And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.
Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’
But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.
But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore, go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
: Matthew 22:1-14 (NKJV)
— The Parable of the Wedding feast—
This parable was spoken in the Temple, in Jerusalem, a couple of days before Christ’s betrayal & death.
The day of His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was marked by His casting out the money changers in the temple, and the healing of the blind and the lame in its very courts! There were some blind people there He did not heal - the chief priests & the Pharisees - who were blind to the miracles(!) but indignant at the uproar(!). They left Him alone that day, but then returned in force the next.
The next day was ominously marked by Christ cursing a fruitless fig tree early in the morning, on His way to the Temple! … This was just a precursor … to messages delivered to the religious rulers that day. This took the form of thinly veiled parables (3 of them, including this week’s text), firm replies to their jabbing questions, and lastly, a pronouncement of woe on the scribes, Pharisees (Matt 22:18 - 23:39 These were the last & strongest words and actions of Love! -that He, God, would speak and show to these people - to warn His enemies before their actions would bring down fiery destruction upon themselves!
It started when they came up to Him as He was teaching in the Temple that next day, and challenged Him to prove by what Authority He was doing these things. He answered them with a question - if they could tell Him if John the Baptist was sent by God or Man? If they said God (they reasoned), He would ask them why did they not believe John when he testified about Him? If they said Man, they would be beaten by the people who genuinely believed John the Baptist was indeed a prophet sent by God. Christ gave them the answer! (John was from God, and their Authority/ Messiah was standing RIGHT SMACK in front of their faces! With genuine miracles performed just the previous day in the very TEMPLE!) They just didn’t want to accept it - so they kept quiet!
He then tells them 2 parables before this one. We will just summarize those here for now. Please do read them as well…
In the first one (Matt 21:28-32) He says that sinners (tax collectors and prostitutes) will enter the kingdom before the priests, because these sinners believed in the testimony of John the Baptist, and followed Jesus, whereas the Pharisees refused to enter in (though the door was open!). These sinners, like the first son, in the parable, initially disobeyed, but finally capitulated. The Pharisees said they were obedient, but lied! Son #2.
He follows up with an even more pointed parable about a landowner who lets out His vineyard to His servants/vinedressers. (Matthew 21:33-41) When He looks for fruit, these same vinedressers mistreat His messengers, and finally kill His Son. (Imagine the emotions in our Lord as He speaks this, just days before that event!) Matthew 21:40–41 (NKJV): “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” They (religious leaders) said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” From their own mouths!
And so, to the final parable – The King’s marriage supper for His Son! The Son that was depicted as killed in the previous parable, shows up as Bridegroom in the NEXT one! Oh Hallelujah! What a wonderful secret, just tucked away here!
The kind invitation, and almost pleading(!) behavior of the King is in high contrast to the sheer haughtiness of the invited guests - both in the parable and in real life! (That Son is standing in front of them, that very moment, in person, with the invitation!)
The haughtiness even translates to wickedness as these “guests” kill those sent to invite them! As a result, their city is destroyed, and the murderers are themselves killed.
What an awful prophecy, pronounced in that city, to those people, in the flesh, by the One who would fulfil it! Yet, the One speaking it is one who sorrows for that city with deep sorrow - ... Matthew 23:37–39 (NKJV): “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
These parables are not just folksy illustrations thrown in to spice up a bland message. We have prophecy and fulfilment happening in real-time here, with life-death implications for those hearing these words.
The bad behavior of the invited becomes a blessing to the rest of the world. Alleyways, byways, both BAD AND GOOD are brought to the wedding supper and the hall is filled with guests! That’s us, people! Hallelujah!
The man without a wedding garment seems to have been introduced purely to make a point – else we have to figure out - how did he get in there? Was it oversight?... no, he is mentioned to make it clear to everyone that there is a wedding garment that entitles you to participate in the wedding. You may be invited, but if you do not accept the garment of Christ’s righteousness, you will have to accept the other consequence – paying for your sins in outer darkness.
And it ends with a line we went into in-depth last week, “Many are called, but few are chosen”.
Purely to clear up confusion:
There are 2 types of calling:
1. General calling and invitation – given to – the Nations/People of the whole world – can be refused! Exhibit A, Religious Rulers who despite overwhelming evidence, still refused to see what a blind beggar in Israel could see. These rulers were called, and warned. Yet, they chose their own way.
2. Effective calling and invitation – given to - all Christ’s Elect (Us!) – irresistible! – We are glad that God called us, because we are, from birth, incapable of finding/choosing/following Him on our own unless He opens our eyes! Just look at the rulers in the parable! He draws us to Him.
There are 2 types of chosen:
3. Nations/Peoples that are Chosen: Israel, to be a nation of priests, witness to the Nations, Christians – to be kings and priests with them.
4. Individuals that are Chosen: People in the Bible, and then specific individuals down the ages, specific people to further God’s plan.
Compared to the many, the chosen (whether you call as chosen - Nations/People, or Individuals) will be small in number. It is the overlap between the effectively called, and chosen as a group (2 & 3 are the same thing) that confuses people.
The Plan of God to glorify Himself is revealed for us. He was both kind and generous in His invitation, but those initially called rejected Him. Israel turned their back on the Lord who brought them out of Egypt. They murdered the prophets that were sent to them, and indulged in gross idolatry. The Lord punished them by killing them and destroying their city and Temple, in the times of Nebuchadnezzar. In Jesus’ day (approx. 500 years later), this doom was prophesied again and fulfilled in 70 AD, This time for the gross crime of killing the son of the owner of the vineyard. Yet, after all this, there is the promise of a grand wedding feast, that all the world is blessed to be part of!
God reminds His people; the invitation is still open! Come while you can, while you can still hear His voice!