PARABLE OF THE WEDDING FEAST

Pastor James J. Barker

Text: MATTHEW 22:1-14




INTRODUCTION:


  1. These parables recorded by Matthew in chapters 21 and 22 were given in our Lord's final days on earth.
  2. The Jewish religious leaders had rejected our Lord's authority, and attempted to kill Him (21:43-46).
  3. The parable of the marriage feast has a two-fold application: those who accept God's gracious invitation will spend eternity with Him in heaven. The marriage feast is a picture of the festive joy which characterizes heaven.
  4. But those who reject God's gracious invitation will spend eternity in hell (22:13).

  1. THE KING'S INVITATION
  2. THE KING'S JUDGMENT
  3. THE KING'S DECISION
  4. THE KING'S WARNING

 

I. THE KING'S INVITATION

  1. Our Lord compared the kingdom of heaven to a king who made a marriage feast for his son (22:1, 2).
  2. The Jews were accustomed to thinking of the future kingdom under the figure of a feast. The feast symbolizes blessedness and fellowship in this life, and in the life to come.
  3. Revelation 19:9 says, "And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb."
  4. In Scripture, marriage pictures the relationship between Christ and His church. In fact, the last invitation of the Bible is found in Revelation 22:17, where we read, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
  5. Ephesians 5:32 says, "This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church."
  6. Second Corinthians 11:2 says, "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."
  7. In our Lord's parable, the king sent his messengers to call those who were invited, "and they would not come" (22:3). This was a great insult to a king, whose invitation was the highest honour, and who was celebrating the wedding of his son.
  8. Those who "would not come" (22:3) showed contempt.
  9. But God is patient and longsuffering. "Again, he sent forth other servants..." (22:4).
  10. "But they made light of it, and went their ways..." (22:5). They were not loyal to their king; they were not interested in his son or in his wedding; they were wrapped up in self-interest; they were worldly and careless and thoughtless. Like most people today!
  11. People are preoccupied with material things -- work, making money, merchandise, business, etc. and have no time for God (22:5).
  12. In the parable, these indifferent worldlings went so far as treat the king's servants spitefully, and kill them (22:6). This is precisely what happened in Israel.
  13. The Israelites ignored God's invitation, and mistreated His prophets, and even killed many of them. Hebrews 11:36-38 says they suffered "cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth."

 

II. THE KING'S JUDGMENT

  1. "But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth..." (22:7).
  2. The king, in justifiable anger, "sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city" (22:7). Historically, this was literally fulfilled in AD 70 when the Roman army destroyed the temple and destroyed the city of Jerusalem.
  3. God allowed the Romans to destroy Jerusalem.
  4. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
  5. God destroyed the whole world in the days of Noah.
  6. How much time does America have left?
  7. People need to make up their mind. Our Lord said, "He that is not with me is against me" (Matthew 12:30).
  8. When sinners choose to reject Christ, they have to face the wrath of God (22:7).

 

III. THE KING'S DECISION

  1. Despite the refusal of those originally invited (they "were not worthy"), the king declared that the wedding feast would still be held (22:8, 9).
  2. God in His mercy and grace is still seeking to save those who are lost (22:8-10).
  3. The king directed his servants to go "into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage" (22:9).
  4. There is a very similar parable in Luke 14. In Luke 14:23, it says, "And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled."
  5. This was done, and soon the wedding feast was filled with guests -- "both bad and good" (22:10).
  6. Historically and dispensationally, this was fulfilled when the Gospel was accepted by the Gentiles. In Acts 13:46, Paul and Barnabas said to the Jews who rejected Christ, "It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."
  7. That is the meaning of this parable. The Gospel first went out to the Jews, "but they made light of it" (22:5), even going so far in their hatred as to crucify our Lord, and to kill his messengers like Stephen (Acts 7).
  8. Their wickedness and unbelief was so bad, the Lord allowed the Roman army under Titus to destroy the temple and burn down the city. Many Jews were killed during this invasion (cf. Matthew 22:7).
  9. But God in His grace and mercy said, "The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage" (22:8, 9).
  10. This invitation is still available. The apostle Paul said to the Jews in Rome, "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it" (Acts 28:28).

 

IV. THE KING'S WARNING

  1. Once the wedding chamber was filled with guests, the feast began. "And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment" (22:11).
  2. The king represents God. His "son" (22:2) represents the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 11 symbolizes the "spiritual inspection and inquiry that God is bound to make of every man" (W.H. Griffith Thomas, Outline Studies in Matthew).
  3. The man without the wedding garment had no excuse because he had ample opportunity to prepare himself. Even if he was unaware of the king's requirements, wedding garments were available for all the guests.
  4. But the man tried to get in without the wedding garment. The wedding garment symbolizes the imputed righteousness of Christ.
  5. Isaiah 61:10 says, "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."
  6. Revelation 7:14 says, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
  7. Referring to the bride of Christ, Revelation 19:8 says, "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."
  8. This man without the wedding garment wanted to enjoy the delights of the banquet but he had no respect for the king. And so it is today -- many people wish to enjoy the delights of heaven but they have no respect for God!
  9. They want to go to heaven on their terms.
  10. They foolishly believe God will overlook their dirty, sin-stained garments.

Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
O be washed in the blood of the Lamb!
-- Elisha A. Hoffman

  1. When the king confronted the man without a wedding garment, the man "was speechless" (22:12b).
  2. Then verse 13 says, "Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness..."
  3. There are three warnings in the Gospel of Matthew about sinners being "cast out into outer darkness," where "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (cf. 8:12; 25:30).
  4. First they are "speechless" (22:12b), then they are weeping and gnashing their teeth (22:13).
  5. Imagine being confined to a very dark place for a long period of time.
  6. Imagine being confined to a very dark place for eternity!
  7. Imagine being surrounded by crazed sinners weeping and gnashing their teeth.
  8. Imagine being surrounded by crazed sinners weeping and gnashing their teeth for all eternity!
  9. Jude 7 says the ungodly suffer “the vengeance of eternal fire.” In Matthew 25:41, our Lord said hell is everlasting fire; and in Matthew 25:46, our Lord said hell is everlasting punishment.
  10. In Mark 3:29, our Lord warned of the "danger of eternal damnation."
  11. In the Bible, weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth always signifies eternal torment in hell. Our Lord said in Matthew 13:42 that sinners "shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
  12. Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for all eternity!
  13. Revelation 14:11 says, "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night."
  14. Referring to the man which had not on a wedding garment, John Broadus said the Lord "punishes those who pretend to accept his invitation, but dishonour him by utter inconsistency" (Matthew).
  15. This is the third of three parables illustrating how sinners have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, and each one them teaches basically the same lesson, and that is that empty profession leads to judgment (cf. 21:28-30, 33-41; 22:12, 13).
  16. The lesson is that profession is not enough. One must have reality.

 

CONCLUSION:


  1. Our Lord said, "For many are called" (22:14; cf. 22:3). But many have refused the call (22:3-5).
  2. Only those who are wearing the proper wedding garment will be "chosen" (22:14).


| Customized by Jun Gapuz |