The Parable Of The Wedding Banquet: An Exposition Of Matthew 22:1-14

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.