Matthew 22:1-14 "Come to wedding banquet"

Matthew 22:1-14Come to the wedding banquet ““Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet(4).'”     In today's passage Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to 'The wedding banquet of the Crown Prince.' All wedding banquets are joyful and delightful. How much more then will the wedding banquet of the Crown Prince be? God, our king, holds the banquet of salvation for his son Jesus and invites us all. Through today's study let's learn the heart of God who wants to invite us to the banquet of salvation. Also, let's study with what attitude we should attend this banquet.    1. Come to the wedding banquet (1-4)   In verses 1-2 Jesus spoke in parables. "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son." The Crown Prince grew and came to marry. After the marriage the Crown Prince would begin to learn kingship to prepare for his succession to the throne. Therefore, the Crown Prince's wedding was joyful news not only for the king but also for all who would serve the Prince as their next king. To share the joy, the king sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them that the banquet would be held as scheduled. For ordinary people, it was almost impossible to see their king's face even just one time. But because they were invited to the king's banquet, how honored they were! They were the ones who gained special grace.    But verse 3 says they refused to come. Why? Was it because something urgent happened? Or was it because at first they had felt honored but now they felt half-hearted? Anyhow, it was not like a couple's date but the king's invitation. They had accepted it and now refusing to go was not a small matter. At that time, people in the Middle East used to invite their guests two times. The first invitation was to notify that a banquet would be held and to check if their guests could attend it or not. The second invitation was sent to those who had accepted the first invitation when the banquet was nearly close that their banquet would be held as scheduled. If you could not come to the banquet, you should say no at the first invitation. Refusing to go at the second invitation felt like great insult for the owner of the banquet. If this kind of thing had happened at the national level, it had been regarded as severance of diplomatic relations or even as a declaration of war. Now because those who were supposed to come to the wedding banquet of the Crown Prince refused to come, the king must have been furious. So did he send his Royal Guards to arrest them? Verse 4 shows he put up with the insult. He sent some more servants and said, "Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet." Here we can learn two things.   First of all, God grants us perfect salvation. The king prepared 'everything' for the banquet of the Crown Prince. Not only did he butcher his oxen and fattened cattle but also he prepared all kinds of royal cuisine. In addition, he renewed the decoration of the banquet hall. He himself checked out special performance such as opera and ballet with an accompaniment of the royal court orchestra. He made all his servants well-trained for the banquet and even prepared a good parking lot installation. As he sent his servants to invite again, the king emphasized the fact that 'Everything was ready.'    This parable teaches us that God's salvation by his son Jesus is perfect salvation. People vary according to their personality and character. Their background and their present problems are all different. But what is clear is that Jesus can save them from any sin and any practical problem. Some think Jesus could be of help for their spiritual problems but not for their practical problems. But Jesus can help us even with our real problems. Jesus not only taught his people about the kingdom of heaven but also healed their diseases and gave them food.    Some think those who are simple and honest can believe in Jesus well but those who are smart and sensitive like them cannot. They think there are a certain type of people to follow Jesus. But God has everything ready for his banquet. Anybody can gain salvation and enjoy happiness and satisfaction there. Because Jesus' banquet of salvation has everything ready, we do not have to go somewhere else, and no more thing to add. Paul said in Colossians 2:3, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." God invited us to his banquet of salvation. I pray that we may fully enjoy the banquet to our hearts' content.   Second, God invites us earnestly. Although those who had been invited insulted the king by refusing to come, he endured. He could have wielded his power and forced them to come, but he didn't. When they refused to come, the king invited them with more courtesy. He told them that everything was ready, butchering his oxen and fattened cattle. When our Bible students do not listen to us, we talk them down, "Why'd you not listen to me? I am your senior!" The more our sheep would not come, the more prepared we should be, ranging from our serving attitude to our Bible study preparation. But aren't we just upset about this age and stubborn flocks? But the king would not browbeat them into coming but move their hearts so that the guests may come willingly and enjoy his banquet.    