"RESPONDING TO THE KING"

Matthew 22:1-14 - Make three observations

Luke 14:15-24 - similar account - Make three observations

Proposition - Grab your Bibles and turn to Matthew 22 where we will see 1) the rejection of the king, 2) the results of the rejection, and 3) the responses to the king.

Interrogative question - How are you responding to the King?

1. The Rejection of the King - vs. 1-6

Matthew 22:1–6 (NASB95)

1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. 3 “And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.

4 “Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.” ’

5 “But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, 6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.

Who is Jesus talking too?

What is the “kingdom of heaven?”

Who are the “slaves?”

Why do you think that they rejected the invite?

2. The Results of the Rejection - vs. 7-10

Matthew 22:7–10 (NASB95)

7 “But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. 8 “Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

9 ‘Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ 10 “Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.

Why do you think the King was enraged?

Why such a harsh response?

His vast patience finally exhausted, He judges them. burned up their city. The judgment Jesus described anticipated the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Even the massive stone temple was destroyed by fire and reduced to rubble in that conflagration. See notes on 23:36; 24:2; Luke 19:43. MacArthur, J., Jr., ed. (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1434). Word Pub.

Why did the slaves go to the main highways?

3. The Responses to the King - vs. 11-14

Matthew 22:11–14 (NASB95)

11 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless.

13 “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw 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.”

How did the wedding clothes work? Did they come dressed or were they given clothes by the king?

(1) There is some evidence in the ancient world for a king supplying garments for his guests (cf. Gen. 45:22; Est. 6:8–9), and, more broadly, there is the story of God clothing his unworthy people in beautiful garments (Ezek. 16:10–13). Jesus could thus be alluding to imputed righteousness, which Paul elaborates later (e.g., Rom. 3:21–31; 4:22–25). Thus by not wearing the garments provided, this guest has highly insulted the host. (2) The wedding garment may refer to a clean garment, symbolizing evidence of righteous works (see note on Matt. 5:20). In either case, the man lacks something that is essential for being accepted at the wedding feast. Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1868). Crossway Bibles.

In fact, all the guests were rounded up hastily from “the highways” and therefore none could be expected to come with proper attire. That means the wedding garments were supplied by the king himself. So this man’s lack of a proper garment indicates he had purposely rejected the king’s own gracious provision. His affront to the king was actually a greater insult than those who refused to come at all, because he committed his impertinence in the very presence of the king. The imagery seems to represent those who identify with the kingdom externally, profess to be Christians, belong to the church in a visible sense—yet spurn the garment of righteousness Christ offers (cf. Is. 61:10) by seeking to establish a righteousness of their own (cf. Rom. 10:3; Phil. 3:8, 9). Ashamed to admit their own spiritual poverty (see note on 5:3), they refuse the better garment the King graciously offers—and thus they are guilty of a horrible sin against His goodness. MacArthur, J., Jr., ed. (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 1434). Word Pub.

Why was he thrown into outer darkness?

SO WHAT??

How are you responding to the King?