"Parable of The Wedding Feast" | Matt 22:1-14 | Pastor Keith | Midweek service

Matthew 22 as we continue our series on the parables of Jesus.

It's about a wedding, so let's read it all and then we'll come

back to it. And Jesus answered and spoke to

them again. Now notice verse one.

Now, chapters and verses aren't in the original text.

And so one of the things you all and one of the first lessons I

learned as a new believer, Pastor Tom Whitaker gave us some

verses. Go home, study them, come back,

tell me what you think. And I focused on the verses and

he said, no, it's not right. You didn't read before and you

didn't read after context. So Jesus has been challenged

about his authority and he's already dealt with the parables

to the Pharisees. And remember that why was Jesus

speaking in parables? Now for those who wanted to know

about the Lord, they would lean in and ask.

And for those, the religious leaders, mainly of Israel,

Pharisee scribes and Sadducees who weren't interested there,

only wanted to pick a fight, only wanted to trap Jesus.

Actually they wanted to kill Jesus.

The parables they couldn't understand it wouldn't work out

didn't know what they're about South Jesus is speaking

parables. He's just spoken to them about

the landowner who had a vineyard put a hedge around it went away

and came back to get the fruit and so he picks up and it says

verse one Jesus answered and spoke to them again.

So it's he's continuing in his discussion with the Pharisees

because they've challenged by what authority do these do these

things and say these things and said by parable, the Kingdom of

heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his

son sent out his servants to call those who are invited to

the wedding and they were not willing to come again.

He sent out other servants second time, saying, tell those

who are invited the same ones. See I prepared my dinner, my

oxen fatted, cattle I killed, and all things are ready, come

to the wedding. He's invited them third time.

But they made light of it, went there their way, one to his own

farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his

servants, treated them spitefully and killed them.

But when the king heard about it, he was furious.

He sent out his armies. Actually, it's the word.

Troops destroyed those murderers and burned up their city.

Then he said to his servants, the wedding is ready, it's still

going ahead. But those who were invited,

we're not worthy. Therefore, because of that go

into the highways and as many as you find anybody invite to the

wedding. So those servants went out into

the highways and gathered together all whom they found,

both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled

with guests. But when the king came in to see

the guests, he saw one man there who did not have on a wedding

garment. Because I'll explain.

So he said to him, friend, now notice he sends it very nice

friend. How did you come in here without

a wedding going? And he was speechless.

The guy didn't answer anything. That's called guilt.

Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and

foot, take him away, cast him into outer darkness.

There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Many are called, you could say, invited.

Few are chosen. It's coming into wedding season

now here as the weather begins to break and much preparation

goes into a wedding, doesn't it Book the place, photographers,

the food, who you going to invite, the location, the day,

the time, the gowns, the suits being chosen, the food being

sorted, the meals and finally the invitations are sent out.

Who is invited? There are not too many people

who have not been invited to a wedding at some time in their

lives. So Jesus gives another parable

in our text tonight of a very special wedding banquet.

He's speaking to the Pharisees, a King's wedding banquet for his

son. Jesus answered and spoke to them

again. So he's still addressing the

Pharisees by parables and said the Kingdom of heaven is like a

certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, said any

service that call those who are invited to the wedding and now

and they were not willing to come, the feast is ready, all

should come. But on this occasion those who

are invited refused to come. And it's quite insulting to the

king, to his son, and even the servant who brought the

invitations to those who had been invited.

But this king is patient, sends a second round of invitations to

the same people who refused. Verse 4 again, he sent out other

servants telling them, hey, the food, the place, I've got the

best cattle cooked. Come to the wedding.

This time there was greater detail in the invite.

Hey, everything's ready, it's late on.

Again, the words of an invite are repeated.

Come to the wedding. But with the second round of

invites, those receiving them did not just reject the

invitation, they also mistreated the messengers bringing the

invite, and some were even killed.

There's five. But they made light of it, went

their ways. Not that went their way.

Went about their business, their own lives, what they were busy

about, doing their own stuff. One to his farm, another to his

business. The others captured the

servants, treated them spitefully.

Some killed them. When the king heard of what had

happened, he sent his armies and burned up their city.

