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BURIED TREASURE: Exploring The Parables Of Jesus

by J. W. Jepson, D.Min.

Copyright © 1997 by J. W. Jepson

All rights reserved, including the right to grant the following permission and to prohibit the misuse thereof:

The Author hereby grants permission to reproduce the text of this article, without changes or alterations*, as a ministry, but not for commercial or non-ministry purposes.

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26.

THE ROYAL WEDDING FEAST

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marraige for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell then which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants, and entreated then spitefully, and slew them.

But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

For many are called, but few are chosen.

--Matthew 22:2-14

THE ROYAL WEDDING FEAST

It was Passover time, and Jerusalem was alive with excitement. One of the main attractions was Jesus of Nazareth. The scribes and Pharisees had been sparring with Him, probing for an advantage, but now the conflict had erupted into an open battle.

The religious authorities had made the decision to put Jesus to death, and He knew that His hour had come. So His last parables were directed against His enemies. They were nothing less than weapons of war.

The Lord had stung them with the parables of the two sons and the wicked farmers. Then He brought down upon them this parable, one portraying such extremely unreasonable behavior that it exposed their moral madness in the clearest possible light.

It is similar to the parable of the great supper, given by our Lord on a previous occasion and recorded in Luke l4:16-24 (see "Come To The Feast"). But it is also different in some ways.

In the parable we are now considering, a king prepared a wedding feast for his son. Personal invitations were sent out early to the privileged guests. Then when the feast was ready, the king's servants went out and personally summoned the guests.

But they refused to come. Unbelievable! Incredible behavior! Could such a thing ever happen in real life among sane people?

The marriage of a king's son had profound political significance. To be invited to the royal feast was a great favor, and to refuse it was unthinkable. Such would be a gesture of disloyalty, an insult, even an act of rebellion. How could people in their right minds dare do such a thing?

But what is this? The king gave them another chance. In patience and mercy he proceeded to send other servants, saying, "Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed and all things are ready: come unto the marriage" (verse 4). In the sovereign's name they tried to coax the reluctant guests. In this way the king went to the verge of begging them to accept the gracious honor he was bestowing on them. What marvelous grace! What amazing condescension!

But in vain. The invited ones walked away from an invitation to the king's table, "one to his farm, another to his merchandise" (verse 5). The rest of them attacked the king's servants, beating and killing them! (verses 5,6).

What should the king do now? Would forbearance continue to be a virtue under these new conditions? Who could say to the king, "Be patient and gracious"? Had not patience and graciousness done all it could do? Continued forbearance would be totally inappropriate. The situation now demanded justice; nothing else would satisfy the law of reason, which is truly the law of love.

So the king sent out his armies, destroyed the killers and burned up their city.

It was a fatal mistake to regard the righteous wrath of the outraged king so lightly. They showed their contempt for their king by refusing his invitation, mistreating his servants, and obviously doing so with no fear of consequences.

So in the interest of his own kingdom, the king had to destroy one of his own cities. Evidently, the treason had spread throughout the community.

What an object lesson! Generations to come would remember it, and abhor even the thought of rebellion!

But the feast will go on. The royal wedding will have guests. The purpose of the king will be fulfilled. So the king said, "Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage" (verse 9). The servants went out and brought in all who would come.

Then, according to custom, the king came in to inspect the guests. Quickly his eyes spotted an obvious and calculated insult. One of the guests was not wearing a wedding garment!

The wedding garment was a symbol of respect, loyalty and faithfulness. Some believe the king furnished these garments to the guest as they arrived. At any rate, this man deliberately refrained from wearing the wedding garment, possibly because he endorsed the arrogance and treason of the murderers. Perhaps he was a silent protester, openly condemning the king for his swift justice and demonstrating his support for those who had perished for their crimes. He displayed the same character and attitude as those who had perished.

"Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?" the king demanded. The guest was speechless. His silence slowed confusion and perhaps contempt.

"Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (verse 13).

Had not the king's honor and authority suffered enough? Had not sedition already threatened the well-being of the realm? Such intransigence was intolerable and had to be dealt with swiftly.

But what if the man were only careless? In view of what had happened to the rebellious city, such carelessness was totally inexcusable and revealed an indifference equal to open hostility.

Could it be that they had to bind him and take him away because he refuse to go willingly, choosing rather through resistance to play out his drama of protest to the limit? Poor soul. He did not hurt the banquet, but he certainly ruined himself.

The immediate thrust of Jesus' parable was obvious to his hearers. God is the King. Christ himself is the King's Son. Israel had enjoyed the high and unique honor of being called to his feast. But they had despised the divine summons, abused the prophets, and in A.D. 70 their city was destroyed by the Roman army under Titus. They who were bidden refused to respond, and were rejected. Since then the call has gone out to "whosoever will," Gentile as well as Jew.

This wedding feast is not the marriage supper of the Lamb. No one at that marriage supper will lack the wedding garment. There will be no mixture of bad and good there. The elect will not be guests, but will make up the Bride herself!

The feast of this parable is the banquet of redemption. It portrays the provisions, joys, happiness, honor and glory of the gospel and its royal fellowship now in this present age of grace.

The gospel call goes to everyone. But it is no casual invitation from someone lacking rank or station.

When the President telephoned the successful astronauts and said he would like for them to visit him, a reporter remarked, "you can bet they'll be there." An invitation from the Commander-in-Chief is a top priority summons. Likewise when the Eternal King issues the invitation, it becomes a supreme command.

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30).

We must respond, and we must do so in God's time. The opportunity to comply is limited. So the commend is urgent. Take care of the King's summons immediately, before farm, family, business, or anything else!

In a church congregation sit both bad and good. Some have the wedding garment; some do not. This wedding garment is a necessity. It is the "righteousness of saints" (Revelation 19:6-9), the outward life of holiness that is the Scriptural evidence of a truly regenerate heart.

The gospel summons goes out to all. But it is not enough merely to attend. We must also be transformed. Many settle into the activities and social life of the church, but never experience a real change of heart and life. They like the fringe benefits of the Christian fellowship, but they refuse to experience personally the inner reality of that fellowship. They do not have the outer robe of a sanctified life because they do not have the inner robe of a justified heart.

There are two kinds of rebellion in this parable: refusing the invitation, and accepting the invitation but rejecting its conditions.

So the self-righteous guest says, "I don't need a wedding garment. My own robes are good enough. I live a good life. I am accepted by my church and community. I donate time and money. I'm doing the King a favor by taking time out of my busy schedule to attend the feast. I don't need to change my lifestyle, and I won't."

What is the divine verdict on such a person? "Bind him hand and foot, and take him away..."

Yes, the King is coming; and when He enters, there will be no hiding. The robe--the life--will be open to His keen inspection. All who do not have on the garment of righteousness will be cast into outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

So let each of us take an honest look at our life. Will it stand the inspection of the King? If we trust Christ as our Savior, we are justified by faith. The robe of a justified and sanctified heart will be visible in a justified and sanctified lifestyle.

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27. Don't Miss The Wedding

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