Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Sermon on Matthew 22:1-14

In today’s parable, Jesus was speaking to the Jewish religious leaders who had questioned his authority earlier. They were “the chief priests and the elders of the people” (Matt 21:23). They wanted to know who had given Jesus this authority to do what he has been doing, i.e. performing miracles, teaching from the Scriptures, cleaning out the Temple, cursing fig trees, etc.

This parable is actually the third of three consecutive parables which Jesus used when he was speaking to them. The first, Matt 21:28-32, is the parable of the two sons (first son did not want to work in the vineyard, but later changed his mind, while the second had promised to work but did not do so in the end). The second parable, Matt 21:33-46, is the parable of the wicked tenants (the tenants abused and murdered the servants and finally the son of the landowner who came to collect their rent). The third parable, our parable today, speaks about a royal wedding feast, given by a king for his son. Those who received the first invitation did not attend the banquet. Some went about their own business while others, the ruthless ones, seized the king’s servants and killed them. The king was furious and sent his troops to kill them all and burned the city.

With no guests to attend his son’s wedding, the king sent his servants into the countryside, outside the city gates, to gather all they could find, both good and bad. The passage does not tell us if those with the second invitation all came, but there was one man who came without proper wedding attire. Surprisingly, the king called him, “friend”, a title which was also used on Judas Iscariot when he betrayed Jesus (See Matt 26:50). The king asked him, “How did you get in here without a wedding garment?” And the man was speechless. If he was poor and did not have proper wedding clothes, he could have told the king. But he did not. He was speechless. This tells us that the man did not have a good explanation to his lack of respect for the royal wedding. Some commentators believe that he was dressed in dirty, torn and tatted clothes, giving no respect to the king and his son. The offence which he had committed was not because he was poor, but he did not recognize the importance of such an event. We will discuss more about this man later. Back to the story…

With that, the king ordered his attendants to cast him into the outer darkness, where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. The same phrase was used later in Matt 24:51, as also “a place with the hypocrites”. Such imagery is often used to describe “hell” or “eternal punishment”. I am unsure if Jesus was describing about “hell” here as I do not see it as the main concern of this parable. The parable is about the rejection of the wedding invitation rather than the punishment for those who rejected it. I agree that there will be punishment for those who rejected God, but I am simply not convinced that this punishment is necessarily “hell” in how we commonly perceive hell to be. If we truly believe that heaven is a place where one lives for all of eternity with God, then “hell” is simply the opposite, a place without God. Does it need to be a physical place like the 18 levels of hell in the Chinese religions? I do not think so. No one will be able to tell you exactly what hell is like. I can accept that it will be a place of sadness, bitterness and darkness. Kind of like how the world was like before God’s act of Creation in Genesis. That is good enough for me.

Before we engage deeper into the parable, I would like to clarify that a parable is a fictional story. It must not be interpreted literally. Even though many parables are everyday examples which people can relate to (like a wedding banquet, or working in vineyard); every parable is locked in it context, time and place in history. It is important for us to recognize that these parables have a specific purpose with a specific audience. And in this case, they were spoken by Jesus directly to the chief priests and the teachers of the law of its day. Yet, the lesson gathered from it is not exclusive to them. For us today, once we understand its original context, we can then apply it in our lives. So that, we do not become like the Pharisees and the Sadducees of the past.

Today, we are often concerned with applying biblical knowledge with application in life. You would be surprised to know that this was exactly what the Pharisees were trying to do with their million rules. Unlike today, when we call someone a “Pharisee”, we mean that this person is hypocritical, believing in one thing and doing another. But in the past, to be called a “Pharisee” was actually a compliment. A Pharisee is someone who pursues righteous living and actively applies their understanding of God’s Word to every single area of their lives. No one applies the Bible to contemporary life more fervently than the Pharisees. They are very smart people who studied God’s Word daily and prayed often. They were seeking God as much as we are doing so today. Unfortunately, they were reprimanded by Jesus because they did not recognize His authority as the Messiah. Like the first group of the wedding guests, they did not recognize the importance of celebrating the marriage of the King’s son. They rejected the King’s authority and in a way, they rejected the King and his invitation to eternal life. They were the “elect of the elects”, the chosen representatives among the Chosen People. But yet, even with such a high calling and privilege, they failed in their response and responsibility.

Many in history have tried to identity the characters and objects in the parable. The most common interpretation of this parable explains that, the…
1. King = God
2. son = Jesus
3. servants = prophets in the OT
4. first group of invited guests = Jews
5. those who murdered the servants = recalcitrant religious leaders
6. second group of guests = Gentiles
7. wedding invitation = the gospel
8. wedding feast = salvation or the kingdom of heaven
9. improperly dressed man / “friend” = a hyprocrite
10. wedding garment = Christ’s righteousness
11. King’s troops = Roman soldiers?
12. burned city = destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70?

