Matthew 22:1-7 1And in replying, Jesus again spoke to them in parables saying, 2“The kingdom of heaven is like a human king who gave a wedding feast for his son. 3And he sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they did not want to come. 4Again he sent other servants saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fattened calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5But paying no attention they went away, one to his farm and another to his business, 6but the rest, after seizing his servants, humiliated and killed them. 7But the king was angry and after sending his troops, destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
This is the third parable Jesus spoke against the religious leaders in Jerusalem. This parable is in response to their plans to arrest him. He gave them three opportunities to realize they were going in the wrong direction. Each of these parables addresses the key themes of warning against rejecting God’s plan and the wide open invitation for anyone to join in this plan. This is another kingdom parable that gives deeper insight into God’s will for humanity, both in this world and in eternity. We are invited to look for the kingdom principles and how we should live these out.
There are several primary characters in the story. The focus is on the king, who serve as the protagonists. The king’s son is only a minor character whose wedding celebration provides the basis for the plot. The antagonists in the story can be grouped together as those who refuse to accept the invitation to the wedding. The neutral characters who do the will of the king are the servants who give out the wedding invitations and the soldiers who carry out the command of the king to arrest the evil people and burn their city. The setting of the parable is on a grand scale, with a king who has ultimate power over life and death of entire cities.
A royal wedding would have been a big deal in that time, just as today. It would have been a grand celebration with the finest of foods and entertainment for those invited. To receive an invitation to such a wedding would have been the highest honor. A person would should respect, fealty, allegiance to the ruler who gave such a feast. Since this was the wedding of the son, who would some day inherit the throne, refusing to go to his wedding would show disloyalty. There is some political maneuvering going on in the background of this parable. Royal weddings would have been grand, with much preparation and high expense. Such a wedding would have been a national holiday and celebration.
When it was time for the grand celebration, the king sent out the invitations. The words call and invited share the same root (kaleō) as the call to discipleship in 4:21 and 10:1. The call to be a follower of Jesus is a special invitation that should not be rejected. Jesus gives two opposite responses to the invitation. Sadly, may people pay no attention at all, like the invited guests in this story. People get preoccupied with the busyness of their lives, like the third seed in the parable of the sower in 13:22. Apathy indicates a total lack of faith in Jesus. The other extreme is outright persecution of the followers of Jesus and mockery of him and the gospel, like the rest who abuse and even kill the servants of the king who bring the invitation. Their lack of faith shows up as hatred, rebellion, and animosity towards the king. The sad result for both responses in the parable is judgment and destruction. The first part of this parable is a strong warning to those who reject the gospel.
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