A Surprising Invitation: The Parable of the Wedding Feast
The King is Coming: Jesus in the Temple • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 1:02:42
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Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
My surprising flight to Iraq in
2006.
I was unworthy, but I received a
blessing I could never earn or deserve.
Context
Context
·
Another reply to the
question of Jesus’s authority.
·
Contextually related to the
preceding parable:
o In the parable of the tenants, we saw Jesus condemn the Jewish
leaders for their faithless rebellion.
o Jesus proclaimed that the kingdom would be given to a new people
who would bear fruit.
o This parable will explain that reality in greater detail.
·
Jesus begins by using an
oft-used introduction. “The kingdom of God is like”
o This is not to say that whenever Jesus speaks in this manner, it
is a comprehensive description.
o Parables are meant to express a spiritual reality of some sort,
not to lay out an exhaustive theological description.
o Matthew employs this introduction for many of Jesus’ parables in
his gospel.
·
It may be divided into
three parts:
o The King’s Kindness Rejected
o The King’s Gracious Gathering
o The King’s Just Judgment
The King’s Kindness Rejected (22:1-7)
The King’s Kindness Rejected (22:1-7)
And again, Jesus spoke to them in parables,
saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a
wedding feast for his son and sent his servants to call those
who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 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.”’ But they paid no attention and went off,
one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants,
treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his
troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.” (Matthew 22:1–7, ESV)
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,
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.
·
Let’s begin by identifying
the major characters in this section:
o A king
o His son, the bridegroom.
o His servants
o Those who were invited.
·
The relationship between
the king and his son mirrors that of the vineyard owner and his son from the
previous parable.
o This indicates a shared meaning.
·
The king gives a wedding
banquet…meant to honor his son.
o A magnificent feast that would last for many days.
·
The king has prepared for
this day and has made every preparation.
o He has sent out invitations and has received all the “save the
dates” marked “present.”
·
This is important. The
guests had already responded that they would come.
o The feast had been prepared based on the number of invitations.
I remember when Hannah and I were
preparing for our wedding.
We had prepared every invitation
with care and had invited the guests that we wanted to attend.
Knowing how many would be coming
was of great importance because we paid for the meal ourselves based on each
head.
If we had invited someone, paid
for their meal, and expected them to come and celebrate with us.
If they had not come, we would
have been out that amount of money, yes, but the slight against our
relationship would have been an even greater injury.
·
When the day came, the king
sent his servants to spread the news and call people to the celebration.
o But they weren’t ready.
o In fact, they had not planned to attend. They did not want to
attend.
·
Though this must have been
deeply hurtful to the king, his generosity is shown in the fact that he sends
his servants out again.
o They call the guests to attend the feast.
o They are told about the greatness of the feast as a way of
enticing them to come.
§ A rich and luxurious feast.
o Yet they repudiated the invitation yet again.
§ The slight was magnified by the mundanity of their excuses.
·
One to his farm and one to
his business.
Really? Instead of a kingly feast, they would rather toil away
for lesser things.
It would be like saying you couldn’t attend because you had to
scrub some stains out of your shoelaces.
“No thank you to that feast, I’ve got some day-old oatmeal at
home that I’ve been wanting to get rid of.”
·
But those who had no excuse
were worse. Like the wicked tenants, they conspired to abuse the king’s
servants. Even putting them to death.
o Both were acts of rebellion against a good and generous king who
graciously invited them to a wedding celebration in honor of his son.
·
This, finally, was the last
straw.
o The king sent his troops not only to bring justice to these
rebels but to bring them to utter destruction.
·
The meaning of this passage
should be fairly easy to deduce, especially in light of the previous parables.
·
The King is God the Father,
who prepared a celebration to bring honor and glory to His Son.
·
This banquet represents
more than just a celebration.
o It’s the Messianic Banquet.
§ The Jewish people would have had a deeply-held expectation about
this future event.
§ Isaiah spoke of it in Isaiah 24:6-8.
On this mountain the Lord
of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged
wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will
swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the
veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the
Lord God will wipe away tears from
all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken. It will
be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he
might save us. This is the Lord;
we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:6–9, ESV)
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
·
This is about eschatology.
o This parable foretells what will happen on the last day.
o And the wedding feast is eternal life…the gift
·
What about the Son.
o Jesus is identified in many places as the bridegroom, for
example: John 3:29.
“The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend
of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the
bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.” (John 3:29,
ESV)
29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.
o He uses this title about himself in Matthew 9:15.
“And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom
is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Matthew 9:15, ESV)
15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
·
The guests who were invited
were the Jewish people, who were supposed to have a covenant relationship with
God.
o Prepared for fellowship with him.
o They were to look forward to attending the wedding feast that
God had prepared for them.
·
The servants are the
prophets and the apostles, who had been sent to call God’s people to Him. To
prepare the people to receive the bridegroom.
·
But the Jewish people,
especially the leaders, would not come on the day that had been prepared for
them.
