He sent out his slaves to summon those invited to the banquet, but they didn t want to come. 4

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1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview April 9, 2017 Offered to All? Background: Matthew 22:1-23:39 Lesson: Matthew 22:1-14 Motivation: In the parable of the wedding banquet, we re at once confronted with the familiar customs of our culture along with some unfamiliar traditions of Jesus day. Woven within the parable are warnings to the religious leaders and exhortations to His followers. Today, we are the messengers for our King, distributing invitations to a future marriage supper. I. The Invited Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables: 2 The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent out his slaves to summon those invited to the banquet, but they didn t want to come. 4 Again, he sent out other slaves, and said, Tell those who are invited: Look, I ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet. 5 But they paid no attention and went away, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the others seized his slaves, treated them outrageously and killed them. 7 The king was enraged, so he sent out his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned down their city. (22:1-7) HCSB: p. 1655: 22:1-7 This parable is an allegory of Israel s history. The king 1 / 9

2 represents God; the son, Jesus; the slaves, the prophets and possibly Jesus disciples; and the wedding banquet symbolized the great messianic feast that Jews expected to share with Messiah at the beginning of His rule. Those who rejected, persecuted, and murdered the slaves represent OT Israel and their rejection of the prophets. The destruction of the city represents God s judgment on those who refuse to honor His Son. This destruction, like the penalty described in verse 13, portrays eternal punishment but may also hint at the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. A. Friends- Who does one invite to a wedding feast? Quite obviously one invites friends and relatives. This parable answers the question concerning why the friends of God (His chosen people) refuse the invitation and complete strangers (Gentiles) are invited to attend. However, even the invited guests must have the correct apparel (12-14, cf. Gal. 3:27). B. Messengers- The slaves obviously represented the OT prophets, NT apostles, and, by extension, us as His present day Ambassadors. (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are inviting people to attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9). An annual report by the Center for Studies on New Religions (Censur, 11/2016) revealed that 90,000 Christians were martyred for their faith last year, averaging one martyr every six minutes. C. Foes- While the initial invitation came from a gracious King, rejection brought fiery judgement (Romans 6:23). II. The Gathered Then he told his slaves, The banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go to where the roads exit the city and invite everyone you find to the banquet. 10 So those slaves went out on the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding banquet was filled with guests. (22: 8-10) 2 / 9

3 A. The Worthy- Those initially invited were not worthy based on their rejection of the king s invitation. The invitations issued where the roads exit the city went to everyone they found, both evil and good. The evaluation again was not based on character but on the willingness to accept the king s invitation. It s a reminder that the only worthiness we have before God is based on our receiving Christ s invitation (Revelation 3:20). B. The Wedding- The fact that The wedding banquet was filled with guests speaks to the broader audience who accepted invitations. In context, this audience included Gentiles, people never before considered to be God s friends. This extension of God s favor beyond the Jews is a part of the mystery Paul addressed in Romans 6: III. The Unprepared But when the king came in to view the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed for a wedding. 12 So he said to him, Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes? The man was speechless. 13 Then the king told the attendants, Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are invited, but few are chosen. (22:11-14) HCSB: p.1656 : 22:8-12 The guests represent Jesus disciples who are invited into the kingdom despite their unworthiness. The improperly dressed guest represents a false disciple (7:15-23). His presence seems initially to honor the Son, but his refusal to wear festive garments dishonors Him. Similarly, many false disciples appear to honor Jesus by calling Him Lord, but their lack of true faith and repentance offends Him. 22:13-14 Many people are invited to God s kingdom, but only those who repent and honor the Son are 3 / 9

4 chosen to enter. IV. Answers to Four Questions (22:15-46) A. Question About Paying Taxes (22:15-22) The Pharisees were understandably upset by Jesus parables of the disobedient son (21:28-32), the wicked vinedressers (21:33-46) and the wedding feast (22:1-14). All three parables portrayed the Jewish religious leaders as the bad guys. In these verses, they make another attempt to entrap Him. Believer s Study Bible, p. 1375: 22:16-22 Again attempts are made to coerce Jesus into an indefensible position either with the people or with the authorities. The Herodians inquire about the propriety of paying tribute to Caesar. The populace despised the tribute exacted from them. Jesus requests a denarius. His question about the image and superscription concerned ownership. The Herodians admitted imperial ownership, prompting Jesus to suggest the obvious, namely, that Caesar should receive what is rightfully his, while God receives those things that are of spiritual significance (cf. Rom. 13:1-7). B. Question About Resurrection (22:23-33) The Sadducees, stung by Jesus temple cleansing, sought to trap Him and at the same time embarrass their rivals, the Pharisees. The Sadducees differed with the Pharisees by accepting only the first five books of the Old Testament and rejecting any notion of angels, heaven, life after death or the resurrection: That s why they were sad-you-see. Their question was a convoluted hypothetical case involving levirate marriage, a question that had probably stumped their rivals on more than one occasion. 1. you are deceived (29) Jesus amazed His audience by not sidestepping the tricky question. The Sadducees, He said, were wrong, ignorant and powerless. 2. are like angels (30) Jesus said that their entire question was based on a false paradigm. The Heavenly model is different from the earthly one. Jesus said quite clearly in John 4:24 God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth. Our satisfaction and happiness in heaven will be complete; but, it will not necessarily be based on the same standards we observe on earth. 4 / 9

