Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:3,7,11,13-14: "He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come . . . The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned the city . . . . The king came in to see the guests; he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes . . . . 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.' For many are invited but few are chosen."

As one reads this parable of Jesus, one is reminded of the preceding parable in Matthew 21 concerning the tenants. In the chapter 21 parable, the story is told of a landowner who had entrusted his land to tenant farmers, who were to submit to the will of the landowner and cultivate the land to produce fruit for harvest. Instead of following the decree of the owner, the tenants strove to take the inheritance from the landowner by first killing the servants sent to collect the harvest; then these farmers killed the son of the landowner thinking that they would then be able to take the land for themselves. In effect, Jesus is sharing a story about those who would challenge the rightful Lordship of God (the Landowner).

Then Jesus further addresses the foundational issue of Lordship by interjecting the parable of the wedding banquet. The imagery of this story portrays God's plan of salvation for humanity. Salvation IS the blessedness of being invited to His Divine, eternal Wedding Banquet. It is the opportunity of entering the joy of His eternal presence in Heaven . . . a place that is beyond our finite physical senses and understanding today (I Corinthians 2:9). He has paid the price for our redemption solely through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Still, God's calling to those invited necessitates a response of submission to Him. Although the parable suggests that the king (i.e. God) invited many to the banquet, many refused to come. The people were willing to shun the invitation, because they did not want the king telling them what they must do. They desired their own wills over the blessing of the king's wedding banquet . . . they would rather stay in the dark, dingy streets where they could maintain control of their lives than enter the glorious splendor of the king's court and enjoy his spectacular feast. Here we see that Jesus is addressing a lordship issue; for each man must come to a point of reckoning, whether he will surrender himself to Jesus Christ as Lord or continue to seek his own selfish desires above God (e.g. desiring to be God himself).

After those who had refused to enter the king's banquet had been destroyed (figurative of eternal judgment); the story shifts to the royal court where the king enters to enjoy the banquet this those who had entered. Upon his entrance, the king notices one man who was not wearing wedding clothes. This latter story is symbolic of one who wants the benefits of salvation, but still has a problem with lordship. This man thinks that he can get by and experience the blessing of the wedding feast by doing things his own way, instead of being obedient to the king's command. We find this parallel in our society today. Whereas God has decreed that salvation is provided solely through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and is actualized for the individual through his repentance and submission to Christ as Lord, we still find people who think that they can gain entrance into God's eternal "banquet" of heaven through their own efforts. As the man in the parable thought he could do things his own way and then could expect God to let him into the banquet, so too people today think that if they are a "good person," then God must permit them to enter heaven.

The story is quite sobering when the king commands his attendants to "tie (the man) hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Jesus is telling the hearers of the parable that God will not tolerate those who would attempt to circumvent his proscribed provision of salvation by attempting to merit favor with God through their own vain efforts. Only by surrender can one be welcomed into God's eternal banquet.


In summary, we find two groups that are excluded from the kingdom of Heaven:

(1). Those who obstinately refuse the Gospel of Christ (a Lordship issue).
(2). Those who attempt to enter heaven through their own attempts at self-righteousness (a Lordship issue).

In either case, the power of the cross and resurrection is not merited, for these two groups have forsaken Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Again, submission is the key!