The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
Matthew 22:1-14
One of Jesus’ favorite teaching techniques was parables – stories from everyday life used to illustrate insights into His kingdom. One of those events people in the first century identified with and we still identify with is a wedding. Jesus tells the story of a wedding feast, a Royal Wedding feast, in Matthew 22:1-14
(I inserted comments about the popularity of the Royal Weddings and the high television ratings they garnered around the world and even here in the US. Everyone seems to love a wedding. Most everyone, at least.)
(Summarize the story or read from the text. I chose to summarize the story as follows)
King has a son who is getting married, and a banquet is planned
• He sends out invitations to all the in crowd, all those who are invited to such occasions, influential people, anyone who’s anyone
• He gets no RSVP’s
• He sends some servants into town to personally invite them but they refuse to come. What an insult to the king. Tantamount to insurrection/rebellion.
• But the king is patient and a third invitation is extended. Servants go out again. They start talking about all the food that’s been prepared but they get the cold shoulder. They don’t seem interested at all. They make up some excuses – take care of my field, take care of business.
• Others start to get violent. They seize the servants, insult them, mock them, and then go so far as to kill them!
• Now the King is enraged, and who could blame him? He gets his army together, invades the land, and burns down the city.
But the king is determined to honor his son.
• In spite of the rejection, there will be a celebration.
• He sends his servants and they go and invite all the common people – the outsiders who weren’t invited the first time. They are sent to the street corners and anywhere people are gathered and invite anyone –doesn’t matter if your good or bad.
• Many people respond and the banquet hall is full.
The king then goes to greet all the guests.
• He notices someone without proper wedding clothes on.
• These were ordinary people but still they were expected to wear clothes appropriate for the occasion.
• Some people even think that the host would provide wadding garments for the guests and this guy said he’ll wear what he wants to wear.
• This man came to the wedding but wasn’t willing to honor the king and his son by wearing the appropriate clothing.
• King approaches him kindly (he calls him friend) and asks how he got in the banquet hall in the first place.
• The man is speechless. No apology. No explanation. His silence is interpreted as defiance.
• The king calls the wedding attendants and has this man bound up and thrown outside where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jesus ends the story saying, “Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Great story – What is he getting at?
• Every story has the potential to have at least two meanings
• One to the original audience
• One to the those who read this story afterward
Who is the original audience and what would it mean to them?
• The original audience seems to be the Jewish religious leaders. This is the last week of Jesus’s life. He has recently overturned the tables in the temple. The Jewish leaders are not happy and are looking for a way to silence Jesus.
• This is the third of three parables that all seem to indicate that as a group the Jewish people – not every individual but the leaders who represent the Jews –have rejected Jesus.
• In this parable, they are refusing the invitation to the King’s wedding banquet and more than that are even putting to death those who invite them.
• This may be a reference to the early persecution of the church at the hands of these same Jewish leaders. Think Saul and his persecution of believers.
• The reference to the burning of the city might be a veiled prophecy of what will happen to Jerusalem in about 40 years. In AD 70 Jerusalem will be destroyed by the Roman armies and the temple will be burned to the ground.
• The invitation to the “nobodies” is the fact that the Gospel will be received by the Gentiles as we see on the book of Acts.
So the primary meaning of this parable is the rejection of Jesus by the Jews (as represented by their leaders) who don’t enjoy the blessings of the Kingdom and the corresponding invitation to the Gentiles who do accept the invitation.
So what does it mean to us?
1. God is an inviting God
• Three times he offers the invitation – one general and twice he sends his servants.
• And then the invitation is extended to everyone
• God wants to bless us with the joy of his kingdom. He is an inviting God.
• And every human being is on his guest list.
1 Timothy 2:3–4 (NIV) — 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Titus 2:11 (NIV) — 11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) — 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Matthew 11:28 (NIV) — 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
We sometimes trip up on that last phrase – many are called but few are chosen
• The chosen ones are the ones who respond – it’s that simple
• All are invited. It’s up to us to respond/accept.
We have been a part of two weddings and soon another one.
• We make a list to send invitations to. You can’t send one to everyone you’ve ever known. We have to set a limit.
• But with God there is no limit – you are all invited. There’s room enough for all of us. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done
There’s a similar story in Luke
Luke 14:21 (NIV) — 21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
You are good enough. You are loved enough. You are invited.
God is an inviting God. He wants to share joy and blessing with you.
2. We are a distracted people
We are so easily distracted by worldly affairs
• In this parable one has to care for his field and another has to take care of business
• How foolish of them to pass up this great celebration for things that are so trivial
This may not resonate with all of you, but I am a football fan and I’d love to go to a Super Bowl. You probably have something similar, an event that you would drop everything to go to.
• But imagine I had a ticket to today’s game. (This sermon was preached on Super Bowl Sunday 2022) You would assume that I am heading to the airport right after services and catching a plane to LA. But imagine if you asked me when I’m leaving and I said, “Oh. I think I’ll pass on the game. I have to clean my gutters.” Or, “I have to weed our garden.” Or, “I’ve been putting off balancing my checking account and I really need to take care of that.”
• And imagine you kept pressing me and I started beating you up!
This is a celebration we do not want to miss but how we make excuses.
What are your excuses? What’s holding you back?
We are so easily distracted by the trivial things of this world. And we miss out on the great celebration of the kingdom.
3. We want God on our own terms
This man in the wrong clothes is an interesting addition to this parable, isn’t it?
• Perhaps he represents the fact that we want the celebration, but we want it on our own terms.
• We are not willing to submit to his requirements.
• What the clothes represent is debatable – perhaps good works, the fruit of the spirit, obedience – not as works to save us but as indications that we are saved
• Bottom line – he doesn’t seem to want to live in submission to the king
• He may represent what we might call a nominal Christian – in name only, but not willing to bear the fruit of faith
• A cautionary figure – I can be in the midst of the chosen but not be chosen
• A call to evaluate my place in the banquet
2 Peter 1:10–11 (NCV) — 10 My brothers and sisters, try hard to be certain that you really are called and chosen by God. If you do all these things, you will never fall. 11 And you will be given a very great welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This parable should really call us to examine ourselves – am I really living in submission to the King?
Weddings are great for stories.
• They are joyous occasions
• I loved my wedding
• My family and friends all together. Such love and such joy.
• At my wedding one of my thoughts was I wish this day would never end
• But the day does end. Maybe go on a honeymoon but eventually you get back to the worries and concerns of life – but that is just how life works.
But God’s celebration – it will go on forever!
For those of you who have accepted the invitation I pray that you can feel that joy even now as we live in anticipation of the eternal banquet
For those who have not – you don’t want to miss out – stop making excuses and come – come to the wedding feast of the Son. You are invited!