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive
him. (John 1:11, ESV)
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
·
They answered the call with
indifference in some cases, but with rebellious violence in others.
·
The judgment meted out upon
these rebels has significance for Israel’s past and foretells their fate
in the near future.
·
God’s wrath (his righteous
anger) is an uncomfortable subject on the best of days.
o Yet, we have to understand that God’s mercy and grace can’t be
separated from His righteousness and justice.
o Wrath is God’s just punishment for sin.
·
Moreover, God is sovereign
over the kings of the nations
“The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to
whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.” (Daniel 4:17a.)
the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’
“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of
the Lord; he turns it wherever he
will.” (Proverbs 21:1, ESV)
1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.
“By me, kings reign, and rulers decree what is just;”
(Proverbs 8:15, ESV)
15 By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just;
·
In Israel’s past, God’s
wrath had been revealed through His bringing of invading armies upon his people
o Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel
o Perhaps most famously, preceding the Babylonian Exile, God appointed
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, to invade Judah, completely destroy
Jerusalem and the temple, and take its people captive to Babylon.
·
These historical judgments
prefigure the judgment upon Israel that would come in only a few decades.
o God raised the Roman general Titus at that time, who brought the
Roman army to Judea to crush the Jewish revolt.
o He would lay siege to Jerusalem and ultimately destroy the city
as well as the second temple.
·
Reading this parable should
help us understand why these things occurred.
o God gave His people grace upon grace for generations.
o Yet, they repudiated God’s grace and refused to honor His Son,
whom he sent as a servant to call them to the wedding feast in His honor.
·
The sobering reality for
all of us is that if we turn away God’s grace and mercy, what remains is his
justice and righteousness.
o This is a terrifying prospect.
“Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure
the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are
broken into pieces by him.” (Nahum 1:6, ESV)
6 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.
·
But this is not the end of
the story, as we will see.
The King’s Gracious Gathering (22:8-10)
The King’s Gracious Gathering (22:8-10)
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding
feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main
roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 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.” (Matthew 22:8–10, ESV)
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.
·
There is still a wedding
feast.
·
The king will not be
deterred from honoring his son.
·
Yet, he declares the
invited guests unworthy of the feast.
o Their unwillingness to come made them unworthy.
§ Unworthy of their invitation; unworthy to participate in the
feast.
·
Instead, he sends his
servants to send invites to whomever they can find.
o They were to spread the news on the main roads.
§ This carried the meaning of the city gates.
·
The busy crossroads where
people met and did business.
§ From here, news of the wedding feast would spread far and wide.
o Notably, the servants gathered people without thought given to
their goodness or badness. Whoever would come would be welcome.
§ The command to gather indicates that the initial response to the
invitation would have been a polite refusal.
·
After all, they had no
relation to the king.
·
Moreover, they would have
acknowledged their intrinsic unworthiness to participate in such an event.
·
The meaning of this second
part shows the preaching of the gospel.
·
The Jewish leaders and many
of Israel had repudiated the Lord’s gracious call, and so they were proven to
be unworthy.
o They lacked faith.
·
But God’s grace is greater,
and his love for the world is demonstrated in his gracious invitation that
whoever will come to Him will be received, regardless of whether they are good
or bad.
o This is why Jesus came to call the prostitutes and tax
collectors to come to Him.
·
This parable speaks to the
fact that the gospel would be preached to the whole world.
o The apostles would carry the gospel to the main streets of the
world.
o Moreover, the invitation is made to those without regard to the
worthiness of the one invited.
o None of these guests deserved eternal life
§ They were the ordinary, flawed sinful Israelites.
§ They were the Gentiles who were far from the kingdom of God.
·
The very people whom Israel
was once set against.
·
The gospels predicted that
Jesus would come not only to his people but to the Gentiles as well.
o Simeon said of Him in Luke 2:32:
“a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory
to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:32, ESV)
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
o Matthew explicitly said that Jesus began His ministry in Galilee
of the Gentiles (Matthew 4:15).
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
·
The good news of the gospel
is that God invites all kinds of people to eternal life.
·
And when we reach eternal
life, we will see that the feast has among its attendees people from every
tribe and tongue.
·
But while this may seem
like the kind of story where they all lived happily ever after…think again.
o Not everyone who accepts the invitation will get to eat.
The King’s Just Judgment (22:11-14)
The King’s Just Judgment (22:11-14)
“But when the king came in to look at the
guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend,
how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 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.’
For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:11–14, ESV)
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.”
·
We see here that the king
identifies someone at the banquet who is not dressed for a wedding.
·
When questioned about it,
he is not able to give a response…he has no defense for why he is present
without proper dress.
·
Again, we see the issue of
judgment arise again.
o The improperly dressed man does not belong, and so he is cast
out of the feast.
·
This too is a difficult
passage, because it has to do with who will enter into eternal life.
o Accepting the invitation is not enough, one must be properly
attired.
·
The man without wedding
garments represents the person who tries to enter eternal life by other means.
o He shows similar disrespect to the unfaithful of Israel because
he does not show proper honor for the grace offered to Him.
