Matthew 22:1-14
Chapter 22
Parable of the Wedding Banquet
“This story sheds light on the kingdom of heaven: A king hosted a wedding banquet for his son.
He sent his servants to summon the invited guests to the banquet, but they refused to come.
Once again, he sent out other servants, telling them to say to the invited guests, ‘I have prepared a banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now everything is ready. Come to the wedding!’
But they paid no attention and walked away, some heading to their farms and others to their work.
Others captured the king’s servants, insulted them, and killed them.
The king was furious. He sent his troops to wipe out those murderers and burn their city.
Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but the invited guests were not worthy.
Instead, go to the main streets and invite everyone you meet to the wedding feast.
The servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they found, both bad and good, so that the hall was filled with guests.
The king entered to see the wedding guests, and he noticed a man not wearing a wedding garment.
So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in without the wedding clothes?’ But the man stayed silent.
So the king told his servants, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Commentaries
Parable of the Wedding Banquet.
The parable has two parts: the guests at the banquet (1-10) and the guest without proper attire (11-14). It shows the relationship between the Lord and the kingdom’s guests. The guests gathered along the streets and squares are people from all over the world. It is no coincidence that, in the original text, it is not “the good and the bad” (v. 10) but “the bad and the good,” without distinction. It emphasizes those without merit. It’s a subtle way of alluding to the complete gratuitousness of God’s love and the fact that “Christ died for us: when we were still helpless and unable to do anything” (Rom 5:6). In the second part (11-14), to enter the kingdom’s banquet, one must live a lifestyle that reflects Jesus’ teachings. Not all guests will be chosen (14). What determines whether guests are chosen is the practice of love and mercy in their lives (25:31-46).