The Feast (A Parable) Matthew 22:1-14
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Introduction:
Parable \peh-RUH-buhl\
A story with not only a point but a skewer.
In the movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Steve Martin’s character launches (and we mean launches) into some good advice: “When you’re telling these little stories, here’s a good idea: Have a point! It makes it so much more interesting for the listener!” Because admit it. We have all been there, listening to a story and wondering, Why is he telling this? There is no point!
A parable is a story designed not to be simply entertaining or amusing, or to pass on family history. It is a story with a point. In fact, the biblical parables are often pointed. You might say that they have a lance-like point—a sort of “gotcha” moment in which we realize that the point of the story has, in fact, punctured us.
This is the parable of the Wedding Feast.
The characters of this parable are: God who is described as a King.
Jesus who is the King’s Son - It is His wedding described in the parable.
The Nation of Israel - those who were first invited but chose to reject the invitation.
The Gentiles - They are those wondering the highways and bi-ways. They received the invitation to the wedding feast after the Nation of Israel rejected the invitation.
The slaves - those who belong to the King. The servants of God, the prophets of God, the messengers.
The wedding being described is that of Jesus and His church when He returns in glory.
The point 2,000 years ago was that the Nation of Israel was missing the point and that the wedding feast would be enjoyed by the Gentiles who would accept the invitation. But now that point isn’t as sharp as it used to be. Now the point is different.
This is the Parable of the Wedding Feast...
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.
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.
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.”
Transitional Sentence: And so the parable goes, it is as much for us today as it was for the original audience except that we should feel a different point poking a hole in our illusions about ourselves in order to let the hot air out and the Holy Spirit’s healing breath in.
As all parables do this parable begins by drawing a comparison between two dissimilar items.
a. Matthew 22:2
2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.
So there is going to be a feast. According to the:
A feast is an important or large meal (or series of meals) done in celebration of something or as a reminder of some past event. A feast could be a solemn remembrance or a celebration. Feasts often spanned multiple days and were similar to festivals.
This particular feast is a celebration. The celebration of the wedding of the King’s Son. It will be a grand affair. The King has spared no expense. This feast will be big because this King only knows how to do big.
If this celebration is anything like what a wedding feast was like in Israel at the time Jesus told this parable then this wedding will be a spectacle to behold. A wedding celebration at the time was generally a week-long community celebration, starting with the groom collecting his bride for a procession to their new home.
This process would have started about a year before with the betrothal, when the couple was legally married but lived apart. The groom paid a bride price, and prepared a room or home at his father’s house. Then comes the procession where the groom, accompanied by his friends, would go to the bride’s house, often at night. The bride, expecting his arrival but not the exact time, would be ready with her attendants, the bridesmaids. Upon arriving at the bride’s home she would be loaded into a palanquin, or litter and taken to her new home in a joyous procession with music and lamps.
Then the feast begins. The couple is treated like royalty, often wearing crowns, and they stayed in a specially prepared bridal chamber for the first few days of the week-long feast. And then there is the feast. A massive communal celebration filled with music, dancing, wine and food. No wonder they ran out of wine at the wedding in Cana in John 2. The thing about the feast is that no one knows when it will begin. Only the King knows when the party will begin so he has to send out the invitations.
So who gets an invitation?
Everyone is invited, It’s a community party there is plenty to eat at this table for all who choose to come.
b. So when the King is ready He sends out His slaves to call those who were invited. Matthew 22:3-4
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.” ’
Everyone is invited to this feast. All nations, tribes and tongues have been invited. No one is excluded by the King. His grace is free and available to all.
The proof of His desire that all should be saved is shown in how the invitations are sent. This King doesn’t use the postal service, or a town Cryer, He has them hand delivered to every individual by His slaves, His messengers. Only the best for this King. His slaves wander the streets of town telling everyone the feast is ready. Come, sit at the table, sing, dance, eat and share in the joyous occasion.
Who wouldn’t want to accept an invitation from the King? This is the feast of a life time. The King only has one Son. There won’t be any more celebrations like this.
So what happens? Well verses 5 and 6 say:
c. Matthew 22:5-6
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.
So some were unwilling to participate. They simply said no and they went on their way. They had farms that needed tending and business that needed conducting. The worries of this life were more important than celebrating with the King. Sounds like those seeds landed on some thorny ground.
But there were others who responded in a different way. They seized the slaves, they beat them and murdered them. What do you think about that? I can understand the worries of life getting in the way, but to act so aggressively against the King’s messengers as to murder them. Were they thinking about what they were doing? Did they think about what the outcome of this action would be?
2. Verse 7 tells us what the outcome was:
a. Matthew 22:7
7 “But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.
He destroyed those murderers. What does the word destroyed tied to the word murderers mean to you? Did He simply have them put to death? The idea of destroyed goes beyond the physical body to the soul.
28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Only the King can destroy both soul and body. The actions of those who said no and those who murdered the King’s messengers were directed directly at the King. They were disrespecting Him and His Son. They were rejecting His hospitality. He had to act, and act He did.
But now the King has a problem. Those who were invited are no more. The King has a grand feast prepared and no one to attend the celebration. So what does He do?
b. Matthew 22:8-9
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.’
