THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING BANQUET

Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:

2 'The Kingdom of Heaven is like a King

WHO PREPARED A WEDDING BANQUET FOR HIS SON.

3 He sent His Servants

To those who had been invited to the banquet

To tell them to come,

BUT THEY REFUSED TO COME.

4 Then He sent some more Servants and said,

'Tell those who have been invited

That I have prepared My Dinner:

My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered,

And everything is ready.

COME TO THE WEDDING BANQUET.'

5 But they paid no attention and went off—

One to his field, another to his business.

6 The rest seized his servants,

Mistreated them and killed them.

7 THE KING WAS ENRAGED.

He sent his army and destroyed

Those murderers and burned their city.

8 Then he said to his servants,

'THE WEDDING BANQUET IS READY

But those I invited did not deserve to come.

9 GO TO THE STREET CORNERS

AND INVITE TO THE BANQUET ANYONE YOU FIND.'

10 So the servants went out into the streets

And gathered all the people they could find,

BOTH GOOD AND BAD,

And the Wedding Hall was filled with quests.

11 But when the King came into see the guests,

He noticed a man there

WHO WAS NOT WEARING WEDDING CLOTHES.

12 'Friend,' he asked,

'How did you get in here without Wedding Clothes?'

The man was speechless.

13 Then the king told the attendants,

'Tie him hand and foot,

AND THROW HIM OUTSIDE, INTO THE DARKNESS,

WHERE THERE WILL BE WEEPING

AND GNASHING OF TEETH.

14 FOR MANY ARE INVITED,

BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.'

God the Father has been inviting people

To the wedding of His Son

From the beginning of time.

In the Old Testament, the people doing the inviting

Were the prophets of old.

The people invited were the people of God,

But most of them refused to come.

The people of God mistreated

And killed many of the Prophets

That God sent to invite them.

John the Baptist came inviting the people of God

To the Wedding Banquet,

And many came to him

In the desert confessing their sins

Being baptized; cleansing themselves.

The ones who refused the invitation

Were the religious leaders of Israel.

John the Baptist was killed for standing for God.

Christ Jesus came inviting the people of God

To His Wedding Banquet.

A few of the people of God

Received the invitation and received Christ.

However, the Religious Leaders

Did not receive their invitation;

They were jealous of Christ Jesus

And were responsible for His death.

Because of their treatment of the Son of God;

Because they did not respond

To the day of their visitation, their invitation;

Their religious rites were taken from them,

Their temple destroyed,

And they were dispersed to the nations until 1948.

Because the people of God

Refused the invitation to the wedding banquet

God sent evangelists to the Gentiles;

He sent them to the street corners,

To people good and bad.

Because His Wedding Banquet Hall will be filled.

Today, the Father continues to invite the people of God

And whosoever will come, to the Wedding Banquet.

However, there will be those to busy to come,

Too involved with the things of this World.

There will be those who resent

Those who invite them to come

And they will mistreat and kill them.

Nevertheless, the Wedding Banquet will take place,

And everyone who has a heart for God and His Son will be there.

They will have purchased Wedding Clothes.

They will be Clothed in the Righteousness of Christ.

No one will be allowed into the Wedding Banquet

Without wedding clothes.

In The Time of the END, just as in all preceding times,

Many will have been called, but few will be chosen.