The Pharisees and Sadducees were clear opponents of Jesus. However, Jesus didn’t see them as mere opponents. He viewed them as people he was seeking to win over to his side.
He used parables to get the religious leaders to think about their position and possibly change it toward Jesus.
Today’s study explores another of Jesus’ parables while he taught in the courtyard of the temple complex.
Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.
“He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.
“Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’
“But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them” (Matthew 22.1-6).
This was not an ordinary dinner that you could escape without attending. The king, who holds the power over your country and has the welfare of society entrusted to him, has invited you to a royal gathering.
Can you imagine treating such an invitation lightly and not attending?
The entire crowd would have agreed with Jesus in his evaluation of the situation.
“The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city” (Matthew 22.7).
The king’s honor had been disrespected, and he had every right to act against those who turned down his offer. That is what the crowd would have thought in agreement with Jesus.
However, Jesus’ next statement would have caused them to pause.
“Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.
“Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’
“Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad, so the wedding hall was filled with guests” (Matthew 22.8-10).
Earlier, Jesus had told the religious authorities that the tax collectors and prostitutes would enter the kingdom of God ahead of them. I expect they felt Jesus was aiming this last portion of the parable against them.
Today’s Application
When Rudy Ross and I finish our study of Matthew, we are going to Romans. I’ve been doing a little preparation for those videos and came across an interesting insight about the human condition.
There is a phrase about a cause of God’s judgment: “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God” (Romans 1.28).
What does it mean not to acknowledge God? It simply means that we have no place for God in our daily lives. We may claim to believe in Him, attend church, even read our Bible, and pray from time to time.
But if God does not direct our daily life, we are basically showing that we have no place for Him.
Imagine how similar that is to being invited to the King’s banquet and saying, “I’m sorry, I’m too busy. I can’t come today. I have to scroll through my social media on my phone and can’t be bothered.”
A Message to the Church
This parable has been read in churches from the time Jesus first told it outside the temple until today. It has a somber message for those who believe they are okay with God.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe,
“And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.
“Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22.11-14).
There are two extreme ways to try to understand what Jesus is saying in this parable.
The wife of the Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards wondered to the day of her death if she was one of God’s chosen. She was fearful that she wouldn’t enter heaven, even though she’d lived a life devoted to the Lord.
The other extreme is the person who thinks they’ve picked up a ticket for salvation, have it in their shirt pocket and don’t have to do anything else with God for the rest of their lives. Both of these extremes are harmful.
The best way to approach eternal salvation is to come every day to the banquet that the Lord has provided for us and to live with Him. That will be our assurance of salvation.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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