Ep. 102: The wedding banquet

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MATTHEW 22:1-14

The parable of the Marriage Feast of the King’s Son and the wedding garment derives from Jewish tradition. In the corresponding Jewish parable, a King is represented as inviting all to a feast, fixing the exact time for it. The wise adorn themselves in time and are seated at the door of the palace, to be in readiness, since no elaborate preparation for a feast can be needed in a palace; while the foolish go away to their work, arguing there must be time enough since there can be no feast without preparation. But suddenly comes the King’s summons to the feast, when the wise appear festively adorned, and the King rejoices over them, and they are made to sit down, eat and drink; while he is annoyed with the foolish, who appear squalid and are ordered to stand by and look on in anguish, hunger and thirst.

Then, by contrast, we turn to the parable of Jesus, its meaning is not difficult to understand. The King made a marriage for his Son when he sent his servants to call them that were invited to the wedding. Evidently, as in the Jewish parable, and as before in that of the guests invited to the Great Supper, a preliminary general invitation had preceded the announcement that all was ready. But those invited would not come.

These repeated endeavours to call, to admonish, and to invite, form a characteristic feature of these parables, showing that it was one of the central objects of our Lord’s teaching to exhibit the longsuffering and goodness of God.

The first invitation had been sent to selected guests - to the Jews - who might have been expected to be ‘worthy,’ but had proved themselves unworthy; the next was to be given, not to the chosen city or nation, but to all that travelled in whatever direction on the World’s highway, reaching them where the roads of life meet and part. And, although they had not listened to his call, yet a second class of messengers was sent to them under the New Covenant. And the message of the latter was, that ‘the early meal’ was ready (Christ’s first coming), and that all preparations had been made for the great evening meal (Christ’s Reign). Another prominent truth is outlined in the repeated message of the King, which points to the goodness and longsuffering of God.

We can take it further. All are invited to the Gospel feast, but they who will partake of it must put on the King’s wedding garment of holiness. And whereas it is said in the parable, that only one was described without this garment, this is intended to teach that the King will only generally view his guests, but that each will be separately examined and that no one will be able to escape discovery amidst the mass of guests if he has not the ‘wedding-garment.’ In short, in that day of trial, it is not a scrutiny of Churches, but of individuals in the Church.

‘There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.’ And here the parable closes with the general statement, applicable alike to the first invited guests, Israel - and to the second, the guests from all the world: For (this is the meaning of the whole parable) ‘many are called, but few chosen.’

This is an extract from the book, Jesus : Life and Times, available for £10 here (Finalist for Academic Book of the year at 2023 CRT awards)