1And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2The kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who made a wedding feast for his son, 3and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast; and they were not willing to come. 4Again, he sent out other servants, saying, Tell those being invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast. 5But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6And the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7But when the king heard about it, he was angry. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8Then he said to his servants, The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding feast. 10So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both evil and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12So he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13And the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14For many are called, but few are chosen. 15Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His words. 16And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. 17Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 18But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why do you test Me, hypocrites? 19Show Me the tribute money. So they brought Him a denarius. 20And He said to them, Whose image and inscription is this? 21They said to Him, Caesar's. And He said to them, Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. 22When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way. 23The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and questioned Him, 24saying: Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed for his brother. 25Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no seed, left his wife to his brother. 26Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. 27Last of all the woman died also. 28Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her. 29Jesus answered and said to them, You are in error, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels of God in Heaven. 31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. 33And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His doctrine. 34But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they were gathered together. 35Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? 37Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. 41While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42saying, What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He? They said to Him, The Son of David. 43He said to them, How then does David in the Spirit call Him Lord, saying: 44The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool? 45If David then calls Him Lord, how is He his son? 46And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 2 PARABLE OF THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING'S SON. (
Matt 22:1-
Matt 22:14)
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son--"In this parable," as TRENCH admirably remarks, "we see how the Lord is revealing Himself in ever clearer light as the central Person of the kingdom, giving here a far plainer hint than in the last parable of the nobility of His descent. There He was indeed the Son, the only and beloved one (
Mark 12:6), of the Householder; but here His race is royal, and He appears as Himself at once the King and the King's Son (
Ps 72:1). The last was a parable of the Old Testament history; and Christ is rather the last and greatest of the line of its prophets and teachers than the founder of a new kingdom. In that, God appears demanding something from men; in this, a parable of grace, God appears more as giving something to them. Thus, as often, the two complete each other: this taking up the matter where the other left it." The "marriage" of Jehovah to His people Israel was familiar to Jewish ears; and in Psa. 45:1-17 this marriage is seen consummated in the Person of Messiah "THE KING," Himself addressed as "GOD" and yet as anointed by "HIS GOD" with the oil of gladness above His fellows. These apparent contradictions (see on
Luke 20:41-
Luke 20:44) are resolved in this parable; and Jesus, in claiming to be this King's Son, serves Himself Heir to all that the prophets and sweet singers of Israel held forth as to Jehovah' s ineffably near and endearing union to His people. But observe carefully, that THE BRIDE does not come into view in this parable; its design being to teach certain truths under the figure of guests at a wedding feast, and the want of a wedding garment, which would not have harmonized with the introduction of the Bride.
3 and sent forth his servants--representing all preachers of the Gospel.
to call them that were bidden--here meaning the Jews, who were "bidden," from the first choice of them onwards through every summons addressed to them by the prophets to hold themselves in readiness for the appearing of their King.
to the wedding--or the marriage festivities, when the preparations were all concluded.
and they would not come--as the issue of the whole ministry of the Baptist, our Lord Himself, and His apostles thereafter, too sadly showed.
4 my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage--This points to those Gospel calls after Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and effusion of the Spirit, to which the parable could not directly allude, but when only it could be said, with strict propriety, "that all things were ready." Compare
1Cor 5:7-8, "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; therefore, let us keep the feast"; also
John 6:51, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully--insulted them.
and slew them--These are two different classes of unbelievers: the one simply indifferent; the other absolutely hostile--the one, contemptuous scorners; the other, bitter persecutors.
7 But when the king--the Great God, who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
heard thereof, he was wroth--at the affront put both on His Son, and on Himself who had deigned to invite them.
and he sent forth his armies--The Romans are here styled God's armies, just as the Assyrian is styled "the rod of His anger" (
Isa 10:5), as being the executors of His judicial vengeance.
and destroyed those murderers--and in what vast numbers did they do it!
and burned up their city--Ah! Jerusalem, once "the city of the Great King" (
Ps 48:2), and even up almost to this time (
Matt 5:35); but now it is "their city"--just as our Lord, a day or two after this, said of the temple, where God had so long dwelt, "Behold your house is left unto you desolate" (
Matt 23:38)! Compare
Luke 19:43-
Luke 19:44.
8 The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy--for how should those be deemed worthy to sit down at His table who had affronted Him by their treatment of His gracious invitation?
9 Go ye therefore into the highways--the great outlets and thoroughfares, whether of town or country, where human beings are to be found.
and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage--that is, just as they are.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good--that is, without making any distinction between open sinners and the morally correct. The Gospel call fetched in Jews, Samaritans, and outlying heathen alike. Thus far the parable answers to that of "the Great Supper" (
Luke 14:16, &c.). But the distinguishing feature of our parable is what follows:
11 And when the king came in to see the guests--Solemn expression this, of that omniscient inspection of every professed disciple of the Lord Jesus from age to age, in virtue of which his true character will hereafter be judicially proclaimed!
he saw there a man--This shows that it is the judgment of individuals which is intended in this latter part of the parable: the first part represents rather national judgment.
which had not on a wedding garment--The language here is drawn from the following remarkable passage in
Zeph 1:7-
Zeph 1:8 : --"Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God; for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, He hath bid His guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel." The custom in the East of presenting festival garments (see
Gen 45:22;
2Kgs 5:22), even though nor clearly proved, Is certainly presupposed here. It undoubtedly means something which they bring not of their own--for how could they have any such dress who were gathered in from the highways indiscriminately?--but which they receive as their appropriate dress. And what can that be but what is meant by "putting on the Lord Jesus," as "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS?" (See
Ps 45:13-
Ps 45:14). Nor could such language be strange to those in whose ears had so long resounded those words of prophetic joy: "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" (
Isa 61:10).
12 Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless--being self-condemned.
13 Then said the king to the servants--the angelic ministers of divine vengeance (as in
Matt 13:41).
Bind him hand and foot--putting it out of his power to resist.
and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness--So
Matt 8:12;
Matt 25:30. The expression is emphatic--"the darkness which is outside." To be "outside" at all--or, in the language of
Rev 22:15, to be "without" the heavenly city, excluded from its joyous nuptials and gladsome festivities--is sad enough of itself, without anything else. But to find themselves not only excluded from the brightness and glory and joy and felicity of the kingdom above, but thrust into a region of "darkness," with all its horrors, this is the dismal retribution here announced, that awaits the unworthy at the great day.
there--in that region and condition.
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. See on
Matt 13:42.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen--So
Matt 19:30. See on
Matt 20:16.