§ This is self-righteousness…the kind of person who thinks they
are owed eternal life for their good works.
·
Rather, the person who
comes to eternal life must be clothed in righteousness that does not belong to
them.
·
Let’s briefly consider what
this means by examining the symbolism of the wedding garment.
o According to Jewish traditions, white garments were to be worn
at weddings.
o Language around garments was also commonly associated with
Christ and His disciples.
§ It symbolized righteous character and belonging to the kingdom.
§ You may remember that some passages speak of “getting dressed”
as a motif for taking on or exhibit Christian virtues.
§ Some examples:
“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon
you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.””
(Luke 24:49, ESV)
49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision
for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Romans 13:14, ESV)
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have
put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27, ESV)
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
“and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in
knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:10, ESV)
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” (Colossians
3:12, ESV)
“and to put on the new self, created after the likeness
of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24, ESV)
24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
·
But the idea of white
garments returns when we come to the Book of Revelation.
“Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who
have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they
are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I
will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name
before my Father and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:4–5, ESV)
4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
o Here they have to do with purity, and righteousness before the
Lord.
o In fact, this is affiliated with the wedding banquet in 19:8
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.
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; it was granted her to clothe
herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the
righteous deeds of the saints. 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.” (Revelation 19:6–9, ESV)
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.”
·
So, the man who comes in
with spoiled garments represents the one who is still in his sin and unrepentant.
o This speaks to the reality that in the visible church today
there are those that are not saved.
§ They have heard the invitation.
§ They have come to the feast.
§ But they have not repented and trusted in the person and work of
Jesus Christ.
§ Jesus acknowledges that this will be a reality in the parable of
the weeds and the parable of the nets.
“Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so
will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they
will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,”
(Matthew 13:40–41, ESV)
40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,
“So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will
come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery
furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:49–50, ESV)
49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous
50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
§ We’ve talked about this before. That not everyone who says
“Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom.
·
His guilt is shown in the
fact that he has no excuse when confronted by the king.
·
The judgment upon this man
is grim.
o He is bound hand and foot and cast into the outer darkness.
o This imagery communicates the helpless estate of the man and the
separation he experiences.
§ No hope and no escape.
·
This represents a far
greater judgment than that of AD 70.
o Jesus spoke of this judgment in other places in Matthew.
o He spoke about the judgment on unfaithful Israel:
“I tell you, many will come from east and west and
recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while
the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place,
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:11–12, ESV)
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.”
o He applies it more broadly to all who remain in their sin in
Matthew 25:30
“And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness.
In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (Matthew 25:30,
ESV)
30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
·
This final judgment will be
far more terrible than any that came before for the one who is not found
properly clothed.
o This is the day the prophet Zephaniah spoke of.
“The great day of the Lord
is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries
aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day
of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick
darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements. I will bring distress on mankind, so that
they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out
like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall
be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be
consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the
earth.” (Zephaniah 1:14–18, ESV)
14 The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there.
15 A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.
17 I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.
·
The parable climaxes in
this statement, “For many are called, but few are chosen.
o Many are called: The gospel goes out to all the earth.
§ The Jews had rejected the invitation.
§ Those who would not receive the imputed righteousness of Christ,
presumed upon their good works to save them.
o Few are chosen:
§ Only those that, in repentance and faith, receive the pure and
spotless robes that come from Christ.
·
There are two aspects to
this:
o
Imputed righteousness:
Being washed clean by the atoning blood shed on the cross.
“Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are
these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him,
“Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great
tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:13–14, ESV)
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?”
14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
o
Also, the demonstrated
righteousness ushering from a changed heart.
“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; it was
granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine
linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” (Revelation 19:7–8, ESV)
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.
·
Good works that are
pleasing to the Lord are works that respond to the grace of God in devoted
love, not that attempt to earn grace through merit.
Few will go all the way to eternal life, only those who profess
faith and prove it over a lifetime of devoted godliness.
Conclusion
Conclusion
·
What does this parable
teach us about God?
·
He invites all kinds of
people to join His Kingdom.
o He offers eternal life with Him equally to the religious and the
secular, Jew and Gentile.
·
We can learn from the other
characters in this parable as well.
o Rejection of the free gift of grace is tantamount to rebellion
and leads to judgment.
o God’s offer is available to good and bad alike. Sinners are
welcomed in as family.
o Those that come must come in truth. Prepared to stand before
Him.
§ Having faith in Jesus and His imputed righteousness.
§ Living as a disciple, devoted to pursuing personal
righteousness.
·
We will all stand before
the judgment seat and give an account.
·
If the Lord asks you, “Why
should I let you in? What would be your response?
·
There are three possible
answers.
o Self-justification: I’ve tried my best. I’m not as bad as I
could be.
o Silence: guilty and embarrassed silence.
o Supplication: I have no right to come, but I have faith in Jesus
Christ my Savior.
§ He said I could come, and I’ve sought to follow after him.
