Scripture:
Matthew 22:1-14 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
Matthew 22
1 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables: 2 "The kingdom of heaven (A) may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. (B) 3 He sent out his slaves to summon those invited to the banquet, (C) but they didn't want to come. 4 Again, he sent out other slaves, and said, 'Tell those who are invited: Look, I've prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet. (D) '
5 "But they paid no attention and went away, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the others seized his slaves, treated them outrageously and killed them. 7 The king [a] was enraged, so he sent out his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned down their city.
8 "Then he told his slaves, 'The banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. (E) 9 Therefore, go to where the roads exit the city and invite everyone you find to the banquet. (F) ' 10 So those slaves went out on the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding banquet was filled with guests. [b] 11 But when the king came in to view the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed for a wedding. (G) 12 So he said to him, 'Friend, (H) how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.
13 "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him up hand and foot, [c] and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
14 "For many are invited, but few are chosen." (I)
Footnotes:
Matthew 22:7 Other mss read But when the (that) king heard about it he
Matthew 22:10 Lit those reclining (to eat)
Matthew 22:13 Other mss add take him away
Cross references:
Matthew 22:2 : Lk 14:16-24;
Matthew 22:2 : Mt 13:24; Lk 12:36; Jn 2:2; Rv 19:7;
Matthew 22:3 : Est 6:14; Pr 9:3;, 5;
Matthew 22:4 : Pr 9:2; Mt 21:36;
Matthew 22:8 : Mt 10:11; Ac 13:46;
Matthew 22:9 : Ezk 21:21; Ob 14;
Matthew 22:11 : Rv 19:8; 22:14;
Matthew 22:12 : Mt 20:13; 26:50;
Matthew 22:14 : Mt 20:16; Rv 17:14;
Reflection:
What can a royal wedding party tell us about God's kingdom? One of the most beautiful images of heaven in the scriptures is the banquet and wedding celebration given by the King for his son. We, in fact, have been invited to the most important banquet of all! The last book in the bible ends with an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb and his Bride, the church: The Spirit and the Bride say, Come! (Rev. 22:17). Why does Jesus' parable seem to focus on an angry king who ends up punishing those who refused his invitation and who mistreated his servants? Jesus' parable contains two stories. The first has to do with the original guests invited to the feast. The king had sent out invitations well in advance to his subjects, so they would have plenty of time to prepare for coming to the feast. How insulting for the invited guests to then refuse when the time for celebrating came! They made light of the King's request because they put their own interests above his. They not only insulted the King but the heir to the throne as well. The king's anger is justified because they openly refused to give the king the honor he was due. Jesus directed this warning to the Jews of his day, both to convey how much God wanted them to share in the joy of his kingdom, but also to give a warning about the consequences of refusing his Son, their Messiah and Savior.
The second part of the story focuses on those who had no claim on the king and who would never have considered getting such an invitation. The "good and the bad" along the highways certainly referred to the Gentiles and to sinners. This is certainly an invitation of grace -- undeserved, unmerited favor and kindness! But this invitation also contains a warning for those who refuse it or who approach the wedding feast unworthily. Grace is a free gift, but it is also an awesome responsibility. Dieterich Bonhoeffer contrasts "cheap grace" and "costly grace". "Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves ..the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance ..grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. ..Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life." God invites each of us to his banquet that we may share in his joy. Are you ready to feast at the Lord's banquet table?
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