New invites sent out. We've read that different people

this time, totally different people.

So what is this parable all about?

Remember, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly

meaning. What is Jesus teaching here?

What is he teaching by parable to the Pharisees?

And what about the disciples? What are they learning from

this? Because they're going to lean

in. They'll understand what he's

talking about here. The king sending out the

invitation is God the Father. The Son for whom the wedding

banquet is, is none other than Jesus Christ his Son.

The banquet is what? The marriage supper of the Lamb,

the messengers, who are they? The prophets, the preachers of

the gospel. Those who are invited at first

are the Jewish people, the religious Jews And those who are

eventually who eventually accept the invite and come to the feast

are we can put our hands up the outcasts, the poor Gentiles in

John chapter one verse one verse 11 it says John writes Jesus

came to his own and his own did not receive him.

By what authority do you do this stuff, but as many as received

him to them he gave the right to become the children of God to

those who believe in his name. You see the tragedy of the

parable. Here is the wilful refusal to

come to the wedding banquet by those who were initially

invited. This is the tragedy of Israel.

It was not that they could not come.

They're invited. They were the official guest.

Remember the woman that came and said, you know, can you just

pray for my daughter and help her?

And Jesus said, no, I've got to deal with it.

The shepherd's got to go. And you know, the bread is for

for the people of Israel first. The children of Israel received

the invitation. John the Baptist had prepared

the way. Palm Sunday was the prophecy

fulfilled by Daniel. On this day.

He will come in Zechariah, riding lowly on a colt.

The king comes. You see, it was not that Israel

could not come. They were struggling.

No, it was that they would not come.

And there's a big difference in John chapter 12 verse 37, it

John 12:37

says of the children of Israel. But although he Jesus had done

so many signs for them and remember they he'd do something,

do something, heal something. And they say give us a sign this

come on, just fit 5015 thousand someone's raised from the dead,

healed blind cuts and now I can see the lion can walk.

Jesus said an evil and adulterous generation seeketh

after a sign. There is just but one sign that

of the prophet Jonah who was three days and three nights.

He's Speaking of his death and resurrection.

John 1237 says, but although Jesus had done so many signs

before them, they did not believe in him.

Ever had someone say to you? I have I remember many years

witnessing in my job sites, different job locations talking

to people about Christ and they go, well, if God does a miracle

and I could see a mirror, then I believe no, no, you want, no,

you want because in the Bible Jesus did all these miracles and

it says they did not believe in him that the word of Isaiah the

prophet might be fulfilled. It goes on to say in John 12,

which he spoke, Lord, who has believed our report and to whom

has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

Then it says this in verse 39 of John chapter 12.

John 12 · chapter mention

Therefore they could not. It's like, it's like Pharaoh.

How often did Moses come? I mean, think of the plagues,

plague after plague after plague, children of Israel, the

Jews, nothing's happening to them.

Plague after plague after plague.

And then it says finally that God hardened Pharaoh's heart.

You ain't changing. It's not that you could not,

it's just that you would not. But what is also saddening is

the attitude to the messengers bringing the invitation by this

first group of invitees, It says.

But they made light of it, went their ways, one to his own farm,

another to his business, and the rest seized his servants,

treated them spitefully, and killed them.

If the invited guests felt this way toward the servants, it was

obvious they felt this way toward the king who'd sent them.

Because the servant is representing the king.

I come in the name of the king. This is the invitation.

So they would not come because they actually despised the king

and were hostile to him. Stephen preached one sermon that

we know of and in the detail of his first and only sermon, and

then they killed him for preaching it.

Death by sterling. Stephen says this to the

religious leaders of Israel. You stiff necked, uncircumcised

in heart, because they were circumcised.

They were Jews, uncircumcised in heart and ears.

You always resist the Holy Spirit as your Father's did, so

do you. Which of the prophets did your

father's not persecute? And they killed those who

foretold the coming of the Just, One of whom you now become the

betrayers and murderers who have received the Law by the

direction of angels and have not kept it.

People today do not kill prophets.

We don't have prophets like in the 12, like in the in the

Bible. I know people name themselves

prophets. You know, actually if you read

the ball, I wouldn't want to be a prophet because they killed

them all. True prophet to God, they killed

them all. It's said of Isaiah that they

put in between two planks and cut him in half while he was

alive. But God's messengers are killed

today, aren't they? In Nigeria, in India, in Muslim

countries, they're ridiculed, they're abused, treated

violently. But some of those in the parable

who initially invited to the gospel banquet do not openly

express their hatred to the one, to the messenger who gives it.

Instead, they go excuse them. This is where it fits in very

much with us today. You know, I'm busy.

I got I got stuff on, it says. But they made light of it, went

their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.

In Luke's account, Doctor Luke of the same parable, he adds a

little more detail of the excuses given and excuses, a lie

wrapped up in skin in Luke 14 or 18, it says.

But they all with 1 accord began to make excuses.

The first said, well I've bought a piece of ground, I've got to

go and see it. I asked you to have me excuse.

No one buys land without first seeing it.

You buy a bog, a swamp. Although swamps, we don't have

swamps now, they're water parks or something, whatever they are

now. No one buys land without seeing

it first. It's a lie.

Verse 19 another said I bought 5 yoga box and I'm going to test

them. You test them before you buy

them. I ask.

You have me excused. And still the last bloke.

He was just a joke. Still another said I'll marry a

wife before I can't come. She won't let me remember.

These people had received 2 rounds of invitations.

Charles hadn't. Spurgeon, I recommend him to

you. Preach. 7 messages on this

parable and in one he used the following illustration.

He said a ship owner was visited by a godly man.

The Christian asked the ship owner, well sire, what is the

state of your soul? To which the merchant replied,

Soul, I have no time to take take care of my soul.

I have enough to do just taking care of my ships.

But he was not too busy to die when he did just a week later,

Jesus words to the religious leaders of Israel, the people of

Israel at that time for you and I tonight and never wants to be

trifled with, ignored or cast aside because John 316 says for

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that

whosoever there's the invitation, whosoever would

believe him shall not perish, but I have everlasting life.

That's the invitation the world is invited to a wedding.

The invitation, the wedding of Christ.

The church is the bride of Christ.

So every time an invitation is given from this pulpit, and I do

most Sundays, every time the invite is refused by some, Jesus

speaks of the danger of refusing God's invitation to worship his

son Jesus, because there comes a time and ladies are studying

with Helen on Tuesdays. The book of Romans where God

says as he did to Pharaoh, as he did to the religious leaders, he

said, all right, OK, I've asked and I've asked and I've asked

and I've asked, have your way. That's the worst thing to do.

The worst thing you can do as a parent is let your kids have

their way. It's child abuse.

The worst thing that God can do to us is give us over.

It says in Romans one, give us over to our reprobate mind.

OK, you want to live without me, Go ahead.

I don't ever want that. The Bible says in Hebrews that

God chastises those whom he loves.

You know, if you're being chastised at all, and I get

chastised all the time and I hope you do too.

You know why? Because it shows that God loves

me. It doesn't want you to harm

yourself or or to create a situation that will hurt others

or damage him. That's why He chastises us in

His love today. I think the greatest treasure

that you have is not wealth in the sense of resources like this

world, but the greatest treasure that you can control is your

time, your 24 hours, the time in which you live.

As we looked at Daniel, the breath with which God has given

you to breathe. What are you doing with the life

I have given you? What do we do with this treasure

which is of the utmost importance?

Time. I know in my life I've had more

time back here and now I have this much time in front of me.

It's pretty important. We do not have to take the life

of a prophet to miss out on God's eternal blessing for us of

salvation through His Son Jesus. No, all we have to do is make up

an excuse. Can't make it.

I'm busy. Things on, you know, in

Australia, you know what the devil did with Australia?

He gave us everything. You know, we are the top 3%

wealthiest people in the world. Individually you go well, don't

know which Aussie where, which place that is.

No, no, no. And some of you have come from

different countries and you've you've seen poor, I mean real

poor people. You've seen people struggling

for for clothes like they have one shirt, they have no clean

water, they have no shoes, no place to to live, no bed, no

room, no house. They don't know where the next

meal is coming from. Now all we have to do this is

what the devil has done to Australia is fritter away our

time wasted on meaningless things of the world, to keep on

refusing God's invite as we literally waste our lives on

things that will eventually pass away.

I mean, you look back on your early life.

I do. I look back on my life, man, I

was so stupid. And I think of things that were,

you know, get your licence, once you get your licence, that's it.

You don't need anything else. When you get a job, it's

actually paying some money. Oh, well, that's it.

I don't need anything else. You know, you, you have all

these pretty low goals. But then we move, we move, we

get more and more and more. And you know, the the devil just

says I can't, you're growing out of that.

Here's another one. This is good for you.

And they can be good things in and of themselves.

They make us turn our back upon God and we have 5 oxen, we have

a farm, we have a wife in the situation, The excuses that

we've made up here and you know what, our lives eventually pass

away and thus you let your opportunities for repentance and

faith in God pass by. I love that old hymn that we

sing. Pass me not all, gentle Saviour.

That's the message of half the parallel of those who did not

come, of those who refused to come, although invited over and

over. And remember, he sent out troops

and burned down everything. Remember 70 AD Israel rejected

Jesus on Palm Sunday in 70. Remember Jesus wept.

Why did he weep as he's riding in?

Because he knew you're going to reject me.

And you know what? 70 AD, the Roman general Titus

is going to kill 1.1 million Jews, slaughter and take others

away as slaves. There's going to be no temple,

your religious structure that you've held on to, that you've

looked it's going to be destroyed stone by stone, not

just bowled over, not just become a ruin, every stone.

Isn't that a isn't there a message in that that God will

remove every stone that you place that you think is where

your life should stand instead upon the rock of Christ.

The second half of the parable tells us of who did come verse 9

So they went into the highways and as many as you find invite

to the wedding. So those servants went out,

gathered together all they found, both bad and good, and

the wedding hall was filled with guests.

Dr Luke and his Gospel account makes it plain that these

persons were drawn from the lower ranks of life.

Paul talks about that, doesn't he?

The base in Corinthians, lower ones go out quickly into the

streets, Luke writes. The lanes of the city.

Bring in here the poor, the main, the lame and the blind,

and the servant said, master, it is done as you command, and

still there is room. Luke 1422 Then the master said

to the well go out and get some more, compel them to come.

Then my house made me filled. And Luke 71 Those who came to

the wedding feast were more grateful than the first invited

through his 82 year life. John Newton, you know of him.

He wrote Amazing Grace. If you ever read about his lot,

he was so deprived as a young man that even the sailors he

sailed with said he is a revolting man.

He's a revolting man. Well, in his memoirs, he wrote

his memoirs later on. He was such a depraved sailor, a

miserable outcast on the coast of West Africa, a slave trading

sea captain. He dealt in human trafficking.

Newton comes back to his own salvation more than anything as

the source of tenderness. He writes in his memoirs.

And I quote, till the day he died, he never ceased to be

amazed that he said at the age of 72, and I quote, such a

Wretch should not only be spared and pardoned, but reserved to

the honour of preaching your gospel, which he had blasphemed

and renounced. This is wonderful indeed.

The more you have exalted me, Lord, the more I ought to abase

myself, abase myself. This was no usual wedding feast.

It was from the king himself. This is God's invitation in

Revelation chapter 5 verse 8, it says now when he had taken the

Revelation 5:8

scroll, Speaking of Jesus, the four living creatures, the 24

elders fell down before the lamb, each having a harp, golden

balls of incense, which are the prayers of the Saints.

And they sang a new song saying, you are worthy to take the

scroll to open its seals for you as slain and redeemed us to God

by your blood. Out of every tribe, tongue,

people and nation, we're the invites and have made us kings

and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth.

But there is one more important lesson in Jesus parable for us

to finish on and the wedding hall was filled with guests

verse 11. But when the king came in to see

the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding

garment. So he said to him kindly friend,

how do you come here and without a wedding garment?

Now it's important, everyone that's been invited to the

wedding, where are they from? The poor, the blame, the line,

the the the blind, they're from the back streets.

You know what? They don't have any clothes.

So when they came to the wedding, you know what the king

says? I'm going to don't worry about

when you've got nothing to I'll, I'll provide all the clothing.

And so that's why everyone could come and there can be no excuse

about I've got nothing to wear. I've got no clothes, got no

shoes. No, no, no, don't worry about

that. So this was make this guy really

stand out because as you come to the wedding or here's the

outfit, he's I don't know, I'm not wearing it.

I'll wear what I want to wear. So the king said to him, bind

him hand and foot because he was speechless, take him away, cast

him into outer darkness. The man was not dressed in the

wedding garment, which had been provided by the king for every

guest he'd been invited, but he was improperly dressed.

The king had made provision for every guest to have wedding

garments. Because you know all what we

have, we have nothing. We, we, we have fig leaves.

And the king gave the man the opportunity to explain why he

was not wearing the the garment. He says, why aren't you wearing

what I provided for you? He didn't answer.

You know why he didn't answer? He knew it was at fault.

This is the language of tenderest compassion.

Why aren't you wearing it? But it says in Romans chapter

Romans 10:3

10, verse 3, For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness

and going about to establish their own righteousness, have

not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God in

Isaiah chapter 61, verse 10. I'll read it to you.

Isaiah 61:10

It tells of the garment. Isaiah, the prophet says, I will

greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my

God. Why?

For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation.

He has covered me with the robe of righteousness as a bridegroom

decks himself with ornaments, as a bride adorns itself with the

jewels. You remember Jesus comes to the

place of ghaderi. He steps off the boat, off the

galley. There's this crazy guy who's

living in the tombs roaring. He's going to change.

He cuts himself. And you know, the disciples

aren't with Jesus at this time. And they come back.

What do they do? They find this man who lived

naked amongst the tombs, clothed.

So did Jesus go Bibbidi bobbidi Boo, here's a suit for you.

No, he didn't do that. Where is this man going to get a

garment? I think my opinion, Jesus said

here you wear my coat. It says if they found him

seated, clothed, kneeling at the foot of Jesus and in his right

mind, you see, the man was speechless.

It's not enough that we merely believe.

And here's the this is where a lot of my concern is today.

A lot of people come to church. They're in no man's land.

They've made a religious confession.

They come to church, they bring a Bible, but they're not wearing

the garment. How's that key?

You see, it's not enough that we merely believe in, oh, I believe

in God. Yeah.

Bible says in James, who believes in God, the devil.

He believes in the Bible, too. But we must lay hold of the

righteousness of God. That's what Jesus said to the

religious leader Nicodemus. Nicodemus, you must be born

again. You know, all the religious

stuff. And he did, but he wasn't born

again. It says in Revelation, sorry, in

Romans chapter 3, verse 19. Now we know that whatever the

Romans 3:19

law says, it says to those who are under the law that every

mouth may be stopped. How often have you heard people?

Or when I see God, man, I'm going to give you, I'm going to,

I'm going to ask him this. No, when you're guilty and you

get resurrected, the second resurrection, you won't say a

word. It's not a judgement, it's a

sentence. The second resurrection.

You're guilty already, Donald. Great Barnhouse developed a way

of presenting the gospel. I love using this very text that

we've read tonight. He would ask, and this is how

we'll end. Suppose, suppose you should die

tonight and appear before God in heaven.

And God would ask you, by what right do you have to come into

my heaven? What would you say?

You see the man at the feast, We're speechless.

There are only three possible answers a person could give if

God asked that question. One many would say, oh, I've

been a good bloke. I gave the charities, you know,

I used to help out. I cook food for the poor, you

know. And which barnhouse would point

out that we have all fallen short of the glory of God, That

none of us a righteous Romans 320 Therefore, by the deeds of

the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight.

For the law says we're guilty. We've broken the commandments.

The second response is that they would have nothing to say.

I don't know, I don't know. They would be, as Paul says,

speechless. The only possible and correct

true answer when I asked what right do you have to come into

my heaven is Lord not at all. As far as myself, I'm concerned

nothing. As Paul said in Romans in May,

that is, in my flesh dwells no good thing, but Jesus Christ

died for my sins. He has given me the covering of

his own righteousness. I've repented before him.

I've asked him to be my Lord and Saviour, and this and this, By

this alone dare I stand before you in his name.

Come, come, welcome to the Kingdom of God.