The parable of the wedding feast

The first invitation is refused

1) Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2) "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3) He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

It seems strange that those invited would refuse an invitation to a royal wedding; but there is no logical accounting for why people refuse the good things God has for them.

“To them that were bidden” (John 1:11). John is talking about Israel,

Jesus came to them. The Jews rejected Him. (Yet, remember verse 13 notes that those who received Him.)

The whole idea is that Jesus came first unto Israel.

The second invitation is refused; the king reacts with judgment

4) "Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'
5) "But they paid no attention and went off--one to his field, another to his business. 6) The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7) The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

In the parable, Jesus gives an accurate description of the reaction of many to the gospel; many made light of it; others go back to their business.

The king rightfully brings judgment upon these offenders; not only have they rejected his invitation, but they have also murdered his messengers.

Remnant slew his servants: This can be seen many ways; one is the slaughtering of the prophets. Others note the parallel with Peter in Acts 3:19-21 with the stoning of Stephen. Clearly, Israel is guilty of not only having rejected the Messiah, but also of the blood of the prophets, etc.

The third invitation

8) "Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9) Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10) So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

The king was determined that he would not have an empty banquet hall, so an invitation is given to all who will hear.

The man without a wedding garment

11) "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12) 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.
13) "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
14) "For many are invited, but few are chosen."

The king carefully examines his guests, to see if they are all wearing the garments that were customarily offered to those attending a wedding feast.

The man without a robe is conspicuous by his difference; he considered his own garment good enough, and refused the covering offered by the king. God wants to clothe us; I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels (Isaiah 61:10). Those who are trying to establish their own righteousness before God are like the man who though he could clothe himself; For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God (Romans 10:3).

The Bride eyes not her garment, But her dear Bridegroom's face; I will not gaze at glory, but on my King of Grace Not at the crown He giveth, but on His pierced hand: The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel's land

(From a hymn by A. R. Cousins).

The man who rejected the king's covering is assigned a horrible fate; the same awaits the one who rejects God's righteousness.

Here is where the idiom or the mechanic of the parable yields to the reality which Christ is focusing on. He is obviously taking about something far broader in impact than simply a wedding and a breach of etiquette.

Saul of Tarsus: At first would have tried to come by his own righteousness, but was confronted on Damascus Road and accepted

Christ’s robe of righteousness (Romans 10:1-13; Philippians 3:7-9; Acts 4:12).

This parable shows the need to be properly attired for the wedding feast. A lot of prophetic overtones: the word going out twice, first to

Israel and then the Gentiles; the righteousness required...

Observations:

This is an accurate portrayal of God's judgment on the Jews, especially the Jewish leaders, who rejected His two invitations to accept the Messiah.

This parable demonstrates that the indifferent and the antagonist share the same fate; neither made it to the feast.

The bad were invited to the feast, but they did not remain bad - they were made fit for the feast by the king's garments.

This parable, as pointed and direct as it was, had no effect on the sin-hardened hearts of these religious leaders.

Question from the Pharisees

After a flattering introduction, the Pharisees ask Jesus a problematic question

15) Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16) They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17) Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

Here the Pharisees and the Herodians are working together; this is a testimony to their great hatred of Jesus - they are willing to put aside their own differences for the sake of uniting against Jesus.

Jesus' dilemma with this question: if He says that taxes should be paid, He could be accused of denying the sovereignty of God over Israel (making Himself an enemy of the Jews); if He says that taxes should not be paid, He openly declares Himself an enemy of Rome.

Jesus' reply: render to Caesar what is his, but give to God what belongs to Him

18) But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19) Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, 20) and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
21) "Caesar's," they replied.
Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."
22) When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

Again, Jesus is in complete control; He rebukes their wickedness and hypocrisy.

In His answer, Jesus affirms that the government makes legitimate requests of us; we are responsible to God in all things, but we must be obedient to the powers that be in things civil and national.

Had the Jews rendered unto God His due, they would have never had to render anything to Caesar!

Question from the Sadducees

The Sadducees, who were intellectual materialists ask a difficult question, attempting to ridicule the idea of the resurrection

23) That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24) "Teacher," they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. 25) Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26) The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27) Finally, the woman died. 28) Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?"

The Sadducees were the ancient equivalent to modern liberal theologians; they were anti-super naturalists, only accepting the first five books (The Torah) as authentic.

This was their way of poking fun at the Pharisaical belief of a resurrection. They are not trying to get at this Levitical law, but rather the idea of a resurrection.

Jesus does not attack a lot of things here; instead He focuses on one issue. He draws upon the one common base that they all have, the Torah. The Sadducees did not accept the rest of the Old Testament, but they did accept the five books of Moses, the Torah or what we call the Pentateuch. 

Jesus' reply to the educated men of His day: you don't know the Scriptures; you don't know the power of God

29) Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

We can be highly educated, yet not know the most important things in the world - God's Word and God's power.

Jesus' answer to the question

30) At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31) But about the resurrection of the dead--have you not read what God said to you, 32) 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."
33) When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

First, Jesus reminds them that the resurrection life is quite different from this life; it is not a mere continuation of this world and its arrangements, but it is a completely different order of living. We can't be completely certain what the world beyond will be like, but we can know with certainty that no one will be disappointed with the arrangements.

Then, Jesus demonstrates the reality of the resurrection using only the Torah; if Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not live on in resurrection, then God would say that He was the God of Abraham, not I am the God of Abraham.

First, Jesus points out that the concept of marriage in the resurrection is just not Scriptural. He does not say that angels are sex-less, just that they do not marry.

It is amazing that the God of the universe is calling Himself by the names of these three men. Note that He does not say that He was the God of... But rather is the God of… Present tense, not just that God is in the present tense, but that those three men are in the present tense, not past.

Question from a lawyer among the Pharisees: which is the greatest commandment?

34) Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35) One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36) "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37) Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38) This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40) All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

They were tempting Jesus to show some type of neglect for some area of the law, but instead of promoting one command over another, Jesus gives the defines the law in its essence: love God with everything you have and love your neighbor as yourself.

These are still the great commandments; these are the laws that God wants to make real in our lives.

Jesus asks a question of His opponents

The all important question: Who is the Messiah?

41) While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42) "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?"
"The son of David," they replied.

This is still the great question Jesus asks today; our answer to this question determines our eternal destiny.

Their reply: the Messiah is the Son of David

Jesus is not only David's Son, He is David's Lord!

43) He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says,
    44) " 'The Lord said to my Lord:
       "Sit at my right hand
   until I put your enemies
       under your feet." ' 45) If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?"

The Pharisees were partially right in their reply; but they didn't have a complete understanding of who Jesus is.

This is the idea communicated in Revelation 22:16: I am the root and the offspring of David, and Romans 1:4, which shows Jesus as both the Son of David and the Son of God.

We must not neglect either facet of Jesus' person; He is fully man and fully God, and can only be our Savior if He is both.

Jesus' enemies in retreat

46) No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Logic and rhetoric have proved to be of no help in destroying Jesus; now His enemies will resort to treachery and violence.

Chapter 23

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