THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING FEAST
Text: Matthew 22:1 – 14
Have you ever received an invitation to a party or celebration? The first invitation that I remember receiving was for a birthday party when I was in the seventh grade. Over the years, I have been invited to graduations, weddings, reunions, and other special events. When you receive an invitation, you can do one of two things: either accept it, or reject it.
The passage that I just read is a parable told by Jesus about a king that invites the people of the kingdom to a wedding feast that he is holding for his son. Back in Jesus’ day, an invitation from a king was a great honor, just as receiving an invitation from the president would be a great honor to us today. The custom was to send two invitations: the first was to tell everyone that the event was being planned and the second was to tell everyone that everything was ready and about to begin. The invitation that was extended in verse 3 was the second invitation. They had already received the first invitation and had indicated that they would attend.
When the second invitation was extended, the people that had accepted the first invitation refused to attend. This was more than just being discourteous – it was considered outright rebellion. The king was patient, however, and decided to send a third invitation. The messengers received a variety of responses to this invitation. Some just neglected to come. Others said that they were too busy with their business affairs, and some went to the extent of persecuting and even killing the messengers.
The king’s patience had reached its limits, and he sent his army to destroy those that had rebelled against him. The feast was ready, however, and in order to supply it with guests, the king ordered his messengers to go out and find anyone who would come and invite them to the feast. They invited everyone, without regard to social status, moral character, race, nationality, or gender. Each guest was supplied with a wedding garment by the king, and was allowed to enter in to the feast.
Later, the king arrived on the scene, and when he entered the feast, he found a man that had refused to wear the wedding garments that had been provided by the king. When questioned about why he had refused to wear them, the man stood speechless. The king had the man removed from the celebration.
One question that we need to answer in order to understand this parable is, “Why did Jesus teach this?” If you read chapter 21, you will find that Jesus is teaching in the temple. He is cornered by the religious leaders, who demand to know by what authority he is teaching and doing all the things that he is doing. Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the leaders, saying, “Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.” Jesus actually tells three parables, all concerning the religious leaders’ rejection of God’s invitation.
So, the king in this parable represents God the Father, and the son is Jesus Himself. The messengers that were sent forth are the OT prophets and John the Baptist. The people who rejected the invitation were the religious leaders, and the others that were allowed to enter the feast were society’s outcasts – the tax collectors, prostitutes, gentiles, and other sinners.
I believe that there are several things that we can learn from this parable. First of all, those that go out to extend God’s invitation to His kingdom can expect a variety of responses. Some of the people in this parable simply ignored the invitation. There are many today who don’t give the needs of their soul a second thought. They either don’t believe that it is important or just avoid thinking about it. Some think that just because they don’t believe that there is a judgment and an afterlife that will keep it from being true. One day, they will find themselves standing before God Himself, wishing that they had taken the time to consider their relationship with God.
Others in the story neglected to go to the feast because they were too busy. Verse 5 states that one went to his farm, and another to his merchandise. There are a lot of people in our nation today that are just too busy to worry about their need of salvation. How many people did you pass on the way to church this morning that were on their way to work, or to the mall, or to a ballgame? When it is warmer outside, you will see people out mowing their lawns at churchtime, or out having picnics, or going to the pool. They are just too busy to think about their relationship with God. In the book of James, we are warned that our lives are like a vapor, present for a little while, but soon gone. We all need to take the time to deal with our spiritual needs today, because we are not guaranteed that we will be here to do it tomorrow.
In some cases, the messengers were treated with contempt and persecution. I remember inviting a man to church one time years ago who responded by throwing something at me and yelling at me to get off his property. Persecution is certainly a possibility. Jesus told His disciples that since He had been persecuted, they should expect persecution as well.
Persecution does not change the fact that we have an obligation and a blessed privilege to invite others to become part of God’s kingdom.
