Subject: Matthew #54 Title: Parable of the Wedding Feast Text: Matthew 22:1-14 Matthew 22:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen. Introduction The Parable of the Wedding Feast is the third of three polemical parables that were spoken by Jesus in response to the challenge of His authority. Matthew 21:23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? The first parable was the Parable of the Two Sons in 21:28-32. The second parable was the Parable of the Householder found in 21:33-46. Both of these parables were relatively simple to interpret and once again illustrated that the first would be last, and the last, first. In each of these parables, Christ tells us that those to whom the Kingdom was first offered, refused, and that another nation or people would respond positively to the invitation and enter the Kingdom. 1
Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. In the second parable, Christ spoke also of the judgment that will come on those who have rejected the initial offer. Matthew 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. The religious leaders perceived that Christ was speaking about them when He said, He would miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen...(41). The Setting: It is Holy Week - Passion Week - Christ has an appointment at the cross shortly. It is Passover. Jerusalem is teeming with hundreds of thousands of Jews from everywhere. Christ has chosen the capital of Jewish worship and their most sacred religious celebration for a final confrontation. To the religious hierarchy, Jesus is a troublemaker, a young, rebellious, conceited, and selfappointed prophet who is trying to make a name for Himself. They do not and cannot hear what He is saying. They know that their positions, security, and system of doing business is under attack, and they will defend themselves for their survival. By the time Christ has finished with this third parable, the religious establishment knows that this Messiah has not come to rescue them from the Roman oppressors, but He has come to attack the very heart of their apostate and corrupt religious system. Christ condemns the leaders for failing to lead, guide, teach, and care for the vineyard. They must be exposed for who they are! There are four scenes in the Parable of the Wedding Feast. Outline of the Parable I. The Invitation Is Rejected (1-6) II. The Rejecters are Punished (7-8) III. Other Guests Are Invited (9-10) IV. An Inappropriately Dressed Attendee Is Expelled (11-13) V. The Lesson of the Parable (14) The Players in the Parable: King = God the Father Son = Jesus Christ 2
Servants = The Prophets Subjects = Israel Armies = Rome? City = Jerusalem? New Guests = Jew and Gentile Guest Inappropriately Dressed = The Casual, the Unprepared The purpose of the parable is to condemn the religious hierarchy for their rejection of the invitation, but even more to emphasize that many, many more will be invited, but few chosen. I. The Invitation Is Rejected (1-6) Revelation 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fi ne linen, clean and white: for the fi ne linen is the righteousness of saints. 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. The Book of Revelation speaks of a marriage supper or banquet that is yet future. The Lamb in the text is undoubtedly the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the bridegroom and often referred to in just that way in other New Testament passages (Matthew 9:15; 25:6; Mark 2:19-20; Luke 5:34-35). Let this serve as a backdrop for our explanation of the parable. We look forward to a great celebration, a marriage, a banquet and reception, and a glorious honeymoon - a 1,000 year honeymoon (Revelation 19:14; 20:4-6). The King made a marriage for his son - in the day and culture of Jesus time, this would be a huge celebration that would last for several days, even weeks. This would be one of the most important events that would ever take place under the reign and tenure of a king - the marriage of his son. Putting this in context - it is a once-in-a-lifetime event! Anybody who was anybody would want to be invited, and certainly would put every thing aside to be part of the great celebration. But not so in our story. The servants (2), the prophets, went to encourage the already invited guests to come. Invitations went out months in advance. Human messengers were sent to remind those called and invited guests, but they would not come (3). 3
Another attempt is made to bring the guests by other servants (prophets) armed with a menu of the delicious delicacies that would be available to the special guests (4), but they were unimpressed - They made light of it...took his servants...and slew them (5-6). When the servants showed up with a thoughtful reminder to come to the marriage, the invited guests were enangered by their persistence, abused them and killed them! This did not sit well with the King. II. The Rejectors Are Punished (7-8) Again we see the Divine balance of God s grace and wrath, goodness and judgment. Presenting only one side of God, whichever it may be, is a complete injustice to the balance of grace and truth. In the Parable of the Householder, we saw: Matthew 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. Thus, the King in the Parable of the Wedding Feast was wroth (7), or angry, and brought consequences to bear on those who took the marriage of his son and his invitation so lightly. Beyond that, they murdered his servants. How could they expect the King