In the same way God invites us kindly and earnestly. Revelation 3:20 describes what God's heart is like, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." I pray that we may hear the Lord's earnest voice to invite us to his banquet of salvation.      2. Those who I invited did not deserve to come (5-10)    Though the king had invited them earnestly, how did they respond? Look at verse 5. They paid no attention and went off - one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. Here we can see man's two aspects. First, man's spiritual ignorance and indifference. Just as they refused the king's invitation and went to their fields and to their businesses, today's people are busy all the time. They are busy hanging out, making friends and studying in an academy. But how indifferent they are about spiritual things! They don't have any time to study the Bible. The poor are busy trying to get by, and the rich are busy enjoying what they have. People do not know there are God's things to do, besides just worldly things. They only work on worldly things and do not care about God's things at all. They mostly know that the world is broad and there are many things to do in this world, but they don't know how high the sky is. In other words, they are afraid of others' eyes but not afraid of God's. They feel a sense of crisis about falling behind in the world but they don't know how dangerous it is to fall from God's spiritual blessing. All men fell into spiritual ignorance and indifference because of sin.   Second, man's violence. Why did those who had been invited mistreat and kill the king's servants? They did not have to do so. What on earth made them so ferocious? Were they irritated because they were asked again and again to take interest in God when they were busy? Or did they feel burdened about God's servants, that is, spiritual men? All these might be the reasons but the greatest reason must be that the message of God's servants and their holy lives were revealing their sinfulness. That was why they felt hostile to the Lord's servants and hated and persecuted them. This is not just limited to modern people. In the age of Noah, the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. The earth was filled with violence because of all people(Gen 6:11,13). Even those who look humble and truth-seeking become violent when God sends his servants, saying "Repent!" In other words, hatred and violence against God and his servants are the original nature. To attend the banquet of salvation, we must repent of our violent nature inside us.      We have explored men's ignorance and violence so far. To serve God's salvation work, we should have a good understanding of their ignorance and violence. God's men should be ready to be mocked, mistreated and persecuted in the world, rather than be welcomed and respected. The reason we lose our hearts and give up easily when fishing students is that we do not understand their ignorance and violence and do not determine to endure their insult and violence.    However, God sent his servants again and again. Was it because he did not know men's ignorance and violence? Of course he knew. But God wanted to save them by any means. Those who mocked him and killed his servants deserved to be beaten to death, but God wanted to save them all. God sent his servants continuously, hoping that this servant might be able to bring them in or that servant might be able to bring them in. It seemed that God did not know about who men are. He was blind. Indeed, he was blinded by his love.    Yet, God does not always put up with them. Look at verse 7. The king was enraged. He could not help being enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Though God endures us for a long time and invites us to his banquet of salvation earnestly, he is neither a weak being nor an easy, good-natured being. He is righteous and powerful. We should not make light of his patience and love. God judges those who make light of his love.       In this parable those who had been invited first refer to the Israelites. They were the chosen people who had been first invited to God's salvation. But when the time came for God to send Jesus, the prophesied Christ, and he invited them to his salvation, they did not accept it. Rather, they killed a number of prophets and especially John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Christ, who shouted, "Repent! The Christ is coming!" They even killed Christ Jesus. They would be subjected to God's righteous judgement. Just as Jesus had warned in this parable, Israel was destroyed and burned when the Roman army invaded Jerusalem in AD 70. This is the sign of God's judgement. Not only Israel but also all who do not accept God's salvation and love will be thrown into fire of hell. We should remember that God is the God of patience and love but at the same time he is the God of wrath and judgement.      Now look at verses 8-9. The king gave his servants a new command, "The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find." God's redemptive plan was first to save the Israelites and then to save all mankind through them. But because Israel did not accept Jesus, did his redemptive plan fail? No! God's salvation work does not depend on whether men accept it or not. God fulfills his redemptive plan without fail.    