Matthew 22, Part 1
Notes
Transcript
Introduction—Lord’s Great Marriage Feast: several things need to be noted about this parable.
The Great Marriage Feast, deals with the Kingdom of Heaven. This is important. Although the parable tells how God dealt with Israel and turned from Israel, its major point is God’s dealings with His new people, the church.
The meaning of the various points of the parable is clear.
⇒ The King is God.
⇒ The Son is Christ Himself. Note that He again claims to be the Son of God, distinctive from the servants of the King. This is a critical point to see. There is no question about Christ’s understanding just who He is.
⇒ The Great Marriage Feast is the glorious day of redemption. It is the glorious day when the church will see Christ for the very first time and be joined with Him forever.
⇒ Those “who were invited” to the marriage refers to Israel. They were called by God from the very first, beginning with Abraham. However, this point can be applied to any of us—the farmer, the merchant, the religionist, the worldly—any who scoff, abuse, persecute and deny that Christ is the Son of God.
⇒ Those in “the highways” are the Gentiles, people from all other nations who are willing to accept God’s glorious invitation to His dear Son’s wedding.
⇒ The wedding garment is righteousness. No guest is acceptable for the wedding unless he is properly clothed, and the only proper clothing is righteousness, the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The parable has both an historical and personal meaning. That is to say, its points can be applied to any of us.
The Great Marriage Feast
The Great Marriage Feast
1 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,
Jesus again shared a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven (this is the third parable he speaks to the Pharisees). God has prepared a Great Marriage Feast for His Son and His true followers. The intimate relationship between Christ and His Church are often compared to a marriage.
The covenant of faith is like a covenant of marriage. When a person believes, Christ promises an eternal relationship with Himself. The relationship or union is forever, once and for all.
Invitation Extended
Invitation Extended
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.
God’s invitation to Israel is both historical and prophetic. This is clearly seen as we see the various events covered by Christ in verses 3–7. The various invitations sent out by the King were the practice of Jewish custom. The King would announce the upcoming occasion and then send out reminders as the day approached.
God invited, Israel rejected.
God invited, Israel rejected.
The words “those who were invited” refer to the fact that Israel had already been invited. From the very first, beginning with Abraham himself, God had invited Israel to the great feast of His Son.
Genesis 12:1 (ESV)
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
The servants “sent forth” with this particular invitation were those living during the life of Christ. In relation to time, this parable picks up the story of God’s dealing with Israel during the life of Christ. The servants would, therefore, be John the Baptist, the twelve apostles (Mt 10:5), and the seventy who were sent out into every city to prepare the people for the coming of Christ (Lu. 10:1).
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans,
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
“They [Israel] would not come.” The words are few and simply stated, yet the fact is so tragic. This was the first invitation, and they would not accept it. Why would anyone not accept the first invitation of a King to the marriage celebration of His only Son?
A person …
• can be too busy
• can set aside the invitation to accept later
• can be committed to something else
• can not care enough for the King
• can prefer some other festivity
• can wish to show personal dislike
• can not trust, not believe that the King will actually have a feast
• can not believe in the Son
• can dislike the Son
God showed great mercy. He had been rejected with all the disrespect and disgrace imaginable. Yet He did not react—despite the people’s disregarding the invitation of the King the way they had. He acted with mercy and grace, still asking the people to attend the Great Marriage Feast of His only Son.
God extended a second invitation. The servants who carried this invitation were the witnesses who went forth immediately after the Lord’s resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Note that the dinner was now ready: “all things are [now] ready.” The great sacrifice necessary to prepare the meal had taken place. They were to come now, come immediately to the feast that preceded the marriage itself. Everyone was still invited.
God prepared an abundance.
⇒ It was time for all dislikes and differences to be laid aside. The day for the King’s only Son to be married had arrived.
⇒ It was time for joy: the only Son of the King was about to be married. The Feast was to be the greatest feast ever held. It was to be the most joyful of all occasions.
⇒ It was time for feasting.
Thought 1. The very fact that God calls and calls reveals how His heart is ready to receive us. He longs for us to be present and prepared for His Son’s Great Marriage.
