INVITED TO A WEDDING … BUT THEY WOULD NOT COME

Matthew 22:1  And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

Matthew 22:2  The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

Matthew 22:3  And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

Matthew 22:4  Again, he sent forth 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.

Matthew 22:5  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

Matthew 22:6  And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

Matthew 22:7  But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Matthew 22:8  Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

Matthew 22:9  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

Matthew 22:10  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.

Matthew 22:11  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

Matthew 22:12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Matthew 22:13  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.

Matthew 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

Spurgeon Commentary:

The set time had arrived, and the Jews, who, as a nation, were bidden to the wedding, were invited to come and partake of the royal bounty. They had been “bidden” long before by the prophets whom the King had continued to send to them; and now that the festive day had dawned, the King sent forth his servants to call then that were bidden to the wedding. This was in accordance with the Oriental custom of sending a second invitation to those who had favorably received the first. John the Baptist and our Lord’s apostles and disciples plainly told the people that the long looked-for event was drawing near; indeed, the appointed hour had already struck, the set time to favor Zion had come, all that was needed was that the guests should come to the wedding. The Jews were highly honored in being chosen out of all the nations of the earth to attend the wedding of the King’s Son; but alas! they did not prize their privileges: “they would not come.” They were instructed, entreated, and warned, but all to no purpose: “they would not come.” Our Lord was very
near the end of his sojourn on earth, and he summed up all that he had seen of Israel’s conduct towards himself in this short sentence, “they would not come.” It is not said, “They could not come,” but, “They would not come.” Some for one reason, and some for another, and perhaps some without any reason at all; but, without exception, “they would not come.” They thus manifested their disloyalty to the King, their disobedience to his command, their dislike to his Son, their distaste for the royal banquet, and their disregard for the messengers sent to them by the King.

Note, it was the King who made this wedding feast; therefore, to refuse to be present, when the invitation implied great honor to those who received it, was as distinct an insult as could well be perpetrated against both the King and his Son. If an ordinary person had invited them, they might have pleased themselves about accepting the invitation; but a royal invitation is a command that will be disobeyed at the refuser’s peril.

Let this be remembered by those who are now refusing the invitation of the gospel.

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