Well, hello, everyone, and welcome to Sonday Life. I’m excited to talk to you today about a wedding invitation. It’s a special wedding invitation that Jesus discussed in the Gospel of Matthew. How many of you have received a wedding invitation recently? What were you thinking when you read it? Were you happy and excited or disinterested and underwhelmed? Your reaction probably depends on how close you are to the couple getting married. With the invitation always comes a question; “Will you attend the wedding?”
In the Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22, let’s see how the guests invited responded to their invitation to the wedding.
Let’s read from Matthew 22:1-14; To set the background for you, Jesus is in Jerusalem the week of his crucifixion. He’s telling this parable on Wednesday morning. He’ll be arrested Thursday evening and tried and crucified on Friday. The hours are counting down on the time he has left to speak to the Judeans.
To help us understand the meaning of this parable, Jesus tells a similar story about “The Great Feast” in Luke 14:16-24. Now there are a few differences between the parables, but we’ll see that’s because Matthew is writing to a Judean audience, and Lukes’s audience is Greek.
Two parables, similar but slightly different. Let’s look at the differences and see why:
Matthew and Luke:
A King vs. A Certain Man
A Wedding Banquet for his Son vs. A Great Banquet
Two Invitations/attempts vs. One Invitation
Refusal, disinterest, and violence vs. Excuses made by the invited.
Anger and Destruction vs. Anger Lead to Replacement.
Good and Bad Gathered vs. The Least are brought to the Banquet.
Only a few are Chosen, vs. The Invited will not taste the Banquet.
Another difference to note here is in the tone of the parables: To tone in Matthew’s story is harsher than Lukes’s because more was expected from the Judeans than the Greeks.
The meaning of Matthew’s parable: Israel as a whole and every Judean individual who rejects God’s invitation through John the Baptist and Jesus as their Messiah will be condemned.
You can’t say the Judeans were unaware of the call of the Messiah. Rabbinic literature states that at the end of the age, Israel would enjoy a Messianic banquet as they transitioned from this age to the age to come. The first invitation was from the prophets and writings, and the second invitation was from John the Baptist, whom they killed.
In Matthew’s parable, when the invited refuse, the King sends his servants into the streets to gather good and bad people to fill the wedding hall. By going into the streets, the reference is local, meaning Judeans are gathered. But some who were gathered weren’t properly attired. Even though guests were invited to the wedding off the streets, they still had to be admitted into the banquet hall. It’s apparent from the king’s response to the improperly dressed man that the proper attire was being checked at the door. If he weren’t dressed properly, he wouldn’t be admitted; therefore, he got into the wedding banquet another way, mainly by his righteousness – but his righteousness is ragged before God. Some try to enter the kingdom other than through the Messiah, and God will reject them and cast them into outer darkness. This was a symbol of judgment, according to Rabbinic writings.
Matthew’s Conclusion: Many are called, but few are chosen. Israel was called to salvation and the Messianic Kingdom, but they refused. The chosen are those who were brought to the wedding by the grace of God and who were properly attired by faith in Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
Also, let’s look at The meaning of Luke’s parable: God invited Israel to the great banquet of the Messiah, but Israel rejected God’s invitation. It states plainly in Luke’s story that guests had agreed to come. These were the people of God who had a covenant with Him. Therefore God sent his servants, the disciples of Jesus, to gather the outcasts of Israel and the Gentiles and bring them to the banquet. Those who reject the invitation of God will not be part of the Messiah’s banquet.
Luke’s Conclusion: God is gathering Gentiles for salvation through His grace by faith in His goodness and mercy. Though Israel has been rejected because they refused His invitation, individual Judeans can be saved like the Gentiles.
So, what is The meaning of the Parables for us today? The meaning is this; if you haven’t decided to accept God’s invitation to salvation, don’t make excuses. Don’t say my life is too hectic right now, or I’m too busy driving the kids to soccer practice, or I’ve got a lot of things I want to accomplish first, or maybe a year from now, I’ll be ready to come to Christ. An excuse is an attempt to avoid accountability. The problem with making excuses is that it becomes a habit that reinforces itself so much that it’s impossible to be liable for your actions. If there’s no accountability, then you don’t need God’s help. But if you don’t know you need help from God, then you’re going to be left out in the cold darkness, literally.
And for those of us who have accepted God’s invitation to the Wedding feast, we should always be mindful of those who haven’t accepted God’s invitation. Those who are missing out; our family members, friends, co-workers, and strangers. We’re the servants God told to go out to the streets, alleys, highways, and hedges and invite everyone you see to the Wedding of God’s Son.
As I close this episode, let me stop presenting the slides.
I hope this picture of the coming great wedding feast for Christ and his bride, the church, speaks to you about your selection as a guest to God’s celebration in heaven with those who have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ through God’s grace. We’re very fortunate to be some of the chosen of God for salvation. Until our next episode, May the Lord keep your heart and mind upon Him as He prepares you for eternity with Him. God Bless you all!
