Matthew 22 contains a very important parable. It shows the difference between those who are saved and those who are lost at the end. It also shows that some who claim to be Christians will not enter heaven. This parable is a rebuke to our modern world and to its policies, which are often against God and the truth.
Jesus teaches truth through parables and allegories. Some people today do not like or understand allegories. But an allegory is simply a way of explaining one thing by using another. Jesus was not talking about a human wedding. He was teaching a spiritual truth.
The king and the son
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son.”
The king is God the Father, and the son is Jesus. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are inviting everyone to a feast. This feast represents deliverance from earth’s sorrow, destruction, sickness, sadness, and misery. It is an invitation to a place of joy, happiness, and peace forever.
The marriage also points to Christ and His church. Another parable, the ten virgins, shows Jesus as the Bridegroom. God calls all people to this wedding. The marriage means that God does not want us to belong to another master. That other master is Satan, false religion, and false beliefs.
A person can belong to Satan by believing false doctrines. Beliefs shape the whole life. They shape the way a person thinks, speaks, behaves, and lives. Wrong beliefs mean worshiping the wrong master.
The first invitation
“He sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.”
The servants may represent angels and also true believers who are active in God’s work. God’s children are active in service. Those who are passive and bear no fruit will not remain servants forever.
This call goes out to everyone. It is like warning people on a road to stop before destruction comes. The sad part is that many people who are called do not want to escape destruction. The reason is not that they want to be destroyed, but that they do not believe destruction is coming.
They do not believe the words of the servants, the words of Jesus, or the words of the Father. Instead, they believe the words of men. One cannot believe God and man at the same time. Society is often against Bible truth and teaches the opposite. Human reasoning and God cannot both rule the heart.
God is saddened by this because many people reject the loving words of their Father. Pride and a love of human approval make it hard for people to accept the truth.
The invitation rejected
“Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.”
Jesus has also gone to prepare mansions for us. But many people are too occupied with the things of this world, pride, and the desire for human praise. They lightly regard the invitation of Jesus.
This call is urgent. It points to the nearness of Christ’s return. Those who reject it act as if life will continue as normal. They think God will simply overlook their refusal. But this invitation is the final call. Once Jesus returns, the opportunity is over.
God does not always punish sin immediately. Ecclesiastes says that because sentence against an evil work is not executed quickly, people become bold in doing evil. That is why many think God will delay judgment forever. But they are mistaken.
The careless and the violent
“But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.”
The farms and merchandise represent earthly things that become more important than God. These people are not only the world in general; they can also be professing Christians.
This shows that there are two groups in the church: nominal Christians and active servants of God. A person who is truly working for God will recognize that the call to the wedding feast is serious.
“When the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.”
Some people like to say the New Testament is only love and the Old Testament is judgment, but this parable shows the justice of God. Unbelief is a sin. Those who do not believe truth are not entering heaven, because honest people accept truth when it is presented rightly.
God judges those who reject His call. Revelation says that liars will have their part in the lake of fire.
The guests from the highways
“The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.”
A person who refuses God’s call is not worthy of entering heaven, because they do not believe God’s words. Why would God allow into heaven those who would continue to rebel there?
This wedding call points to the last message for planet earth, the three angels’ message. God has never been popular, and this message is not about seeing whether everyone will accept it. It is the final call before the end. Babylon and her daughters, along with sleeping servants who reject the three angels’ message, will receive the mark of the beast and the seven last plagues.
“Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.”
The people who seem impressive to society are often not the ones God calls. God often chooses those who are rejected, overlooked, and considered worthless by the world. Those who do not fit in with society are often the ones who hear God’s voice best.
“Gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good.”
The guests of this wedding are often outsiders, the rejected, and the nonconformists.
The wedding garment
“When the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment.”
This verse speaks about professing Christians. The wedding garment is the righteousness of Jesus. Many Christians do not understand righteousness by faith. They claim to be saved by faith, but they still trust in works.
This man entered the feast thinking he was good enough on his own. But the Bible is clear that we are saved by faith and not by our own goodness. When someone thinks they are saved by works, they become proud. They make the sacrifice of Jesus of no effect in their own lives.
“If you were a good person, then Jesus would not have needed to die on the cross.”
The person without the wedding garment was speechless. In another parable, five foolish virgins were left out. In both cases, some who claimed to belong to God were not ready. They had made their own truth and their own righteousness.
Spiritual pride is what makes someone think they are good enough. Only those who know they are sinful and need Jesus can enter heaven. If a person thinks their works can save them, they have not truly understood the cross.
The final verdict
“Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness.”
This is a serious warning. The man was outwardly among the guests, but inwardly he had rejected the garment of Christ’s righteousness. He may have seemed religious, may have given tithe, may have helped the poor, and may have spoken kindly, but he did not truly believe he needed the sacrifice of Jesus.
Many church members are like this. They hear sermons, attend worship, and appear religious, but they are not converted. Ellen G. White says conversion is rare. True conversion happens when we ask God for His righteousness and allow Him to work through us.
This parable teaches two major truths:
- those who reject God’s final message will be rejected,
- and those who trust in their own goodness will be cast out.
Will you receive God’s words? Will you ask for Jesus’ righteousness instead of your own?
Father God, please help me accept Your truth. Help me see that I am a wicked sinner. Give me Your righteousness, in the name of Jesus. Amen.