The original group of invitees are no more. They are dead and the city is burned to the ground. So the King tells His slaves to spread out and collect everyone who is outside the city. Everyone who is on the fringes of society. Everyone who is unworthy. Everyone who needs what the King has to offer. They need to invite everyone in the streets and the bi-ways. None are rejected if they come with an appropriate attitude.
So off go the slaves to
c. gather everyone they can find. Matthew 22:10
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.
The slaves were sent out. They were sent everywhere. Don’t miss anyone. Don’t choose between this person or that person. Spread the message to all. Spread the message until everyone hears. Spread the message and gather the harvest. The slaves have one task, spread the invitation, until everyone hears.
And gather they did. This is when the story changes direction. In the beginning only the righteous were invited to the feast. But now everyone is invited, including the evil and the good. Why would a King invite evil people to the feast? He invites them all because He cares. The lives of the evil are just as precious to the King as any other.
3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
The King desires all men to be saved, He desires all men to join Him at the table as He celebrates the wedding of His Son. He accepts the evil and the good at His table. Is this shocking to you? It was as shocking then as it is now that God accepts the worst of sinners. As long as a sinner is willing to accept God’s grace by faith.
So the great hall is full of those who were gathered from the high-ways and bi-ways. The evil and the good. They have all accepted the King’s invitation to join Him for
3. The Feast. They have come to dine at His Table.
a. Matthew 22:11-12
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.
Wedding clothes, what’s that all about? Well.
Wedding guests wore special, often white, festive robes provided by the host to symbolize honor, purity, and equality. In white they all appear the same. These garments marked the celebration and covered social status differences. The garments were provided at the entrance to ensure everyone was properly dressed for the occasion. Refusal to wear the garments was a sign of severe disrespect. Why would anyone refuse? Perhaps this man was too proud to accept the garment, or he thought his self-righteousness was good enough to get by or maybe he came into the hall through a different way, like a window. He missed the clothes rack at the front door. No matter what the answer is He was not in the proper attire and the King caught him.
When the King confronted the man he had no excuse. Uuuhhh? Can you see him? He is surrounded by people enjoying the hospitality of the King. But there is something wrong. They are all dressed in the clean white garments provided by the host - but he isn’t. Would you feel out of place. It’s the last mistake he ever made. And he’ll know he made one when the servants come.
And come they did. They came to do the King’s bidding.
b. Matthew 22:13
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.’
And so he was bound hand and foot. Then they threw him into utter darkness. He almost got away with it. His own righteousness almost got him through. But the King knows. The King knows when we are wearing the wedding garment provided by the Son or our own filthy rags, no matter how pretty our rags may be.
And then comes the big reveal of the meaning of the parable.
c. Matthew 22:14
14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
There are two ideas in this one sentence. Many are called. Few are chosen.
The Greek for called is klay-tos´- it means invited, appointed, called.
Come on come to the feast.
The Greek for chosen is ek-lek-tos´- select, chosen, or the elect.
I accept the offer of the invitation.
So our parable ends by saying many are called or invited. Many or everyone. No one is left out. The only reason someone is left uninvited is because there was no one to invite them. They lived somewhere the King’s slaves can’t or won’t go. Which shouldn’t be the case. Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
All nations. Which means he wants someone to go to the ends of the earth spreading the invitation to everyone. So, Everyone is called! Everyone is invited.
But few are chosen. But when you hear the word chosen you think that the King is going to pick and chose who He wants at the party. But this isn’t so. The chosen are the ones who accept the invitation and put on the proper wedding garments. These are the chosen. The one man who refused to put on the wedding garments chose poorly. He was out of place and disrespectful. He was rejected not because of what he did - but what he failed to do.
He failed to be transformed. The wedding garment is a representation of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When we put on the wedding garment we are putting on His righteousness. Romans 13:14 says:
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.
Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ is to put on the wedding garment. To put on the wedding garment is to allow yourself to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ requires faith. Faith takes us from being sinners to being saints saved by Jesus through faith.
Nothing else will do. You can’t get by on your own righteousness, your good works or your good looks. You can’t buy your way in, trade your way in or sneak in. You will be found out and you will be thrown out.
Accept the invitation, put on the wedding garments and become a slave of the King who spreads the invitation.
Exit: Did you get the point?
2,000 years ago this parable described the nation of Israel collectively rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. He is the Son of the King, the Son of God. Yet Israel rejected Him. So God sent the invitation far and wide to the Gentiles. God sent the invitation to everyone else.
For us the basics of the parable are the same. The invitation to the wedding feast must be spread far and wide. It’s up to those who hear the invitation to chose. Will they accept or will they go on their way. All those who accept the invitation, come to the feast and put on the wedding garments will be chosen. It’s up to the King to decide if someone isn’t properly clothed.
But who are the slaves? They are the servants of God. They are the ones who have accepted the invitation to the feast. The slaves have an obligation to their King. That obligation is to spread the word, to invite everyone to the feast. Invite the evil and the good. The King has called everyone to come to the feast. It’s not up to you to judge who can or can’t come.
There are people on the other side of the world and right here in town wondering if there is something more to life. The King wants to know who will go to them and give them the invitation to the feast.
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Will you be that slave who does the bidding of the King or will He have to find another?
Pray:
