The Wedding Dinner – Parables Part 12

Scripture: Matthew 22:1-14

1 Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come! 4 “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. 7 “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:1–14 NLT)

When the Jews did wedding feasts, they invited the guests well in advance (kind of a “save the date”). Then when the sometimes week-long feast was ready, they’d send servants to escort the guests to the venue and to provide each invited guest with wedding garments so that everyone could dress in style!

The invited guests (the Jewish religious leaders in this story) refused to come! So the servants went downtown and invited everyone they could find, good and bad alike (remember the corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes from a couple days ago?), and the banquet room was filled with guests! One of the guests refused the wedding garment provided by the king and chose instead to wear his own garments.

There’s an important truth here for us, friends! Don’t miss the party, and remember that the “robes of righteousness” we wear in the Kingdom of Heaven are provided as a gift of grace, not by our own efforts.

Prayer:

Father, We’ll be there dressed in what you’ve provided! Wouldn’t miss it for the world!