The Wedding Banquet

17. March 2009 by Bernice Davis.

Hello: 

Today, we are in the 22^nd chapter today.  MAKING PROGRESS!!!!Our  text for today is as follows: 

Matthew 22:1 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 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, both good and bad, 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 ’Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ 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.”  

Our chapter actually opens up with a continuation of the parables addressed to the religious leaders.   Please remember that when the bible was originally written, chapters and verses were not included.  It was one continuous scroll.  Chapters and verses were added later for studying and organizational purposes.  While we are in another chapter, we can see that is a continuation of the 21^st chapter.   

In this parable, Jesus compares the religious leaders to people who were invited to come to the wedding festival.  The wedding festival represents salvation.  In other words, salvation was first prepared for the Jews but they would not come to the festival because they refused to acknowledge and adhere or honor the king’s son.  The king got made and invited others to come to the wedding and take their place since the event was a reality and there were no guests.  These guests are the gentiles.   Jesus is again telling the religious leaders that they would be kept out of the kingdom because of their unbelief and fruitlessness and others would take their place. 

The last part of this parable is the guest that is not in proper attire.  The text says that everyone comes to the wedding dressed yet he is not.  I know they pulled everyone from the highways and byways but either dress was provided for them by the king or they had time to go home and change for the occasion.  Whatever the situation, all we know is that in the text, this man came undressed, no respect for the rules, just going to crash the party, his own way.   When comforted, he had no excuse so evidently he could have been dressed just refused.   There will be people that come into the church and into the kingdom and will try to live among God’s chosen but will not conform to the rules.  Everything is okay, God will deal with them in God’s timing.   That’s why I always say this is God’s church, His people, His plan for redemption, HIS WORLD…..  He is God.  He has everything under control. 

This concludes the list of parables concerning the invited guests of the

Be encouraged! 

God Bless!!!!!!!  Don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »