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Matthew 22:1-14 (ESV)

The Parable of the Wedding Feast or Marriage of the King’s Son

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, 

• How many of you love going to wedding celebrations?

Free food, dancing, socializing, did I mention the food is free.

In Jewish tradition, a wedding was and still is a big deal. In fact, some things done in Jewish weddings are done in American weddings. 

• Ketubah- wedding agreement that is signed by the groom in the presence of two witnesses. (groom’s responsibilities-food, clothing, marital relations)
• Chuppah- (Kuppah) Wedding canopy, to symbolize a new home is being built by the newlywed couple. (we use trellises and such)
• Yiddish- Veiling of the Bride, dates to when Laban tricked Jacob by veiling Leah.
• Exchanging of Rings
• Yichud- (Yī-chude) Their marriage is consummated when they have been left together alone in this room from 10-20 minutes. This we don’t have, but how interesting it would be if Yichud was a part of our wedding ceremonies.

Another unique thing about a Jewish wedding is the ceremony itself.  There are two parts to the ceremony. 

Kiddushin- sanctification or dedication of the bride.  This prohibits the bride from all other men.

Chuppah- permits the couple to be together.

The first part of this ceremony is a declaration to everyone that the bride is no longer available and that she is set apart for the groom. 

…this king 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.”’  

Suddenly it was as the air was sucked out of the room.  No one shows up to the king’s party.  All the preparations were in place, the food was ready all things were in place.  No one showed up.

• What is a party without people?

You can have the best of everything prepared, but how disappointing it would be, after going through all that trouble, if no one shows up.

• What is Jesus telling us through this parable so far.

The King in this story is our Heavenly Father and Jesus is the Son of the King.  He is the groom to be married to His bride, His church.  The church is to be His bride, set apart from this world.

The initial invitation was to the Jewish people, the descendants of Abraham, God’s chosen possession. 

In the invitation it is stated all things have been prepared and that everything is in place for the party.  Verse 4 speaks of a slaughtering of oxen and calves.  Meaning this, God (King) had went through a great deal of preparations for this celebration feast for His Son (Jesus). 

Jesus had become the sacrifice for their sins.  It was His body that beaten and broken for them.  Because of what He did, everything is in place so that they would obtain grace from their Heavenly Father. Their responsibility was to come.

However, many Jews refused to come.

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.

At this point in time Jesus could have been referring to the prophets of the Old testament, John the Baptist, even His own life and possibly future disciples who would die at the hands of the religious Jewish leaders.

Many Jews including their religious leaders had longed awaited the coming Messiah, but were too blind to see that their awaited Messiah was Jesus and that He walked among them.

Psalms 118:22

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

Matthew 22:5

 “they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business”

We can say they were more earthly minded than Heavenly minded. Cared more about their business and making a dollar over God’s business and making a kingdom.

Jesus then begins to foretell of what will happen to those Jews who have rejected Jesus.

 ⁷ The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 

In 70 AD the Romans destroyed the temple and Jerusalem with fire.  Thousands were slaughtered, many were taken to work the mines of Egypt while others were butchered in arenas for entertainment.

God will ultimately have justice.  

While many Jews rejected the invitation to come thereby deeming themselves unworthy to come, The King in this parable sends out another invitation. 

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.’ 

The phrase main roads refer to the territory of heathen nations into which the apostles were sent to go and tell the good news.   As we learned last week many lost their lives in doing so. We should be grateful for this second invitation as we were once heathens, living like there was no God.

I don’t know about you, but I am not Jewish.  I would have missed out on the first invite.

I am thankful for those early apostles that went into the main roads to send out invitations to a wedding.  Not just any wedding but the King’s Son’s wedding. 

And I am thankful that the King says there is room at the banqueting table for me. Will you come.  The invitation is to all, none excluded. Will you come?

It is our job to bring the message of this great wedding celebration to the earth today. As many as we can find.  We are not to settle on a certain number nor exclude anyone out. 

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.

Churches around this world are filled with wedding guest.  Some of the guest are good and some of them are bad.  It is not job of the messengers to decide who is good or bad.  That privilege is reserved for the King. 

Here is where it gets real.

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.’ 

You may be thinking, that’s kind of harsh.  That seems like an unfair punishment for not having the right clothes on. 

Jesus is not implementing this punishment due to wearing the wrong clothes in a natural sense however He does implement this punishment to those who have not been spiritually clothed with a robe of righteousness. 

In other words, if we have not repented, if we have not confessed Jesus as Lord then we remain sinful and ashamed.  We do not have the covering of Christ over our sins, therefore, we are not clothed in our wedding clothes.

The call is not only to come but to make ourselves ready

What He is saying is that, though many people have taken the invitation and even made their way into church to hear His word.  Many have not made themselves ready for Wedding feast.

In other words, it may appear to others that you go to church and do all the right things, but you are not fooling God.  God sees your heart.  You can fool others, you can fool the pastor and the leadership, but you cannot fool God.

The king in this story is said to go directly to the person who is not in appropriate attire, he confronts him about not being ready.  Then he sentences him.

Meanwhile the guy without wedding clothes stands speechless before the king.

When we stand before the King we too will be speechless.  We will have no defense, we will have no argument, we will have no excuses that will free us from His final verdict.  Unless we have been clothed in righteousness of Christ Jesus. 

When we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ we too are considered righteous.  He comes to our defense.   He pleads our case before the King, the righteous judge.  God no longer sees your sin at that point He sees your robe. 

¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The God the Father (King) has done His part. Jesus the groom has done his part.

• He has signed the Ketubah (agreement) to care for His bride (church), to provide for her and to nourish her.
• He has become a sacrifice for our sins.
• He is preparing a place for us

John 14:2-3

² In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 

We must do our part. 

1. We must first be willing to accept the invitation. To accept the invitation is to ask Christ to forgive you of your sins and to make him Lord of your life.  It means to put your faith and trust in Him.
2. We then need to be busy about bringing in other heathens, so that they too can experience this wedding feast.
3. We must also keep ourselves set apart for the groom. Because after all we are not just the guest we are also the bride of Christ.  

Just as the Jewish bride was prohibited from any other man.  As a believer in Christ, you too are set apart.  The declaration has been made, that you are his.  You are prohibited from loving anyone or anything else More than you love Christ.

He is coming back for a bride (church) that has made herself ready.

4. We must gather with other believers in earnest expectation for the arrival of Jesus.