The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Key Verses 22:1-2

“Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.’”

In this passage Jesus speaks again in a parable to the Jewish leaders.  In this parable of the wedding banquet Jesus teaches us God’s heart for the people of all nations.  God is not willing that anyone should perish, instead He wants everyone to enter His Kingdom and have salvation.  So He invites people diligently and with much sacrifice. Some do not know how to receive God’s invitation and fail to enter. Others enter, but get thrown out because they did not prepare.  Today, we must learn how to obtain the Kingdom.  But most of all, we must learn God’s heart.

First, God’s invitation, “Come to the wedding banquet” (1-7).

Look at verses 1-2.  “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.”  Here Jesus teaches us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.  The Kingdom of Heaven is like a wedding banquet in that a wedding banquet is a time of great joy.  It is the time to celebrate to give thanks for the union between the groom and the bride.  In this case the wedding banquet is like the Kingdom of Heaven, because a day is coming when finally man will be reunited with their God in a beautiful love relationship.  Oh what a day!  Our joy will be complete and so will our restoration.  This is God’s plan and will and He does this for the sake of His Son Jesus Christ, who died for us.

Look at verse 2 again, ““The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.” Here the king is God and the Son is Jesus Christ.  God is so looking forward to the day when Jesus and His church will be united forever.  This is the culmination of what God has been trying to do since man rebelled against God in the Garden.  This is the day God is looking toward with great joy and eagerness and expectation.  And He has prepared for this day, like a king who has prepared for his son’s wedding banquet.  

To a king, his son’s wedding is the most meaningful and joyful of all days.  This was a royal wedding.  The king prepared perfectly, using all of his kingdom resources.  He declared a national holiday.  He built a special wedding hall with a grand stage.  He prepared the best carriage drawn by white horses.  He trained his army officers to march in a military parade. He commissioned the royal musicians to compose the most excellent new music, and trained the royal orchestra.  He had singers and dancers.  He called in the best cooks and ordered large quantities of the finest food.  He prepared a spectacular fireworks display.  The king did all these things with overflowing joy.

Spiritually speaking, our God is preparing the wedding banquet for His Son Jesus to be united with His bride, the church. God saves sinners, and sanctifies and glorifies us through longsuffering patience to present us to Christ.  God does this for the glory of his Son.  God has spared nothing to prepare us to be united with His Son Jesus.

Look at verse 3a. “He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come....” Only VIP’s would be invited to this wedding banquet.  No one ranking lower than a cabinet member, senator, or governor could expect an invitation.  When Princess Diana got married to Prince Charles at Westminster Abbey, only VIP’s could attend this wedding, like kings and Presidents and foreign dignitaries and important people.  The common person was not allowed to attend in person; they had to watch on TV, they were not worthy to attend in person.

These first guests are the Israelites.  Even though the whole earth belongs to God, the Israelites were God’s chosen and treasured possession.  They were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Exodus 19:5-6)  It is important to note that the Israelites became VIP’s because of God’s calling and choosing on their lives.  They did nothing to deserve this privileged position, but they were given this position and honor by God.  In the same way, the king invited these first guests; it was a great honor and privilege.

Look at verses 3b-6, “but they refused to come. 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. 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.”

The first time the guests refused to come.  The king should have been angry at their refusal, but instead he thought that his servants must not have properly invited his guests and they did not understand what a wonderful and joyful time the wedding banquet was going to be, so he sent some more servants to tell them all the good things that the king had prepared for the wedding banquet.  He especially highlighted the food; people really love the taste of delicious food.  This reveals the kings great patience and mercy and grace upon these ungrateful and unthankful guests.  These invited guests really had no idea how valuable a thing it was for them to be invited to this wedding banquet.

Again, this wedding banquet is an illustration of the day when Christ and the Church will be joined together forever.  It is the beginning of our eternity with him.  These guests did not understand how privileged they were to be invited to this wonderful banquet and to join in this blessed event.  Even after being clearly told what had been prepared at this wedding banquet, the invited guests did not pay any attention, some even became violent.