to overlook such insolence! It is quite apparent that Christ is not only speaking metaphorically, but also prophetically when He said that the angry King sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. In less than 40 years from this pronouncement, Jerusalem was obliterated by the Roman General Titus in 70 AD when four Roman legions surrounded the city, then broke down the walls and destroyed the Temple. The historian Josephus, who was employed by the Romans to negotiate with the Jews in the city, reported that 1.1 million Jews were killed during the siege. Another 97.000 were captured and enslaved. Philostratus, who wrote The Life of Appolonius of Tyrus, noted that Titus refused to accept a wreath of victory, saying that there was no merit in vanquishing people forsaken by their own God. The Romans achieved complete victory over the Jews three years later at the fall of Masada, a fortress located on top of an isolated rock plateau in the Judean hills that overlooked the Dead Sea which had been built by Herod the Great about 37 BC, but overtaken by some Jewish Zealots in 66 AD. Rather than surrendering to the Romans who had built a large rampart to the top, the 960 Jews committed mass suicide. 4
III. Other Guests Are Invited (9-10) In the Parable of the Householder, we read what Jesus said to the wicked men who killed the Son when He came to His father s vineyard (Israel): Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. The new invitees of vs.9-10 represent the new nation or peoples invited to join the marriage festivities - as many as ye shall fi nd...both bad and good... R. T. France says that the new invitees are symbolized now by an indiscriminate collection of people from the streets, people of no special standing, just as in Matthew 21:31, it is the lowest social class who will get into the Kingdom of God first - the publicans and harlots. Just because one is born a Jew, he is not guaranteed a place in the Kingdom. Even more so, just because one is born a Jew and is one of the religious leaders, does not guarantee one s place in the kingdom. The first become the last, and the last and least become the first! The gathering of other guests to attend the wedding instead (10) illustrates: II Peter 3:9 he Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. I Timothy 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. I John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. The wedding was furnished with guests (10) IV. An Inappropriately Dressed Attendee Is Expelled (11-13) It would appear that it was commonly understood how to dress at a wedding celebration. In fact, it might be surmised that the King actually provided the garments for the celebration. Every one showed up in the appropriate attire but one. The King examines the guests. Up until this time, the man had been utterly presumptuous in thinking that he could come to the King s feast on his own terms, in any clothes or attire he wanted. His error insulted the King. 5
Arrogantly defying Divine protocol, he was determined to come as he chose, dressed in attire suitable to himself. The King approaches the man and asks him why he chose to come dressed as he was. He had nothing to say, he was speechless (12)! Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Revelation 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfi lled. Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; Revelation 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Bind him..take him away...cast him out...weeping and gnashing (13). V. The Lesson of the Parable (14) For many are called, but few are chosen. The phrase reflects the scriptural balance between God s sovereignty and man s will. The invitations to the wedding feast went out to the man, representative of all to whom the Gospel message is sent. But few of those who heard the call were willing to accept it and thereby be among the chosen. The Gospel invitation is sent to every one, because it is not the Father s will that any should perish (II Peter 3:9), or be excluded from the Kingdom and cast into the hell of outer darkness. Israel s leadership (the original invited guests) were invited but not chosen. The chosen are God s true people. 6
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: The chosen may be Jewish or Gentile. Their chosenness does not depend on their racial, national or ethnic origin, but on their response to God s invitation. The new nation or peoples are those who recognize the King and His Son, repent of their wickedness, and are willing to follow in a life of fruitful servanthood. Turner - The disastrous end of the improperly attired man adds a dimension not found in the previous two parables. This man has responded to the king s invitation...yet his garment shows he does not truly belong there. His fate reminds the reader of the false prophets in Matthew 7:15-23. Do we take the call of the Kingdom lightly? Are we distracted easily by farms and merchandise (5) - the busyness of life? The most important contribution that the Scriptures can make in your life is not information but transformation. Scott McKnight - Those who respond favorably to Jesus first disciples declaration of the kingdom of God invite the disciples home. There the new disciple sees the kingdom story and observes kingdom people. The kingdom s most visible trait in the first century was not the renovation of the synagogue, but revolution in the home; not a program hoping for change, but a person making changes... 7