The Parable of the Wedding Feast
Notes
Transcript
22 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 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.” ’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 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.
11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 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.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
This morning we are going to talk about the Kingdom of Heaven.
In our society there are those who believe that either heaven is a place that most people go to in the afterlife (unless you have murdered someone) so we need not to worry about it too much. Others think that heaven does not exist. [John Lennon - “Imagine there is no heaven, it’s easy if you try”]. And there are others that believe that heaven exists and that they will make it there because of their exemplary lives, whether they are very religious, or disciplined, or charitable, or all of those things together. They expect to make it as they have proven themselves to deserve it.
But, what does the Bible have to say about this?. We believe that the Bible is God-breathed revelation (as we saw last week). We seek to understand what the Scriptures teach about any given subject.
Today’s passage is given in the context of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He entered into Jerusalem with people praising God for Jesus’ arrival, hoping that He would be the earthly saviour of Israel, kicking the Romans out. But the next thing Jesus does is to go to the temple and kick out not the Romans, but He kicked out the money changers and merchants.
The religious leaders must not have liked this. For the next day, when Jesus returned to the temple, they were ready to challenge His authority. They must have been perplexed, not just because of what Jesus did the day before but by the last 3 years of teachings, 3 years in which Jesus challenged their religious traditions, challenged the expectations of many by meeting with tax collectors and other sinners. Now, Jesus is causing a stir in Jerusalem, at a time when great multitudes of Jews come to celebrate the passover.
Who does He think He is? This is the underlying question in the religious leader’s minds. Who does Jesus think He is to kick people out of the temple? Who does Jesus think He is to teach people with authority? Jesus responds back with a trilogy of parables.
These parables are part of the culmination of Jesus’ teaching ministry. He came to announce that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Now, with these 3 parables, Jesus brings condemnation to the religious leaders!
The previous 2 parables (The Parable of the Two Sons - (Matt 21:28-32) and the Parable of the Tenants Matt 21:33-44)) are given to the religious leaders after 3 years of calling them to repentance. But now, after years of constant rejection of the offering of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is now expressing to them that they are being rejected from the Kingdom!
By the end of the 2nd parable (v.43) the religious leaders finally realize that Jesus is speaking about them still. Jesus continues to indict them with the last parable of this trilogy. It is the culmination of Jesus’ chastizements against the religious leaders. This one speaks of the future kingdom in which the Son goes from being murdered (Parable of the Tenants), to the Son being exalted! Remember the context of these parables, these were given to the Pharisees and Sadducees merely a few days before Jesus’ crucifixion! The warnings on this last parable echo to us today, as we will see.
The invitation to the Kingdom of God is met by different reactions. We will either be indifferent, hostile against it. Or we even may be falsely thinking we are part of it. Yet we will see that it is only for those who are ready
We can divide out text in 3 points:
The Kingdom of God is not for those of worldly focus (v.1-7)
The Kingdom of God is offered to all (v.8-10)
The Kingdom of God is only for those in Christ (V.11-14)
Heaven graciously reaches out, only the willing and ready will join.
1) The Kingdom of God is not for those of worldly focus (v.1-7)
Jesus teaches once more using parables. In this way He uses a common knowledge event or reality that people can relate to make a point about something specific. Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God and describes it as a celebration (v.2). Jesus makes an analogy to an established important social event. A King is hosting a banquet, not like any other, but the banquet to end all banquets. If we want to think of a contemporary event (many years ago now) we can think of the royal wedding of then Prince Charles with Lady Diana Spencer, or more recently Prince William and Kate Middleton. That event was highly anticipated by many, followed by most all of the commonwealth and much of the world.
In the times of the NT, this kind of event may have been one that lasted many days! This is a big deal. It is the biggest celebration, by the wealthiest king, for the most honoured one, the honoured Son, heir of the Kingdom.
In v.3 the King takes the initiative and tells of His servants to call those who were invited to come to celebrate. The word for “call” is not simply to let them know, but it is a summon. For those who are being called have been notified beforehand that this was going to take place. Yet, for some reason they decided not to come.
This would be an insult to the King. For this shows contempt on the side of the invited guests. This would be unimaginable in that society. This was the greatest celebration in the kingdom. By this point, Jesus’ hearers would be dumbfounded thinking that this makes no sense at all. Who would turn down such an honourable invitation? Who would turn down such a joyous celebration, including the food?!
How does the King respond? V.4 - “He sent other servants…” The King is such a gracious host. He continues to extend His invitation despite the rejection to His previous invitation. The King does not only repeat the invitation, but encourages those who were invited to come, that there is nothing they need to bring. They will be taken care of. They will have provisions, “everything is ready”, simply come!
We celebrated Thanksgiving recently. Isn’t it nice sometimes when you are invited to a Thanksgiving dinner to come and be told to not bring anything but your appetite? Who can relate to that? Yet imagine that same invitation to a much larger scale, where a whole Kingdon’s jubilee is expressed into this one event The Greek word here translated as “dinner” refers to the 1st of 2 meals that the Jews ate each day (”brunch”). It was a customary practice in the ancient Near East to have wedding celebrations lasting days, even weeks!! - Complete, extensive provisions, from beginning even on the 1st meal.
