The King's People Celebrate With Him
Matthew 22:1-46 (all Scripture NASB)
Purpose: God is calling His people into the Kingdom of His Son!
- King Jesus Compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a Wedding Feast
Matthew 22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. 3 "And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. 4 "Again he sent out other slaves saying, "Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."' 5 "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, 6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. 7 "But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. 8 "Then he said to his slaves, "The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 "Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.' 10 "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. 11 "But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, 12 and he said to him, "Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless. 13 "Then the king said to the servants, "Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."
"For many are called, but few are chosen." (v. 14)
(For historical/biblical background, cf. Is. 25:6-9)
Isaiah 25:6 The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;
A banquet of aged wine, 3choice pieces with marrow,
And refined, aged wine.
7 And on this mountain He will swallow up the 1acovering which is over all peoples,
Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death for all time,
And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces,
And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth;
For the LORD has spoken.
9 And it will be said in that day,
"Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us.
This is the LORD for whom we have waited;
Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation."
Remember, this is what the kingdom of heaven is like!
Identify the characters and their character:
- The "king" who gave the wedding feast: God
This "king" is graciously setting the great feast (v. 2).
The kingdom itself. All by Grace.
He is patient with lazy, unwilling invitees (v. 4, 2nd invite).
God's patience with the wicked.
He angry with invited guests who refuse to come (v. 7).
God's judgment and hell.
He is generous and still wants to celebrate (v. 9).
Merciful and loving to the lowly.
He's shrewd with guests who don't honor the Son (vv.11-13).
Still upholds His Son's glory!
The entire celebration is in honor of the Son!
The kingdom and banquet are for the Son.
- The invited guests: The Religious Leaders
They are unwilling (v. 3).
Sinful and without faith toward God. (ff context)
They are preoccupied with other things (v. 5).
Idolatrous, holding other things greater than Jesus.
They are hostile and disrespectful toward the king (v. 6).
Arrogant, full of pride, selfish, murderous.
- The "slaves" or king's servants: The Prophets
They call out to the invited (v. 3).
Prophets.
They invite and re-invite people to the king's table (vv.4,8).
Faithful to God's call to evangelize.
They are seized, mistreated, and killed (v. 6).
Willing to suffer for the gospel.
They are obedient and go wherever the king sends (vv.9-10).
Count all things a privilege to invite others.
- The guests from the "highways": Gentiles/All Nations
They recognize the feast/invitation and filled the hall (v.10).
Anyone from any nation who hears the invitation and receives Jesus
as King and Savior.
- The guest "not dressed in wedding clothes": False Believer
He wants the food of the feast (v. 11, he's there).
Focused on himself , not Jesus Christ.
He does not honor the wedding by dressing right (v. 11).
Seeks God's pleasures without honoring Jesus.
The point: Be dressed (repent) for the occasion (to enter the kingdom)!
See Matth. 4:17; 7:22-23 & context.
True discipleship is necessary in the kingdom of God even
as Jesus has taught throughout the gospel of Matthew. One must not just come to the feast, but take on all necessary and usual aspects of being there. One cannot just convert to Christianity, one must become a life-long, obedient, repentant following after the King!
Application: Which character are you most like? How have you responded to the
invitation to receive Jesus as the King of the Universe and feast at His table? Even if you have wanted the things of God's kingdom, are you still more self-centered, or do you truly honor and treasure Jesus first and foremost in your life, even at great personal expense (like the slaves)?
- The Kingdom of Heaven is Greater than The Kingdoms of Man
Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. 16 And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. 17 "Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?" 18 But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? 19 "Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius. 20 And He said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 21 They said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." 22 And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away.
The Pharisees and Herodians Try to Trap Jesus: The test of the poll-tax
- The Kingdom of Heaven is For the Living
Matthew 22:23 On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him, 24 asking, "Teacher, Moses said, "IF A MAN DIES HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE, AND RAISE UP CHILDREN FOR HIS BROTHER.' 25 "Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother; 26 so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. 27 "Last of all, the woman died. 28 "In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her."
Matthew 22:29 But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 "But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 32 "I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." 33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
The Sadducees question Jesus about the Resurrection
FULFILLMENT/USE of Exodus 3:6
- The Kingdom of Heaven is All About Loving God First
Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37 And He said to him, ""YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 "The second is like it, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' 40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
Matthew 22:41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: 42 "What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?" They said to Him, "The son of David." 43 He said to them, "Then how does David in the Spirit call Him "Lord,' saying,
44 "THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,
"SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET"'?
45 "If David then calls Him "Lord,' how is He his son?" 46 No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.
The Pharisees Test Jesus About the Great Commandment
JESUS quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 The "Shema," & Leviticus 19:18
Jesus then tests the Pharisees with the identity of the Messiah (vv. 41-46) FULFILLMENT/USE of: Ps. 110:1