5 3. I am the God of Abraham (32) Upon hearing Jesus answer, the Pharisees must have hit themselves upside of the head. The answer was so definitive, right from Gen. 17:7. C. Questions About the Greatest Commandment (22:34-40) Sometimes we fall into the pattern of the Jewish leaders in trying to rank God s laws. Some talk about white lies ; others try to separate sins from trespasses as though they were felonies and misdemeanors. Jesus focuses all the law into two emphases: 1. Our Vertical Responsibility Love the Lord your God (37) if we keep our hearts true toward God, obedience to His laws will be a natural result. 2. Our Horizontal Responsibility Love your neighbor as yourself (39) we are not to be self-centered but rather Christ-centered. When we love God with all our heart, loving each other will be easy. (John 13:34) The cross on which Jesus sacrificed Himself should be a reminder: one beam pointing vertically to God, the crossbeam pointing horizontally to humanity. (Matt. 22:33, astonished at His teaching. ) D. Question About the Messiah (22:41-46) Jesus stopped answering questions and began asking them. All of the preceding debate was based on the fact that Jesus did not fit the Jewish religious leader s concept of the Messiah. Son of David was not just a genealogy, but also a description. King David was remembered as a conquering warrior. (I Samuel 18:7) Likewise, the Son of David should militarily throw off the yoke of Rome. Jesus question was designed to help them see that their concept of the Messiah was inadequate. He was not just the Son of David; rather, He is the Son of God. from that day no one dared to question Him anymore (Matt. 22:46 so astonished they were speechless). 5 / 9

6 V. Warnings About Hypocrisy (23:1-39) Judgment on Scribes and Pharisees What Jesus had previously suggested in parables, He made plain in Matthew 23. He condemned the Scribes and Pharisees for four basic sins that include several woes. Barclay calls this passage the most terrible and the most sustained denunciation in the New Testament. A. T. Robertson describes this discourse as the rolling thunder of Christ s wrath. A. The Problem of Rules They tie up heavy loads (4) The Scribes and Pharisees surrounded the Law with a hedge of protection composed of hundreds of rules of interpretation. Jesus charged them with elevating man made rules to equality with God s laws. Further, their talk didn t match their walk. (3) (Matt. 15:1-9). B. The Problem of Recognition They do everything to be observed by others (5) Their position (6), titles (7) and respect (8-12) was vital to them. Jesus affirmed once again that the Christian life is not about the applause of men, (Col. 3:22) but rather we should seek, as Max Lucado titled his book, The Applause of Heaven. C. The Problem of Repentance Woe to you (13-16, 23, 25, 27, 29) 1. Failure to repent of Exclusion (13) Jesus pronounced judgment on those who not only failed to follow God s plan but also led others astray. 2. Failure to Repent of Ethical Failure (14) devour widows houses probably refers to declaring property Corban. (Mark 7:11) 3. Failure to repent of Evil (15) They not only practiced evil and taught evil but they shipped it across state lines! 6 / 9

7 4. Failure to Repent of Equivocation (16-22) These religious leaders had an intricate code of binding and non-binding oaths by which they could evade responsibility. (Matt. 5:34-37) 5. Failure to Repent of Excess (23-24) They had no sense of proportion or balance. (Verse 24 is a Biblical example of using humor to make a point) This is a classic case of majoring on minors and vice versa. 6. Failure to Repent of Extortion (25-26) The polished exterior hid an inside full of filth. 7. Failure to Repent of Evasion (27-28) Jesus uses the words hypocrisy and hypocrite s to describe the scribes and Pharisees. Believer s Study Bible, p. 1377: Hypocrite is a compound Greek word bringing together hupo, meaning under and krites, indicating judgment, hence to judge under. Originally the word was used for an actor in the Greek theater. One actor might appear in the same production several times with his true identity disguised by various masks. To determine his/her true identity, one would have to judge beneath the mask. Thus, the word has become synonymous with insincerity and mere pretense. 8. Failure to Repent of Executions (29-36) The Scribes and Pharisees claimed innocence of the murder of the prophets going so far as to claim that I f we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn t have taken part with them in shedding the prophet blood. (30) The supreme irony of the statement is that in a few short days they would organize the murder of their own Messiah! D. The Problem of Rejection yet you were not willing! (37) Jesus love for His people comes out in this heartfelt lament. His prophecy in verse 39 is fulfilled in Revelation 19:11, the Second Coming of Jesus, the Blessed One. 7 / 9

8 Application: 1. Our primary responsibility is to correctly relate to God through His Son, Jesus. 2. Another responsibility is to correctly relate to family members. 3. Just as we love God and love our families we are to love all people for whom Christ died without hypocrisy. Leader Pack Item 8: Poster: Timeline of Jesus Last Week Biblical Illustrator, p. 86 First Century Roads and Travel Notes: **You may now access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: y.org Dates: 1/25-4/26 Midlink on Wednesdays; 4/6-10 Summit Snow Jam; 4/13 Broken for You 7-8pm; 4/14 Good Friday (Offices closed); 4/16 Easter (No LBS); 4/20-22 SWOC; 4/23 MIYCO; 4/ Man Card Camping trip (Student min.); 4/30 SERVE Your Campus; 4/30 SPF Birthday Bash; 8 / 9

9 5/6 1 st Grade Breakfast Bash.; 5/6 MYA Block Party; 5/7 High School Senior Celebration; 5/13 CBS Graduation; 5/14 SPF Mother s Day; 5/18 VBS Training; 5/19 HCHS Graduation; 5/19-21 Summit Spring Retreat; 5/21 Parent Commitment & 1 st Grade Bible Presentation; 5/25 FBA Graduation; 5/29 Memorial Day (Offices closed). 9 / 9