The Parable of the Wedding Feast

 

Welcome to this study of Matthew's Gospel, a collaboration between Mary Barmore and Alice C. Linsley. To prepare, read Matthew chapter 22. When you have finished, answer the 10 questions. Scroll to the bottom to check your answers.

Introduction

In Matthew 22 Jesus describes the Kingdom of God as a wedding banquet that a king prepares for his son. The parable of the Wedding Feast emphasizes that many are called to God’s kingdom, but few are chosen. The initial guests fail to accept the king's invitation and are replaced by those who respond to the invitation. Those without the wedding garment are cast into the outer darkness. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians sought to trap Jesus on taxes, the resurrection, and the greatest commandment, but Jesus understood their intention and foiled their attempts through his divine wisdom. 

Questions

1. In the Parable of the Wedding Feast, who are the first guests to be invited?

2. In the parable, the king's servants are abused and killed. How does the king respond?

3. After the first people rejected the invitation, what did the king order his servants to do?

4. What does the wedding garment represent?

5. What did the Pharisees hope to accomplish when they questioned him about paying taxes to Rome?

6. Jesus told the people to "render unto Caesar" what belongs to Ceasar, and to God the things that are God's. How did the people react to Jesus' statement? (v. 22)

7. The Sadducees rejected belief in the resurrection of the dead. Attempting to trap Jesus, they challenged him with a question about the resurrection. What Jewish marriage custom does their question involve?

8. A lawyer asked Jesus which is the greatest commandment. How did Jesus answer?

9. David was inspired to call the coming Messiah "Lord". What does this imply about the Messiah?

10. Jesus asked the Pharisees a question they couldn't answer. What did he ask?

Answers

1. The original invited guests represent Israel's religious leaders. Some Jews did believe and become Jesus' disciples, including the religious leaders Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and James the Just. Joseph of Arimathea was a prominent council member who was waiting for the kingdom of God. James the Just was one of Jesus' half-brothers. He became the first bishop of the Jerusalem church.

2. When the king's messengers were killed, the king sent his troops to destroy the murderers. The messengers were the Apostles, and their suffering and death foretold the persecution of early Christians.

3. The king ordered his servants to extend the invitation to everyone, regardless of their status or spiritual condition. God offers salvation to all through the work of his son Jesus Christ.

4. The wedding garment represents faith, purity, and holiness. Only those with such garments are ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb. In Romans 13:14, the Apostle Paul urges the Christians in Rome to "put on Christ", that is, to daily clothe oneself in the righteousness of Jesus. Revelation chapter 7 describes a great multitude of people dressed in white robes. These robes were washed in the blood of the Lamb. The white-robed saints represent every tribe, nation and language.

5. The Pharisees attempted to trap Jesus. If Jesus approved paying the taxes to Rome, he would offend those who opposed Roman control of their land. If he disapproved of paying the taxes, the Roman authorities could arrest him for sedition. By stating that the coin bears Caesar's image and belongs to him, Jesus avoided the trap and highlighted the need to fulfill both civic and divine duties. Earlier, Jesus paid the Temple tax for himself and for Peter (Matt. 17:24-27).

6. When the people heard how Jesus answered, they marveled. Jesus' challengers were astonished by his wisdom. They stopped and went away.

7. When a Jewish man died without a son to continue his line and inheritance, the widow was married to one of the deceased man's brothers. This "levirate marriage" was intended to produce a son who would be heir to the deceased husband. The Sadducees took this to an absurd extreme by speaking of 7 brothers and asking whose wife she would be in the resurrection. For more on this, see BIBLICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Early Resurrection Texts.

8. The lawyer wanted Jesus to designate the First Commandment as the greatest, but Jesus made it clear that the First and the Second cannot be separated.

9. By calling the Messiah "Lord" David acknowledged that the Christ existed before him. This shows that Jesus is more than just a human descendant of David. The Nicene Creed (325 A.D.) affirms that Jesus Christ is not a created being, but has eternally existed as God from God, "begotten, not made," and is one in being with the Father. This counters the Arian heresy which argues that Christ was a created being.

10. Jesus asked them what they thought of the Christ, the Messiah. Whose son is he? They responded the "son of David" to which Jesus asked them how David could refer to the Lord as his son. This is a reference to Psalm 110:1- "The LORD says to my lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet'". This messianic prophecy concerns the Messiah's supreme authority over all enemies. It was a key belief of the early Hebrew (4000-2000 BC) and predates the writing of the Psalms. Consider how Horus, the archetype of Christ, describes himself in passage 148 of the Coffin texts: "I am Horus, the great Falcon upon the ramparts of the house of him of the hidden name. My flight has reached the horizon. I have passed by the gods of Nut. I have gone further than the gods of old. Even the most ancient bird could not equal my very first flight. I have removed my place beyond the powers of Set, the foe of my father Osiris. No other god could do what I have done. I have brought the ways of eternity to the twilight of the morning. I am unique in my flight. My wrath will be turned against the enemy of my father Osiris and I will put him beneath my feet in my name of Red Cloak." (Myth and Symbol in Ancient Egypt by R.T. Rundle Clark, p. 216) For more on this, see The Substance of Abraham's Faith.

If you are just now joining this study, you will find links to the previous lessons below. Join us next week as we continue our study of Matthew's Gospel.

Why the Name Jesus?
Matthew Chapter 1: A Closer Look
Matthew Chapter 2: The Magi Worship the Christ and Defy Herod
Matthew Chapter 3: Jesus and John Fulfill Righteousness
Matthew Chapter 4: Jesus Exposes the Devil's Tactics
Matthew Chapter 5: Jesus Teaches with Superior Authority
Matthew Chapter 6: True Kingdom Seekers
Matthew Chapter 7: Entering by the Narrow Gate
Matthew Chapter 8: The Uniqueness of Jesus
Matthew Chapter 9: Christ the Compassionate Lord
Matthew Chapter 10: The Apostles' High Calling
Matthew Chapter 11: The Messiah Brings Relief
Matthew Chapter 12: Greater Glory Resides in Jesus
Matthew Chapter 13: Perceive His Kingdom Coming
Matthew Chapter 14: Christ Rules Over Nature
Matthew Chapter 15: The Power of Persistent Faith
Matthew Chapter 16: Preparing for the End
Matthew Chapter 17: Behold the Glory of the Son of God!
Matthew Chapter 18: Living as a Child of God
Matthew Chapter 19: The Demands and Rewards of Righteousness
Matthew Chapter 20: The Parable of the Laborers

Matthew Chapter 21: The Corner Stone Rejected