The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
Matthew 22:1-10
22 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2 ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.” 5 But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” 10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Luke’s version of this parable is less violent. But the story is basically the same. The wedding banquet for the king’s son was about to happen. (Wedding banquets are one of the metaphors used to describe heaven. If that is the case here, then the king’s son will be Jesus.)
Notice the verb tense in verse 3 – the slaves were sent “to call those who had been invited.” That is, the guests knew about the wedding banquet, knew they had been invited, before the slaves showed up to say, “This is the time to come to the banquet.” No claim can be made that those who were invited did not have advance notice of the banquet. They knew what they were missing, they chose to turndown the invitation. Which is why they did not come to the party with the first set of slaves who were sent out. Those slaves were to act as entourage for the guests as they travelled to the wedding banquet.
The king decided to give the invited guests a second chance, and this time the invited guests “make light” of the invitations, “made light” of the son’s wedding – and therefore made light of the king who had put so much into the wedding banquet. Not only did the invited guests disrespect the king, they also attacked his slaves/messengers, even killing some. (The slaves, the messengers, are the prophets God sent to tell that the banquet for Jesus was starting.)
This disrespect was too much, the king wreaked destruction on those who killed his messengers (prophets). The king he had brought into the banquet anyone that his slaves could find, he wanted the banquet hall full and that is what the king got.
“Invite everyone you find” were the instructions. No one is to be left out. All are to be offered an invitation. And we may be surprised at who accepts the invitation to come to the banquet with God and Jesus.
PRAYER:
O Lord, sometimes we are like the guests who turn down your invitation. Sometimes we are like the slaves going out to tell people the banquet is being served. Sometimes we are like the unexpected guests who got dragged into the party. Teach us, O Lord, to accept the invitations you offer. Give us the courage to invite others into your banquet. In Jesus’ name. Amen.