Secondly, we should note that everyone is invited to enter God’s kingdom. The invitation went out to the good and the bad. The religious leaders were invited, but so were the tax collectors, prostitutes, and gentiles. That invitation is still open today. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you have done, or where you come from, you are invited to have a relationship with God. God does not discriminate according to race, gender, social standing, or nationality. The golden text of the Bible says that “God so loved the WORLD, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” In the last chapter of the Bible, we read the following invitation, “And let him that is athirst come. And WHOSOEVER will, let him take the water of life freely.” No one is excluded. God is not a respecter of persons. He invites everyone to a personal relationship with Him.
This means that we should not limit our evangelistic efforts to certain sets of individuals. I have heard of churches that have passed bylaws that prohibit people who have tattoos from participating in services. Some churches pass dress codes and tell people to leave if they don’t measure up. It seems that some churches are spending a lot of time making rules to keep people out instead of doing what Jesus said about inviting everyone in. If you are here today and need to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, let me assure you that He doesn’t care about what you are wearing, how much money you make, or what you have done in the past. He wants you to come just as you are and begin a personal relationship with Him.
Thirdly, we need to understand that we need to respond to the invitation on God’s terms, not our own. Everyone was invited, but in order to be admitted, they had to chose to put on the wedding garment that was provided by the king. The wedding garment represents the righteousness of Christ. If we try to enter God’s kingdom wearing our own righteousness we will be rejected. The Bible says that our righteousness is like filthy rags in God’s sight, but it goes on to say the following in Isaiah 61: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
There are some that believe that they are good enough to enter into God’s kingdom based upon their good works. Others believe that they will enter because they live in a Christian country, or because they have relatives who are Christians. But God’s Word states that “there is none righteous, no, not one,” and that we have all “sinned and come short of the glory of God.” God wants you to respond to His invitation just as you are, but He expects you to understand that just as you are is not good enough. You must ask for His forgiveness and be clothed in the righteousness of Christ in order to enter into His kingdom. He will provide the wedding garments, but you must choose to put them on.
Next, we find that refusing to accept God’s invitation will result in punishment. Those people who rejected the call were destroyed. God is patient, loving, kind, and merciful. He will extend His grace to all who call upon His name. The Bible says that it is not His will “that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” But there is a limit to how long God will allow you the opportunity to respond. Every time you reject God’s invitation, your heart hardens a little more, and it is more difficult to hear God’s call the next time. After a while, the Holy Spirit’s invitation is crowded out and you are not able to hear it any longer. In addition to this, we are not guaranteed another minute on this earth. I know of people that have died right in the middle of a church service. Others have died on the spot in car accidents, with heart attacks, and other causes. Once you leave this life, there are no second chances. You will be judged based upon what you did with Christ in this life. The Bible says that “now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” If God is showing you that you are a sinner and need to repent, please don’t put it off. Respond now while you still can.
Finally, you should learn that nothing in your life is more important than accepting and responding to God’s invitation. Some of the people in the story rejected the invitation because they were too busy with their farms or businesses. You may think that your job is the most important thing in your life right now. It is important, but it is not the MOST important thing in your life. Your family is important, but they are not the MOST important thing in your life. The most important thing in your life is your relationship with God. Are you too busy with other things to take the time to get to know Him? One day it will not matter how many hours we put in at work or how many things we have bought for our kids. It won’t matter what kind of car we drove or how nice our house was. What will matter is if we took the time to get to know Jesus Christ. He wants to be your Lord and Savior. He wants to be your Best Friend. He wants you to have a personal relationship with Him. Go to Him. Admit that you have sinned and that you need His forgiveness. Ask Him to come into your life and to make you into the person that He wants you to be. Then live your life for Him. Do what He tells you to do. Develop your relationship with Him by spending time with Him in prayer and Bible study. Gain strength from other Christians by attending church. Nothing is more important than knowing Him. Do you know Him today? When you stand in judgment will He tell you to enter in to the joys of the Lord or will He say to depart because He never knew you? If He is calling to you right now, please accept His invitation. Tomorrow may be too late.
