The Wedding Invitation Series

This evening’s message is entitled “The Wedding Invitation.” We’re going to learn tonight how the Lord delivers a wedding invitation to each and every person in the world, and that He expects our attendance. A traditional wedding invitation might conclude by saying, “If you are unable to attend, then we ask your presence in thought and in prayer.” The thing about God’s invitation is that if we are unable to attend the marriage of the Lamb, He is going to say, “If you are unable to attend, then you’re out of luck.” So what’s this all about, you may ask? Well, let’s dig into the Scripture and we’ll discover a message about attending the greatest wedding of all time!

An Invitation from the King (vv. 1-3)

1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.”

This parable is bulging with symbolism and will be expounded as we go along. The first question I would like to ask is this: In verse 2, who does the king represent? The king is symbolic of God who sends out a call, or invitation, to His people to live for Him and honor Him in all of life. If His invitation is heeded, then those who obey will be allowed to enter the wedding.

What does the wedding represent? It is symbolic of the day when Christ returns and all who are perfected in Him and obedient to God join Him. Revelation 19:7-9 speaks of this wedding, saying, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb’.”

The Bride, though not mentioned here in the text, is the New Jerusalem comprised of its citizenship of believers, or all those who have experienced salvation and are committed to Christ. In Revelation 21:2, we read, “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” In Ephesians chapter five, Paul said, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her . . . that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).

In verse 3, we see how the king sent out servants to call forth the guests; however, the guests refused to attend the wedding. So, who do the servants represent? David Garland says, “The word ‘servant’ is a frequent designation in the Old Testament for the prophets whom God sent to the people.”(1)

Now that the identity of the servants has been established, who do the guests represent? They are symbolic of God’s chosen people, the Jews, whom He set apart as an elect nation to worship the God of Israel alone. They were not supposed to worship any other gods. When the Jewish people are termed as “chosen,” what this really means is they are God’s “invited” people; or rather, the first to be invited into His kingdom. This is a major distinction, as we will see later.

2 Chronicles 36:15-16 reveals how the Lord sent out His servants, the prophets, in order to extend an invitation to His people to live in holiness; and how Israel rejected His invitation. We read, “And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.”

Moving right along, we already know that the king is symbolic of God. So, what did the Lord do after His invitation was refused?

Refusal to R.S.V.P. (vv. 4-7)

4 “Again, he sent out other servants, saying, tell those who are invited, ‘See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.’ 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.”