Not every character or objects in the parable necessarily have a direct reference. Please do not ask who does the oxen and the fat calves represent! The first ten are pretty reasonable and acceptable by a majority of scholars, but there are questions regarding the last two. The main difference lies in deciding if you read this parable as a prophecy or as a reprobative teaching. I am proposing that it is the latter and not the former. This parable is about Jesus correcting and reprimanding the religious leaders and not a prophecy about the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Even though the destruction of the temple was hinted in Matt 24, this event took place after Jesus had left the temple. And in that narrative, Jesus was speaking to his disciples directly who later asked him about the signs of the end times. The context and audience were different from the parable today.

Yes, from today’s parable, it is undeniable that there will be punishment and destruction for those who reject God’s invitation to His Kingdom, but we do not know if this punishment and destruction has already taken place. Anti-semantic scholars would use this parable to advocate the punishment of Jews in history. They see themselves as the king’s troops. This error of interpretation has led to the genocide of six million Jews during the Nazi regime. The Protestant Church at that time believed also in such erroneous theology. It really is none of our business to inquire about how and when God will punish those who reject Him.

Let’s take a deeper look at the man without proper wedding clothes. To me, he is like a man who has heard the gospel but does not truly understand its significance in his life. He may know about Jesus, but does not know Jesus intimately. The friendship between the king and the man is superficial. He turns up at the wedding banquet because there was free food and wine. He does not care about what the celebration was about. He was merely there because he was asked to come. Or simply because, everyone he knows was going, so he went along. Big mistake. 

In our Christian journey, we may have met people like that, who is there simply for the ride. They are never serious about God or His Word. They may come to church for all the wrong reasons. They believe in a God with benefits; blessings without sacrifices. The man did not truly understand what it means to be a follower of Christ. He does not practice what he preaches. He is a hypocrite. He does not live the gospel message in his life. He carries the cross around his neck and never in his heart. He calls Jesus, “My friend,” never, “My Lord”. He believes only in “cheap grace”. But before you point your finger at others, look first at yourself.

"Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession.... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate." Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

Lastly, I want to speak about the last and most important verse of today’s parable, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (v. 14). Today, I hope that we can use this opportunity to re-think two theological concepts which we may have believe in mistakenly for far too long. Firstly, we should throw away the belief of “once saved, always saved.” In the light of today’s passage, such a statement simply does not hold weight. Israel, together with their chief priests and teachers of the law, was the Chosen Nation, and yet they have failed to even recognize Jesus as Messiah living in their midst. I am reminded in Matt 3:7-9, “7 But when he [Jesus] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” Jesus is simply saying do not think that you will be saved simply because of your racial identity. In the same way, we must believe that being a Christian in name, will not save you either. You must be a believing and practicing Christian. Do not be a Christian without Christ!

The second theological concept which I think we need to understand from fresh perspective is, the “assurance of salvation.” What are we exactly talking about? The assurance of salvation is simply the belief that God has assured us of his salvation plan in Jesus Christ. God has a way to win over death, over sin, over our disobedience. It is through the blood of Christ on the cross. This does not mean that that there is universal salvation. It does not assure us that all Christians will be saved. The parable tells us clearly that many are called, but only a few are chosen. How many? Only God knows. Don’t even bother to ask who the chosen ones are. It is none of our business. Our duty as a follower is simply to follow Christ as closely as we can. If we miss a step, or fall, simply stand up and continue onward in our journey with Christ. Christ is with us all the way. Keep our focus on Christ. Our assurance is not in what we have done to deserve this salvation, but on what Christ has done on the cross. Our assurance is simply of what God has done in Christ. Remember that the invitation is for all, but not everyone ends up at the wedding feast. Instead of asking about the assurance of our salvation, may I simply suggest that we try our best to live like Christ in our lives instead?

Some of us may be wondering if there is hope for the Jews. Of course! Not all Jews rejected Jesus. Jesus’ Twelve disciples, together with Peter and Paul, and many first-century Christians were Jews. The door is always open to anyone who wants to believe in Jesus Christ, The door is still open to Jews and Gentiles alike. Let us pray for us to be faithful in our walk with Jesus. Let us accept Gods invitation to celebrate eternal life at the royal feast with Christ!

Let us pray.

Questions:
In what ways have we seen Christians living their Christian life without Christ?

How can we encourage each other to be faithful followers of Christ today?