The King’s Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22: 8 – 14: 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.”

    This is a remarkable parable. Jesus told it during his last week of ministry in Jerusalem. His hearers were mostly Jewish, and had mostly rejected his invitation to God’s Kingdom. Earlier in the parable, those who were invited to the banquet rejected the King’s invitation. Some were just too busy and some were even hostile, mistreating and killing the messengers.

    It would have been inconceivable to be too busy to attend a king’s banquet. It would have been the best meal anyone would get to eat in their whole lives. To simply be too busy would have been more than foolish. But the truth is, we are often simply too busy for God. And the idea of mistreating the messengers would have been shocking, but that is exactly what we have seen throughout history.

    So the king sends his servants out to invite everyone, the good and the bad. Jesus was explaining that God’s invitation is open to everyone, even the Gentiles. God loves the whole world. His offer for salvation is open to all. All we have to do is accept his generous invitation.

    But, then the parable takes this sharp, and perhaps unexpected, turn. The king is walking among his guests and sees a man who is not wearing “wedding clothes.” So he has his attendants tie him, hand and foot, and throw him out into the darkness “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

    What gives? In Jesus’ culture, the king would have provided the wedding clothes. Remember, these are people off the street. Jesus is warning us that we must be clothed in righteousness (Isaiah 61:10) if we are going to be allowed into God’s holy presence. He will clothe us if we will simply trust him. Most people will refuse to do this. Most will try to enter heaven thinking they are good enough on their own. Jesus says no, many are invited, but few are chosen.