

While this is a sign to me of what needs to be done, I cannot ignore the emotional impact of knowing that my Lord prayed this prayer in John 17 for me. We are emotional people and I cannot deny the likelihood that while I take it personally while others might not.

We are one of many, yes, that is true. I would like to remind everyone that we were not chosen last, like a schoolyard pick. We were chosen first.

Ephesians 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love