What happens to such a gracious invitation? V.5-6 shos us the depths of the ingratitude of those invited. We see the first group of people Jesus identifies in His parable. These are those who decline the invitation. Within this group we see 2 attitudes to the wedding feast
V.5 - Indifference to the invitation
V.6 - Hostility to the invitation
By this point, let us reflect on who the characters of this parable represent. The King is God the Father, the Royal son and bridegroom is Jesus. (Matthew 9:15 as an example). The wedding feast is the Messianic banquet (Isaiah 25:6). But, who are the guests? I believe that the invited guests are the Jewish people of that time. For they had the blessings of the covenant between God and the nation of Israel. They had the testimonies of God, the Temple, and they knew that God was going to send the Messiah to them, but they did not recognize Him.
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
The Jewish people who had just days before this, received Jesus as a king, will look away and follow Jesus no more. In the parable there were those who even though knew of the call by the king, they decided to ignore it because they felt that they had better things to do.
Can’t we relate to this? I mean, in a way by coming to church we may grow accustomed to the gospel that we may feel like we “already did that” and need not to worry about anything else, we got it. Calls to holiness? Spiritual growth? Who has time for that, afterall, we have been blessed already, I can now focus on my work, or focus on my health, or even on a new hobby or other activities I need time for myself, the Christian life can wait.
There is validity with working and having leisure time, for sure. The activities the people were giving as excuses recorded in the parable are not bad in themselves (at least in v..5) the issue was one of the value they gave to the King. (v.5)“They paid no attention” they didn’t care, did not have any interest. That is a heart issue. It is to fail to see the greatness and beauty of the one making the invitation.
May we, when reflecting upon the Work of Jesus, never grow cold! May our loyalty be to the King and not to the things of this world, that when the King calls, we may not have our affections set on other things.
In v.6 we are told of another group, “the rest” of those who decline the invitation. This group starts a revolution, all over an invitation to a wedding celebration. This shows that they hate the King and His Son. They even murder the messengers who bring news of a banquet where they are invited to come!
What is the King going to do now? He already extended a 2nd call, very graciously to his guests.
This time the King will punish those murderous, rebellious subjects. (v.7) where the gracious invitation switched into a military response. Even in the language Jesus uses about the King “He sent His troops, and destroyed those murderers and burned their city” cutting ties with them.
Why did the King’s subjects not attend the wedding? The reality is this: No one ever does something that, in the final analysis, one does not want to do. These guests, summoned by their King, had no affection for the King nor His Son.
Don’t we see similar reactions today? What about when we share the gospel with others? Some people ignore the message of the gospel and others are even very hostile to it, even though it is an open invitation.
John 6:44a “No one comes to the Son unless the Father who sent me draws him” ?
How do we reconcile that? These invitees would not come because their hearts needed to be changed to appreciate the one calling them and would desire to come. For Jesus taught in:
John 3:3 “ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again”
-John 3:7-8 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
The people who were supposed to partake of this banquet, are not there. For their hearts have not been changed. Yet they are held responsible for their own actions. For they were the ones turning down multiple gracious invitations.
Heaven graciously reaches out, only the willing and ready will join.
Now let us move to our 2nd point:
2) The Kingdom of God is offered to all (v.8-10)
The King’s celebration is not going to be ruined because of His rebellious subjects. He will honour His Son and make sure that there are guests there. So the King proceeds to call people from everywhere and anywhere to join in this glorious celebration. The will of the King is not going to be frustrated.
As we have seen, the first group in this parable pointed to the religious leaders and Jews that did not recognize their Messiah right in front of them.
In v.8 the King turns to his servants to continue with the wedding feast preparations despite what just happened, and He refers to the previous summoned guests `those invited were not worthy”. What is it that made them unworthy? From our context, what made them unworthy was to reject the call from their King. Either out of indifference or hostility.
Many of the Jews back in Jesus’ earthly ministry, did not respond to the call to repent and believe (as we saw in Mark 1:15). Now Jesus is disclosing the great mystery (later explained in places like Ephesians 3:5-6) that there will be an invitation outside of the regular subjects of the King!
For Jesus HIMSELF made reference to this back in Matthew 8. After meeting with a gentile (centurion) who demonstrated a faith that Jesus had not seen in Israel, Jesus said this:
11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Jesus makes the clear statement that the Kingdom of Heaven has that element of exclusivity with the people of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yet, that exclusivity is being brought now to all peoples! That is why in the parable we read this in v.9 “Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find!” There is no distinction. Anyone is invited to the biggest celebration in the courts of the King.
This is inconceivable! Jesus keeps shocking his audience. First, the people who rejected the incredibly honourable invitation to such an honourable event. And now, the King invites the poor, uneducated, unclean people of the streets? Those with no pedigree? May it never be!
Jesus presses on this as He continues with His parable in v.10 saying “those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, BOTH bad and good”
That’s scandalous! How can royalty mix with the lowly? This is not foreign to our King Jesus. For He met with the lowly, out of compassion, bringing to them the message of hope and forgiveness.
