Parables Of Jesus Christ

Parable of the Wedding Feast

Parable of the Wedding Feast. Matthew 22:1-14.
"Jesus also told them other parables. He said, "The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come!
"So he sent other servants to tell them, 'The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!' But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. "The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town.And he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren't worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.' So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. "But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?' But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, 'Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "For many are called, but few are chosen." when i started to look at this parable i though it would be useful to look into what a wedding was like in jesus' day. In Jewish society, the parents of the betrothed generally drew up the marriage contract. The bride and groom would meet, perhaps for the first time, when this contract was signed. The couple would be at this point considered married, although they would separate until the ceremony. The bride would remain with her parents, and the groom would leave to prepare their home. This could be along time. Without notice at the completion of the home , the groom would return. The marriage ceremony would then take place, and the wedding banquet would follow. When i read up about this i then realised why mary and joseph considered to be married. Also how it would be more of a "disgrace" as they would have been seperated after the contract was signed. It also explains how mary was truely the virgin mother of our lord .Mathew 1: 18 "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy spirit" The wedding banquet was a true celebration in the jewish community and could last up to a week. I believe in this parable, Jesus is comparing heaven to a wedding banquet that a king had prepared for his son . Although many people had been invited, those invited refused to come . Some invited when on with their daily business others mistreated and even killed the messengers. Possibly where the saying" dont shoot the messenger" comes from. The king wasnt happy, infact he was very angry by the invited guests response. He sent out army to avenge the death of his servants. To fill the wedding hall he sent invitations to anyone his servants could find. This indicates gentiles being invited to the kingdom. During the feast the king noticed a man " without wedding clothes" asked how he came to be there without the furnished attire, the man had no answer and was promptly ejected from the feast "Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" It would be a gross insult to the king to refuse to wear the garment provided to the guests. Only by the blood of jesus are we washed white and dressed in the purest white clothing. Spiritually. Jesus completes the parable with the statement. "For many are called, but few are chosen." In other words, many people hear the call of God, but only a few heed it. Only a few really listen. The king is God the Father, and jesus is the son who was honoured by the finest banquet, "He came to his own people, and even they rejected him"John 1:11.Israel were invited to the kingdom, but when the time came for the kingdom to appear, they refused to believe it. Many prophets, including John the Baptist, had been murdered. The king's reprisal against the murderers can be interpreted as a prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction in A.D. 70 at the hands of the Romans or does the king's vengeance speaks of the desolation written in the book of Revelation. God is patient, but He will not tolerate wickedness forever. "The day is near when I, the Lord,will judge all, godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads" Obadiah 1:15. His judgment will come upon those who reject His offer of salvation. The self-righteous Pharisees who heard this parable did not miss Jesus's point. In the very next verse, "Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested" Matthew 22:15. This Parable is a warning to us, a wake up call ,to make sure we are relying on God's provision of salvation, not on our own good works, fancy words or religious service. I leave you with this thought....considering what that salvation cost Jesus, is not his judgment well deserved? " But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand"Hebrews 10:12.