Parables of the Kingdom - Part 10

READ TEXT:

Matthew 22:1–14 CSB

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to summon those invited to the banquet, but they didn’t want to come. Again, he sent out other servants and said, ‘Tell those who are invited: See, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ “But they paid no attention and went away, one to his own farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged, and he sent out his troops, killed those murderers, and burned down their city. “Then he told his servants, ‘The banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go then to where the roads exit the city and invite everyone you find to the banquet.’ So those servants went out on the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding banquet was filled with guests. When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed for a wedding. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

PRAY.

William Barclay (along with others) holds that these fourteen verses contain TWO parables, not one – (v.1) – “…Jesus spoke to them in parables.”

“We will grasp their meaning far more easily and far more fully if we take them separately.”

Parable #1: An Invitation to a Wedding Banquet! – (22:1-10)

The events of this parable were completely in accordance with normal Jewish customs!

When invitations to a wedding banquet (commonly lasting up to a week, longer for a King) were sent out, the time was not stated!

It was only when everything was ready that the servants were sent out with a final summons!

This parable has TWO MEANINGS:

A. The LOCAL MEANING!

1. The GUESTS who had been invited, and when the time came, refused to come stands for the nation of Israel!

Ages ago they had been invited by God to be His chosen people; yet when God’s Son came into the world, and they were invited to follow Him, they REFUSED the invitation!

2. The first invitation was IGNORED – (v.3) – “…but they didn’t want to come.”

3. The second invitation was SPURNED with both indifference and hostility! – (vv.4-6)

4. The CONSEQUENCE of the refusal was TERRIBLE! – (v.7)

Barclay – “But let us remember when Matthew was composing his gospel. He was doing so sometime between A.D. 80 and 90. What had happened during the period between the actual life of Jesus and the composing of the gospel? The answer is—the destruction of Jerusalem by the armies of Rome. In A.D. 70 Jerusalem was indeed destroyed. The Temple was sacked and burned; the city was destroyed stone from stone, so that a plough was drawn across it. Complete disaster had come to those who refused to recognize the Son of God when He came.”

Complete destruction comes to those who refuse God’s invitation!

5. The RESULT was that the invitation of God went out to ALL – (vv.8-10)!

The parallel account in Luke is even stronger – (Luke 14:23)! – “…make them come in, so that my house may be filled.”

Luke 14:23 CSB

“Then the master told the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges and make them come in, so that my house may be filled.

“It is very easy for a man to be so busy with the things of time that he forgets the things of eternity, to be so preoccupied with the things which are seen that he forgets the things which are unseen, to hear so insistently the claims of the world that he cannot hear the soft invitation of the voice of Christ.

The tragedy of life is that it is so often the second bests which shut out the bests, that it is things which are good in themselves which shut out the things that are supreme. A man can be so busy making a living that he forgets to make a life; he can be so busy with the administration and the organization of life that he forgets life itself” – William Barclay.

B. The WIDER MEANING!

1. The INVITATION of God is the invitation to a JOYFUL WEDDING FEAST!

God’s invitation is an invitation to JOY! – (Matthew 25:21) (Romans 14:17; 15:13)

Matthew 25:21 CSB

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’

Romans 14:17 CSB

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 CSB

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2. The THINGS which make men INDIFFERENT to the invitation of Christ are not necessarily BAD THINGS – (v.5)

They didn’t go carousing, or on some pub-crawl! They were going to work!

3. God’s invitation is an INVITATION OF GRACE! – (vv.9-10)

Those who were gathered in from “…the roads […] both evil and good” had no claim on the Kingdom of God!

They could never, by any stretch of the imagination, have ever even expected an invitation to the wedding feast! It came purely by GRACE!

Parable #2: Are You Properly Dressed? – (22:11-13)

This parable (or part of the previous parable) is about an INSPECTION by the King (vv.11-12), and the REMOVAL of a person “…without wedding clothes” (v.13)!

The King’s desire for the house to be full does not change the requirement for entrance!

Like the previous parable this one also contains TWO lessons:

A. Grace is not only a GIFT; it is also a RESPONSIBILITY! – (v.11)

You’ve been invited to a wedding banquet—you need to change your clothes!

Ephesians 4:17–24 CSB

Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more. But that is not how you came to know Christ, assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.

Colossians 3:5–14 CSB

Therefore, put to death what belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, God’s wrath is coming upon the disobedient, and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. But now, put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Titus 2:11–15 CSB

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works. Proclaim these things; encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

B. The way a person PRESENTS THEMSELVES demonstrates what they think about you!

When I visit a friend’s home, I generally don’t wear the same clothes I wear when working at my forge! It’s a matter of respect that we present ourselves in an appropriate manner!

The SAME IS TRUE FOR GOD! And I’m not talking about some dress code in Church. I am talking about the spirit in which you come before God in worship(which may include your choice of clothing…). What shows respect and love in this culture?

PRAISE THE LORD that we don’t have to debate what the clothes are appropriate or not! God has provided us the wedding garments!

Revelation 19:6–9 CSB

Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying, Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns! Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These words of God are true.”

CONCLUSION: Am I Chosen? – (22:14)

Romans 8:28–30 CSB

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

All who RESPOND to the good news are chosen! In fact, the only way for a person to know if they are chosen is by what they do with Jesus Christ!

Jennings – “All are called to enjoy the feast, but not all are willing to trust the Giver to provide the robe that fits for the feast!”

Revelation 22:11–17 CSB

Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy still be filthy; let the righteous go on in righteousness; let the holy still be holy.” “Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to repay each person according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star.” Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let anyone who hears, say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life freely.