16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
This was a revolutionary message in its time. And it should also be that way for us today. For our King continues to extend His arms even to the least in society. His invitation is truly for people from the East and the West, from everywhere, to join. To repent and believe the good news, that Jesus has come, he has died and now He is enthroned in heaven, that there will be a great wedding feast, the marriage supper of the Lamb and his bride, the church.
Heaven graciously reaches out, only the willing and ready will join.
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
This is part of the message of the GOSPEL (Gospel presentation!)
The Gospel is the message by which we are called to be in the presence of God. Yet we are not worthy. For unless our affections are changed, we will not value the one making the call, like the first group in the parable.
The religious leaders of the time were expecting a Messiah that freed them from their oppressors, a pragmatic king, who would help their land. A Messiah that would restore the religion of God to its proper place, so that all the other nations would see Israel and tremble.
Are we expecting the message of the gospel to favour us in our own personal goals? Are we waiting for God’s call to directly promote our personal goals apart from the King? Are we waiting for a call from God so that we can be praised for how religious we have been?
OR, are we coming to God’s call in repentance from sin and faith in Christ? The unworthiness of the first group was their rejection of the invitation. Will you also be found rejecting such a great invitation?
For God so loved the WORLD, both Jew and Gentile, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)
1 John 4:9–10 (ESV)
9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
[Propitiation = Removal of wrath by an offering (atonement / sacrifice)] - Now we can also draw near, be invited.
Now, let us continue with our 3rd point:
3) The Kingdom of God is only for those in Christ (V.11-14)
After seeing that this wedding feast was opened to all. What else do we see? Is that the end of the parable? We see now that still, not all is well in this story.
Jesus, in the 2nd out of the trilogy of parables made a statement about the religious leaders
“Mat 21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?
Mat 21:43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.”
So, up to this point in our parable, has Jesus not already reinforced this condemnation to the religious leaders? For the Kingdom’s invitation was opened to others and taken away from the religious leaders of the day.
Yet, Jesus continues the parable and we see a warning.
How many times have we heard said “God loves us unconditionally”?. I want to challenge you this morning to even challenge that very well known and repeated phrase. For it is true that God’s love and mercy is vast, like an ocean. But there is truly a condition to be found in God’s family. The condition is to be found wearing the right garment.
Let us go back to our passage. In v.11 the King himself begins to inspect the guests! And He spots a person who is not wearing wedding clothes. In v.12 the king addresses the person as “friend”. Doesn’t that sound… friendly? The word translated as “friend” is meant as a distancing word. More like when we say “mate” in an unwelcoming manner.
This explains the reaction of the unprepared man. For we read in v.12 that “he was speechless”. He had no answer to offer. It is almost like He was a wedding crasher who got caught. The man had accepted the King’s invittation, but on his own terms.
In the larger context of our passage. We have seen different kinds of people being shown. The indifferent and the hostile ones to the King’s call. And now, we find out of the large group of invited guests, one that is not like the rest. We find a pretender.
The King is singling out this one man who was not ready. This man must have known that he was out of place. For at the Royal banquet, lasting many days, there would likely be someone who would spot the odd man out, you’d think. It is interesting that for this particular action, we see the King himself and not his servants doing the action.
What happened to this man? (v.13) He is thrown out of the wedding banquet. The man moves from a place of great light and joy, the wedding feast, to a dark, painful place.
What do we make of this man who wasn’t dressed accordingly?
I submit to you that God’s provision to be in the Kingdom is the righteousness of Christ given to us by Faith. (Acts 4:11 —> Matt 21:42 - Peter talking to religious leaders)
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
God invites all kinds of people to His feast. In Jesus’ day, it seemed obvious that God had called the Israelites, especially the religious. But when Jesus presented the Kingdom it turned out to be different. Religious, pious leaders lost all interest, they were not interested and even grew hostile. The invitation is to those who belong to Christ.
God continued to invite people to the wedding feast! We see that invitation even extended today.
Heaven graciously reaches out, only the willing and ready will join.
The types of responses we see in the parable are still applicable to us today. For there are people who may have grown “in the church” who have no regard to the message of salvation. Because they were baptized at some point in the past, or they were in church since infancy. Yet they are not concerned with following Jesus, nor with the invitation He extends to join Him in His coming Kingdom.
There are also those who trust on their own merits, who find the call of the gospel, to repent and believe, offensive as it may undermine their own goodness. And there are those who may believe themselves to be part of the kingdom, but who have not trusted Jesus for their salvation, and they will also be discovered. For on that day everything will be revealed.
For only those who trust in Christ have the righteousness of Christ imputed on them, the ones who will be allowed to be in the coming celebration of the marriage feast of the lamb.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,:29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
May you, when in front of the white throne, be able to cling to Christ and not to what you think you did to be granted access to the wedding Feast of the Lamb. Only those wearing the pure garments of the righteousness of Christ will be allowed to be there and enjoy of the greatness and goodness of the King.
For many are called, but few are chosen