What a surprise!  The invited guests were so preoccupied with other things that they paid no attention to the kings invitation.  The invitation went in one ear and out the other.  How could this happen?  Surely, when they first received the invitation they must have been so excited, sensing how wonderful it was going to be and what a great privilege they had been given.  But in the course of time they changed their attitude.  Now they gave their full attention to their fields and businesses.  They were so engrossed in these things that they totally lost the value and meaning of the king’s invitation.

God is so gracious that he always invites us to his kingdom.  We fully intend to accept.  But as we live and work in this world, the mundane things of it can pull us away from God.  If love for the world increases in our hearts, love for God decreases.  For example, we may want to attend a Bible conference.  But instead we study more to get an “A+”, or we work overtime in hopes of a promotion.  In the course of pursuing these things we can lose our spiritual desire completely.  We can lose sight of the value of what God is inviting us to.

Look at verse 7, “7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.”  God is a righteous Judge. Though he is patient, he will destroy all rebellion and unrighteousness.  May we listen to God’s invitation, “Come to the wedding banquet.” To accept this invitation we must honor God first and make it our top priority to attend.

Second, God’s heart to fill the wedding hall (8-10).

Look at verse 8. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.’” The king grieved over the invited guests. They were highly favored, but in their selfishness and worldly desires they forfeited their blessing to attend.  He said they did not deserve to come.  When they paid no attention to the invitation they automatically became disqualified to attend this wedding banquet.

Look at verses 9-10.  9Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10So 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 told his servants to ‘go to the street corners and invite anyone you find’ to come to the wedding banquet.  The king opened the wedding banquet hall to anyone who would accept the invitation to come.  All kinds of people streamed into the banquet hall, and soon it was filled with guests.  These guests represent the Gentiles and all those who are unworthy to attend the wedding banquet.  These were not the first choice guests.  They really had no reason to expect to be invited to this wedding banquet.  To them, the invitation was the most precious news and they gladly accepted.

Mt. 21:31b-32 reads, “Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

Originally, the invitation was given to the Jews.  But they rejected the invitation.  They rejected God’s invitation when they rejected Jesus and handed him over to be crucified.  So the invitation went out to those who were like ‘tax collectors and prostitutes’; people who were not worthy to come to such a wedding banquet.  They were the ‘public sinners’ who should have been condemned.  And yet, they were entering the Kingdom of Heaven ahead of those who were originally invited.  This reveals again God’s immeasurable mercy and grace upon sinners.  Even though we are unworthy to be invited to join in the union between Christ and His Church, He invites even us! 

We can see that the servants worked hard to obey the king.  They loved their king.  They understood their king’s heart and his desire to bless and honor his son.  The servants could even overcome their own thinking; perhaps they thought that unworthy people like tax collectors and prostitutes should not attend the king’s son’s wedding banquet.  But that did not stop them.  They went out and invited anyone they met.  They did such a good job that the wedding hall was completely filled.

God calls us to go and make disciples of all nations.  We are called to be his servants who invite the guests so that the wedding banquet of our Lord Jesus would be filled; so that that final day will be the day of great rejoicing; the day when Christ and the full number are united forever.  Those who truly love God and know His heart will invite anyone they find and will be used preciously to fill the wedding banquet.

I really thank God for these words to the servants, “Go and invite anyone you find.”  This direction is so simple.  We often make it so complicated.  Many think that they are not qualified or ready to do such a radical thing as to invite someone to Bible study.  Some think they are not smart enough or they are too shy.  Some think they don’t know the Bible well enough.  Some think they don’t have the time.  But in reality our Lord only asks us to “Go and invite anyone you find.”  You don’t have to be bold to invite; you don’t have to be intelligent to invite; you don’t have to be well prepared in advance to invite; and as far as time is concerned if you have only 20 minutes to go to campus you are bound to find someone.

