The Parable of the Wedding Banquet: An Exposition of Matthew 22:1-14
In almost every culture, wedding ceremonies are a big deal. Extravagant amounts of money are spent for the ceremony and the reception. Even if one is poor, there is pressure to put on a good show. We think of the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee which Jesus attended and how the wine ran out. Jesus had to intervene to prevent the groom’s family from suffering shaming. Weddings run through all levels of society. One thinks of the pomp and expense of a royal wedding.
Weddings are the best of times. Weddings are the worst of times. The invitations have to be perfect. The bridesmaids have to coordinate their outfits and the groomsmen have to get their best clothing to attend. So when one gets an invitation to a wedding, one is happy for the bride and groom. But if one attends, they have to consider the costs of travel to the wedding and lodging. If this is one of those “destination” weddings, this can be very expensive. And if one is invited to be a bridesmaid or member of the wedding party, the costs of getting the proper garments adds extra expense and bother. And if one isn’t particularly close to the bride and groom, one still feels the obligation to attend. The cares and costs of preparing for the wedding are offset by the joy of the bride and groom and sincere wishes and prayers for a happy life together. The beauty of the surroundings might add to this. But there is a mixture of emotions which accompany the announcement of a wedding.
So in the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, Jesus is using a story which is quite familiar to the readers of his day. And the people also understood the social caste system. They knew that the higher the social ranks of the participants, the more formal and posh the arrangements. In this case, it was a royal wedding. There is a great deal of prestige in being invited to such a wedding. But there wa also a great deal of obligation also. An invite from the king was no mere suggestion. It was more of a summons. “Be there and come properly dressed!” To refuse such an invitation was the greatest of insults. One must also remember that it was the king who had summoned them to come to his son’s wedding. There could well be retribution from such a snub.
Yet in this parable, this is exactly what happened. Parables are often a mixture of conventional expectations with a shocking reversal of expectation. “What! Some refused the invitation!” This just did not happen. The shock of such a statement would have gotten their attention. Without this hook, a parable that just reinforces expectations just gets a quick nod of approval but no more. It is even more shocking that most if not all of the invited guests were not willing to come. The father of the groom had spared no expense. The best food was prepared as was fitting for the occasion. The best wine was purchased. The decorations were the finest. There was a great room prepared to receive a large number of guests. But no one wanted to come! This was the gravest of insults and an utter shame to the host.
The father was stunned that none of the invited guests wanted to come. Other than the wedding garment, everything had been paid for by the host. All they had to do was come. Insulted though he was, the father showed restraint and sent his servants out again to have them come. “Look at what I have prepared for you guests. Come!” But the invited guests could care less about it. They weren’t merely careless. The man who came later not wearing a wedding garment was that. It was that they could care less. They continued to run their plantations and businesses as though they had not been invited at all. What is even worse is that some of them beat and killed some of the lord’s servants who had brought the message.
The king was done with bargaining and pleading. This time he sent out his army and killed the guests who had snubbed hum and burned their city.
The king then sent out an invitation for the common people to come. The nobles were dead. They were not worthy because they had no appreciation for what the king had prepared. This is another statement of utter shock. Common people were never invited to such a high level-feast. Everyone knew their place. At best, they might have been thrown crumbs from the feast. They might have gotten leftovers. Even in feasts where the entire citizenry had to be invited to a community event of some sort which the lord was obligated to feed and give drink, they sat in their own place. They waited for the ranks above them to finish eating. So it took a great deal of faith for these common people to believe that this was real. Those who believed the servants came. Most of them understood that they were expected to wear their finest garments. But one man was careless and came in common clothes. He stuck out like a sore thumb. The king asked who this person was, and why he was so careless about observing what was solemnly expected. He then had that man to be publicly shamed. “Tie him up hand and foot and throw him out into the dark of night!” There he can weep and wail.
Now we need to examine the characters in this parable to see why Jesus spoke it. The father in the parable is God the Father, and Jesus is the son who is the groom. The bridal feast is the marriage supper of the lamb at the end of the age. The guests who refused the invite are the Jews, especially the leaders. The city that is destroyed is Jerusalem with its corrupt religious establishment. The servants are the prophets in the Old Testament and the Apostles in the New. The people in the highways and byways are the common people. At first, these were the common people of Israel. The invitations went to the Jews first. But this also included the Greeks. We see in Matthew that Gentiles came along with Jews to the Sermon on the Mount. The Canaanite woman and the roman Centurion also had their requests for healing granted. I have discussed in more detail in other sermons on this archive. The people gathered at the banquet is the Church. They had heard and obeyed the summons.