God saw His second invitation rejected. The people treated it lightly. The word for made light means to care little if any; to be careless.
They were definite in their decision not to attend the Great Marriage Feast. They were careless and negligent about it. They were too busy to be concerned with the King’s invitation, too busy with the world and making a living and getting more and more for pleasure and comfort. James 4:13
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—
Some were busy farmers. Property and crops needed to be looked after. Note the words His farm (ton idion agron). It was his own farm or property. The idea seems to be that of selfish enjoyment. The man went to the selfish enjoyment of his own property. He was wrapped up in the possessions of this world.
Some were busy merchants (city dwellers). They were engaged in commerce, business, trade. They were wrapped up in the business of the world.
Some were worldly-minded and religious. They were so attached to the world that they wanted nothing to do with the King. He disturbed their interests and their lives. He was a threat to their position, prestige, wealth, and security. Therefore, they were hostile to Him. In fact, they would have overthrown His reign and taken His kingdom for themselves. They persecuted and slayed His servants, anyone who reminded them of their obligation to keep the Marriage Feast of the King .
Thought 1. Men are always rejecting God’s invitation. Why? Not because they have to but because they want to.
Thought 2. What a paradox! If anyone should ever be received with open arms, it is the messenger who brings the invitation to the King’s Great Marriage Feast for His Son. Yet, the very opposite is too often true. The King’s messengers are often unwelcomed, ridiculed, criticized, mistreated, abused, cursed, persecuted, murmured against, and sometimes killed.
God judged Israel for rejecting His invitation. Simply put, God was not impressed with their excuses and neither is he impressed with OUR excuses.
Note the words, “Those who where invited” were not worthy. They were not worthy to attend the Feast and wedding. And they shall not attend.
Thought 1. Note the two sins that bring the judgment of God upon our heads.
(1) Ridiculing and abusing God’s servants. Note that God “destroyed those murderers” (v.7), the people who had persecuted His messengers.
(2) Rejecting God’s invitation. Note the words: “not worthy.” The thing that made them unworthy was rejecting God’s most gracious invitation. It is the rejection of the invitation that caused their judgment, not the act of God. When we reject God, it is our rejection that causes us to be condemned. Rejection equals condemnation.
All Now Invited
All Now Invited
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.
God’s invitation is now given to any and all. This is what is meant by the word highways. God’s servants are to go out into the highways of the world to invite any and all to the Great Wedding Feast of His Son.
God’s servants are to invite as many as they can find. The invitation is no longer just to the few. It is universal: to the Jew and Gentile, the rich and poor, the high and low, the free and slave, the moral and immoral, the religious and irreligious. Note an important point. Few, if any, out in the highway would ever expect an invitation to a King’s wedding.
God’s servants are to invite both good and bad, that is, both the moral and thoughtful, and the immoral and irreligious. This could also mean that some bad do presently accept the invitation, but never really dress for the occasion (vv.11–14). The visible church contains both bad and good.
God’s servants are to fill the wedding with guests from the highways. God assures His Son: His wedding will have guests; but note, only as many as they can “find” (v.9), and only as many as they “found” (v.10).
Great Wedding Feast - Judgment
Great Wedding Feast - Judgment
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.”
God’s confrontation with the guests was a momentous occasion. However, note the emphasis of this parable. The emphasis was not on the joy and festivity of the Marriage Feast but on a guest who came improperly dressed for the occasion. A man tried to attend the wedding without the proper clothing. He was not clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Christ said three things.
God entered the Feast to see the guests. Upon entering, He immediately saw the man without a wedding garment. The words “to see” mean to view attentively; to carefully look over; to closely look upon and contemplate and inspect. The stress is upon the person who is seeing. He beholds and inspects. The idea is that God entered the banqueting feast for the purpose of looking over and inspecting the guests. He wanted to make sure everyone and everything was in order for His Son’s great celebration. No one can be allowed to detract from His Son by being improperly dressed or clothed.
1) The guests did not know that the man lacked the proper garment, but the King did. The man deceived the other guests, but the King knew the kind of dress He had spelled out for all His guests to wear. And observe: the man was showing disrespect and dishonor by not following the King’s request for proper dress.