Personally, these words really encouraged me a lot.  Very honestly I have tried to invite and study the Bible with the students at UCLA, but they always intimidated me.  They were go getter type of people; very driven and very ambitious and very intelligent.  They had many reasons and excuses as to why not to study or to obey God’s Word.  I felt too inadequate to invite such people.  So I slowly stopped inviting people to study the Bible.  I was too intimidated.  But this passage encouraged me a lot.  I learned that my job is really not that hard.  “Go and invite anyone you find.”  I may not be as able or intelligent as the student’s, but it doesn't matter; God asks me, “Go and invite anyone you find.”

So I held onto this direction absolutely and from the very first day of school I went to campus and began inviting anyone I found.  I didn’t care if they said no or yelled at me.  I didn’t care if they looked scary or intimidating to me.  I just invited them all.  And strangely, so many students accepted the invitation.  I was surprised.  By having so many students accept I could see that it is God’s will that the wedding banquet be filled and He will surely accomplish it.  He just asks us to “Go and invite anyone we find.”  I could see that when I obey this simple command, then He can accomplish His will.

These days we are praying to double our 1:1’s by next school year.  This is a good prayer topic.  Now is the time to fill the banquet hall.  Soon we will be united with Christ forever.  That day is not far off.  God desires that none should perish.  May God give us His heart for the lost and a child’s obedience to His direction, “Go and invite anyone you find.”

Third, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ (11-14).

Although anyone and everyone was welcome to come in, there was a requirement to attend this banquet. The guests had to wear wedding clothes. The bride and groom were dressed in shining white garments that dazzled in the light. The members of the wedding party all wore expensive tuxedos and formal dresses. All of the guests were expected to wear wedding clothes as their expression of respect and to increase the glory of the wedding. Customarily, anyone who did not own such clothes would be provided for by the host as he entered the banquet.  

But one guy refused to wear the wedding clothes.  He was uncomfortable with formal wear and insisted on wearing his ripped blue jeans, his sweatshirt with his school logo on it, and his baseball cap turned backwards.  He really liked his own clothes because they reflected his style.  But in that holy and glorious wedding banquet he was an eyesore.  Suddenly the king was beside him.  Look at verses 11-12. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’  The man was speechless.”

What then are the wedding clothes?  The wedding clothes represent Christ’s righteousness that we who repent and believe are clothed with so that we are found acceptable before God.  Rom. 13:14 reads, “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

These wedding clothes represent the righteous acts of the saints, made pure by Christ’s blood and forgiveness and love to us.  I Cor. 15:53-54 read, “53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.  54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."”

What happened to the man who wore ripped blue jeans? Look at verse 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.’”  The king threw him out because this man had not properly prepared himself for the wedding banquet.  It is true that he was invited, but that did not mean he could come anyway he wanted, he still needed to show the king’s son proper respect and honor.  This shows that the invitation does not mean that you are qualified to attend.  You still need to make yourself ready and prepared properly.

Look at verse 14, “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”  This verse reveals that the work of inviting is the servants work, but the work of choosing is God’s work.  We are not in the business of choosing, God looks at everyone who is invited and depending upon their response, makes a decision as to whether they deserve to attend the wedding banquet of His Son or not.  This frees us up and allows us to easily go and invite anyone we find, without any preconceived idea or notion concerning the person, whether good or bad.  This verse also reveals that as servants we need to help students to put on the ‘wedding clothes’ so they will be found deserving to attend the great and wonderful day that is soon coming.

God invites many people to his banquet out of his broken heart for people who suffer under the power of sin and death. But only those clothed in God’s righteousness through Jesus’ blood will dwell in heaven. No one undeserving will be found there.   Let’s put our faith in Jesus Christ, and him alone, for our righteousness and salvation.  May God help us to invite anyone we find so that they too may join in that glorious day.

One Word: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for His Son.

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