If this is a parable that it will be the church and not native Israel who will be at the wedding feast of the Lamb, this presents several issues. Paul brings up one of them in Romans 9-11. Is the church the replacement of Israel? Did God utterly cast off the Jews? Paul goes to great lengths to demonstrate that there is at least a remnant of Israel and a promise of restoration of many others at the end of the age. The Church is not a Gentile institution any more than it is a Jewish one. It consists of those who have heard and obeyed the summons to the feast, whether they be Jew of Greek, of the privileged class or commoners or even slaves. It was for men and women. All are equally welcome to the table of the Lord. What gives one a seat at the table is faith. They believed and acted upon the Gospel summons. They have believed that they are invited, although they don’t fit the social rules. They have believed that God is both able and willing to save. One has to believe both. They have to believe that there is a God who is able to provide such a large feast. One would not undertake an arduous journey and pay the expenses and preparation involved unless they believed that there was to be such a feast. Otherwise, they would remain at their occupations.
But they have to believe that God is willing to invite them. It would seem quite a shock for the common Jews who were despised by the Jewish leaders and the Gentiles who were called “dogs” to believe that God really wanted them there and to participate on an equal basis. When we look at our sins and failings, we wonder if God would actually invite such deplorable people when there are so many “betters” around, people who are better connected, richer and even more moral. We could think that God might invite that rich young ruler, but us? The rich young ruler was indeed called, but in the end he was not chosen. So in our evangelism, we must proclaim that God has done this. He has provided a banquet, and there is a table there with your name on it. You have been called. But are you to join the chosen (elect)?
The troubling figure in this parable is the man who came but did not wear the proper garment. This man was careless. In every way, he is as bad off if not even worse off than those who could care less about the invite. He came to the feast but did not care about protocol. Everyone was invited, but the rules of protocol remained as far as the banquet. God is still King. God is holy. The invite is not a casual one. It has been paid by the shedding of the precious blood of His Son. It is not a cheap blessing. All are free to come and participate in God’s new nobility, regardless of where they came from. We are called to be a royal priesthood and a chosen generation. “Just as I am” is a well-meant invitation hymn. But it can be misunderstood to say that when you came you remained what you were. Those who come must be transformed. This man was not really interested in the call on the terms it was granted. He wanted to do it his way. He is the one who would have played “I did it my way” at his funeral. But in the Kingdom, things are done God’s way. Does this mean that the man should have put on a better show. Would he have been better off if he had gone along and put on his best clothes for the wedding? To answer this, we go back to the rich young ruler. He knew the rules and kept them. He would have worn the proper attire. He would have kept the outward observance of the rules. But he too left the feast, not as dramatically as the man in the contemptuous dress, but he left, nevertheless. God wants true worship from the heart. They are the elect.
Some would ask: “Suppose these were the best clothes the man had?” This seems like a sincere question. The answer to this comes from Scripture: “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold all things are become new. When one becomes a Christian, He is a new person. What He was does not matter. These are now clothed in Christ which is the only acceptable garment. All other garments are filthy rags, no matter what the label says. God provides the proper garment for the wedding along with the invitation. And it is the most precious garment, pure glistening white without spot or wrinkle which has been washed white in the blood of the Lamb. This man had the opportunity to put on the proper garment because it was provided free of charge with the invite.
“Many are called, but few are chosen.” This is the point the parable is making. The Gospel is to be broadcast to all people and nations, both good and bad. It is the dragnet thrown into the sea from which all sorts of fish are brought in. Everyone is called to the Gospel feast. We are to invite everyone. Not all will respond. Some will care less about it. Others will reject it with hostility. Yet others will come to get a blessing. They are those who eat earthly manna and are satisfied with that. But they are not all chosen. The chosen are those who believe the marriage and come properly attired. They have believed the message and put on Christ. Both Jew and Greek who have disregarded the call think they have escaped the dragnet. They feel they can have autonomy and live their lives any way they want. It is the perfect Postmodern attitude. They will realize that the Gospel net was meant to save them and not to destroy them. They will realize their folly when the same Jesus they despised in this life will return in the judgment clouds of glory with His host. Those who merely came to church for the temporal blessings and were not converted will meet a similar fate, if not worse. They are those caught up in the dragnet and thrown back into the sea half-dead. Those in the church but have the wrong intentions will be shocked when Jesus comes. They will brag about their works, but Jesus will say: “depart from me; I never knew you.”
So, let us examine ourselves today as we come to His table. Why are we here? Are we coming with the right motives? Are we ready? Are we thankful that Jesus died for you. Do you realize that while we look at the bread and the wine that He said: “This is my body” to the bread and “This is my blood” to the wine. No better bread and no better wine have ever been offered in any banquet. The world looks at this banquet with contempt. Bread and wine were the minimum a host had to offer guests in the old world at a feast. That was for the lesser and the slaves. They expect expensive meats and crafted dished served on the finest China. They have no appreciation of just how precious the blood of Jesus really is. But we look back to Cavalry. And we also look forward to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb which all Christians eagerly anticipate. There we will feast sumptuously. So let us gird ourselves for the journey ahead with its obstacles. It will be worth it all.
Hymn of Invitation to the Eucharist: Come Sinners to the Gospel Feast
The communion liturgy can be found on page 12 of the United Methodist Hymnal. Let us join together in celebration.
