SUNDAY CHOICE – A Parable of a Wedding Banquet – By Charles Schokman

THE Parable of the Wedding Banquet. Matthew 22: 1- 14

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. 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. 8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.9 So 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, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ 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 parable of the wedding feast is a parable about universalism . Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God is open to everyone, not only Jews.

This parable is told using the familiar setting of a wedding feast, however there are a few surprising events included.

A king was preparing a wedding feast for his son. He sent his servants out to bring the invited guests – but they did not want to come. The servants were once again sent out with the message,“Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.”

Their reactions were very strange and severe:

 *   Some guests ignored the servants and went instead to their farms or businesses.
 *   Others seized the servants, mistreated them and then killed them.

The king was furious and sent troops to destroy the murderers and burn their city. He then instructed his servants to invite anyone they found, so that both good and bad people filled the hall at the wedding feast.

The original guests invited were the Jews. The Jews believed that because they were God’s chosen people that was all that was required to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (ie to be invited to the wedding feast).

The Jews who ignored the servants were those who ignored the prophets who came to deliver the message of God, and perhaps those who refused to believe in Jesus. The Jews who reacted violently could be a reference to those who mistreated and murdered the prophets and messengers of God, and perhaps foretold of the rejection of Jesus.

The guests who were invited afterwards are the Gentiles. This parable shows that the Kingdom of God is open to everyone, not just the Jews.

At the end of the parable we see an interaction between the king and a man who was not dressed appropriately. He ordered the servants to bind this man and to throw him into the darkness where he will cry and gnash his teeth. The unsuitably dressed man represents those who were not prepared for complete commitment to Jesus.

The parable concludes with the words:

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

You are welcome to pass this on.