2) He asked only one question, and He asked the question before the feast began: “Friend, why have you come not wearing a wedding garment?” He could not allow an eyesore to detract from the joyful occasion. He had to deal with the detraction. The man had been invited, and he was responsible for wearing a proper and clean garment .
The man was speechless (ephimothe). The word means muzzled, muted, silenced, tongue-tied, closed-mouthed. He had no excuse. He stood guilty of disrespect and dishonor for wearing the wrong garment, a garment that was not right for a kingly occasion. The garment was unclean.
God judged the man who was not clothed properly. Note that God called His servants together. The servants (diakonois) were not the same servants who delivered the invitations. They were not the disciples (vv.3, 4) and preachers (vv.8, 10) of the Lord. They were the angelic guardians of heaven who minister to the Godhead (see Mt. 13:41–43, 49–50). Three things were done.
1) The man was bound hand and foot. The hand and foot are usually the bodily parts used by man to sin. The hands are bound so there is no resistance. The feet are bound so there is no escape. Whatever the King says is done in the Great Day of the Feast. No man can resist or flee.
2) The man was taken away, out of the King’s presence and out of the presence of His Son and of the other guests. He was not allowed to share in the joy and bounty of the occasion.
3) He was cast into outer darkness, far, far away from everyone else. He was not only cut off from the sharing of the occasion but from ever seeing the occasion. Whatever light and brilliance there was in the Great Wedding Feast, he was cast into the outer regions of darkness, never to glimpse the light.
c. God calls many, but few are chosen. Christ had said this before. In the context of this parable, there were several calls of God to the Great Wedding Feast of His Son.
1) There was God’s call to the Jews, but few responded.
2) There is God’s call to the Gentiles, but few are responding.
3) There is God’s call to all those who enter in, but few wear the wedding garment. The only garment they have is that of hypocrisy and false profession.
What Christ was saying becomes clear if we look at the church and consider all who are in the church …
• There are those within the church who care more for the things and possessions of this world than they do for Christ.
• There are those within the church who do not deny self nor sacrifice all they are and have to follow Christ.
• There are those within the church who are still conformed to the world.
• There are those within the church who are careless in their conversation.
• There are those within the church who demonstrate spirits other than the spirit of love.
• There are those within the church who live after the flesh instead of living for Christ.
• There are those within the church who do not worship God consistently, either daily or weekly.
• There are those within the church who profess Christ, but live hypocritical lives.
The warning of Christ was clear and should cause thought and concern.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
The Lord walks among the churches. He knows how much or how little we work, labor, endure, and love. Note that God in particular sees the hypocrite. The hypocrite stands out like a cancerous sore in God’s eyes, and God is forced to treat the hypocrite as the master physician treats a cancerous sore. The Great Feast Day is first of all a Great Inspection Day. Before God presents us to Christ, He is going to cast out all who do not wear the garment of righteousness. The wedding garment which the man lacked was righteousness. The man did not possess the righteousness of Christ nor did he live righteously.
The man had not trusted the righteousness of Christ to make him acceptable to God therefore he was not justifed.
Justified-to be counted as righteous. It means to reckon, to credit, to account, to judge, to treat, to look upon as righteous. It does not mean to make a man righteous. All Greek verbs which end in “oun” mean not to make someone something, but merely to count, to judge, to treat someone as something.
The man had not lived a moral and self-denying life. He was not what he had professed to be.
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
Man has turned his back upon God, pushing God away and having little to do with Him. Man has not made God the center of his life; man has broken his relationship with God. Therefore, the greatest need in man’s life is to discover the answer to the question: How can the relationship between man and God be restored? Simply by faith. God is willing to justify man because He loves man that much. God loves man so much that He sent His Son into the world and sacrificed Him in order to justify man. But when a man sincerely trusts Christ, then God takes that man’s faith and counts it as righteousness. By such God counts the man—judges him, treats him—as if he was innocent. The man is not made innocent; he is guilty. He knows it and God knows it, but God treats him as innocent. We are then counted as righteous in Christ, “clothed” in the righteousness of God…because we cannot be seen as righteous without Him.