No matter how much we may preach about it, when we see more of people refuse to accept the gospel in reality, we often fall into skepticism, 'Will God's redemptive plan work out? What's the meaning of our work?' But we do not have to doubt or lose heart? God will surely fulfill his mankind salvation plan. Those who do not obey him will be deprived of their privileges and subjected to judgement. Now God would deprive Israel of all their privileges and save mankind in a different way. It was for his servants to go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone they found.      Look at verse 10. The servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad. God would save everyone, both good and bad. In fact, bad people did not deserve to be invited. They were not qualified to be saved. But God would save them not because they were qualified but because of his 'grace.' God would save all, both the humble and the noble, a Samaritan woman and Nicodemus, a paralytic and a leper, the white and the black. God saves everyone without any discrimination. Apostle Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."(Rome 1:16) Though we are evil, weak and defiled, I pray that we may hold on to God's grace so that we can join the banquet of God's salvation and blessing.      3. How did you get in here without wedding clothes (11-14)    Because the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the wedding hall was filled with guests. But look at verse 11. When the king came in to look at the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. At that time, when the king had invited anyone, he used to send to him or her wedding clothes suitable for his banquet. Even though the king himself granted them wedding clothes, the man did not wear them so the king was enraged and asked, "'Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?" But the man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, "Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."(13) As a conclusion of this parable, Jesus said, "For many are invited, but few are chosen."(14)    In regards to his salvation, God does not make a distinction between the good and the bad. But he is strict about wedding clothes. We have no condition to meet for salvation, but there's one thing we should do, which is to wear wedding clothes. Then what do the wedding clothes represent? Romans 13:14 says, "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." When we go to God, we should clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ. In other words, we should have faith, 'Jesus died on the cross for my sin and I will receive salvation if I accept him as my Savior.' Only by believing in him as the Savior can we attend the banquet of salvation.      Then why did the man not wear the wedding clothes sent by the king? It might be first because wearing wedding clothes was troublesome. To wear the garments, he should take off his previous clothes. When he undressed himself, he could feel shameful. In addition, if he had worn wedding clothes, he should have behaved in a suitable way for the wedding clothes. He must have not liked it. In other words, he had no decision to repent of his old life and learn to live a new life for the kingdom of heaven.    It is okay that we are evil and defiled. But if we want to attend the banquet of salvation, we should determine to live a new life. If only we make such decision, God will help us. God will change us who think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature into a spiritual, holy man. And we can enjoy the banquet of salvation more joyfully.    Another reason this man did not wear wedding clothes could be that he thought his own clothes were better than the wedding clothes sent by the king. The modern days are marked by a growing number of such types of people. They are proud of their well-woven clothes of science and the splendid-looking clothes of civilization. Some weave a few religions, such as Confucianism and Buddhism, and then heavily hang other popular religions like Christianity on them, boasting that these are the most fashionable, magnificent clothes. Nowadays they are getting more shameless and argue that any kind of clothes are okay if only they like them. Some even choose to get naked.    Following the fashion in clothes and expressing their individuality are okay. But to attend the banquet of salvation we must clothe ourselves with Jesus Christ, because he is the clothes God has designed. God does not discriminate between good and bad men, but he requires us all to have faith that only Jesus is our salvation. Apostle Peter said, in Acts 4:12, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."(Acts 4:12) Jesus also said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."(John 14:6)    God's salvation is universal, since both good and bad men can receive it. But his salvation is also absolute in that no one can attend the banquet of salvation without clothing himself with Jesus. Salvation belongs to God's sovereignty. Unless we accept the way of salvation by God, we cannot be saved. In this time I earnestly pray that we may humble our hearts and repent and clothe ourselves with Jesus so that we can join the grace of salvation.      Conclusion    What should we do to enjoy the banquet of salvation? We should listen to God's earnest voice calling us. We should have faith, "If I accept Jesus who died on the cross for my sin and accept him as my Savior, I will be saved." I pray that we may believe in Jesus so that we can experience the kingdom of heaven in this tough world and also enjoy it forever in our life after death.