Matthew 22-Parable of the King's Wedding Feast

SLIDE 1 Avoid conflict. David Moore in Vital Speeches of the Day.

*Two men who lived in a small village got into a terrible dispute that they could not resolve. So they decided to talk to the town sage. The first man went to the sage's home and told his version of what happened. When he finished, the sage said, "You're absolutely right." The next night, the second man called on the sage and told his side of the story. The sage responded, "You're absolutely right." Afterward, the sage's wife scolded her husband. "Those men told you two different stories and you told them they were absolutely right. That's impossible -- they can't both be absolutely right." The sage turned to his wife and said, "You're absolutely right."

There was no conflict but there was also no truth.

How many of you like to debate? Argue? Disagree? Defend? Although I do like to instruct others in the truth of the bible and correct false teaching, I do not enjoy negative talk, politics, or conflict.
This week Jesus is challenged by different groups, He uses wisdom and knowledge of the scripture to finally quiet His foes.

Matthew 22 Conflicts in Jerusalem

•         Parable of the Wedding Feast

•         Three Questions

o   Herodians,

o   Pharisees,

o   Sadducees,

o   Lawyers

•         Jesus Asks His Own Question

Aim: Listeners will humble themselves before the Lord’s wisdom and authority.

SLIDE 2 Chapter Divisions • (22:1-14) To anyone that has planned a wedding, you know how much time and expense goes into the wedding dinner. Care is taken to choose the perfect invitations and the best food for the occasion. Prince Charles and Dianne had the most expensive wedding in history costing $110 million when adjusted for inflation. Television viewers watched in awe at the pageantry and expense. The adoration of English citizens for Dianne gave us a play by play view into the planning of a royal wedding. We can’t imagine anyone turning down an invitation to this Wedding of the Century.

In our study of the King’s wedding feast for His son we recognize the analogy of God sending prophets to announce His salvation plan in the form of a Messiah. Many were ignored and some were killed. Matthew 3:11 John was sent to invite Israel to Jesus.

SLIDE 3 4'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.'⁵ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,

An invitation to a wedding feast is an honor. The King is so excited and ready for his friends to come share. Some made lame excuses ⁶ while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.

SLIDE 4 ⁷ The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

Many prophets, including John the Baptist, had been murdered (Matthew 14:10). The king’s reprisal against the murderers can be interpreted as a prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction in A.D. 70 at the hands of the Romans. But more likely the king’s vengeance speaks of the desolation mentioned in the book of Revelation.

SLIDE 5 ⁸ Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. ⁹ Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.'¹⁰ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

 I must admit I was puzzled at the treatment of the man not dressed properly since the  people were gathered from the streets.  Some scholars believe that the king provided the proper attire for his guests. It would be a major insult to the king to refuse to wear the garment provided to the guests.

SLIDE 6  ¹³ Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'¹⁴ This is the final judgment before God.

For many are called, but few are chosen." Throughout the Gospel of Matthew the Kingdom of Heaven has been the focus of the teachings and parables of Jesus.

 “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. Deuteronomy 7:6

SLIDE 7 Israel and her leadership had been known as the “Chosen,” but even their privilege in status is lost through their rejection of Jesus’ invitation to the kingdom of heaven. God is patient, but He will not tolerate wickedness forever. His judgment will come upon those who reject His Son and the offer of salvation.

In the book of Revelation, we see those in heaven wearing “white robes” (Revelation 7:9), and we learn that the whiteness of the robes is due to their being washed in the blood of the Lamb (verse 14). We trust in God’s righteousness, not our own (Philippians 3:9).

Will you be attending the Wedding feast? We must humble ourselves before Jesus and accept His righteousness.

(22:15-40) THREE QUESTIONS

SLIDE 8 This is the Tuesday of Passover week, our Lord’s enemies tried to trap Him by using a series of “loaded” questions. Herodians are usually in conflict with the Pharisees  but they join together to “tempt” Jesus.

The Pharisees sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher,(Rabbi) we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.¹⁷ Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

This was a highly volatile issue to the people under the rule of the Romans, but Jesus saw through their false flattery. They were probably referring to a census or annual head tax or a poll tax. It is estimated that a Jewish family paid about 49% of its annual income to these various taxes to Romans and the temple.

SLIDE 9 ¹⁸ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius.²⁰ And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"²¹ They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."²² When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

Short and sweet was Jesus answer-no argument, no debate. We can see our Lord is tiring of this dogged repartee with the temple leaders. They hoped to trap Him into saying something that would cause His arrest.

We are God’s creation, made in His image. Are you willing to give yourself to God?

Next up the Sadducees

SLIDE 10 What a ridiculous question for the Sadducees who deny resurrection, and angels and the spirit world. This group only accepted the first five books of Moses; the Pentateuch. Their unlikely illustration comes from Jewish law of “levirate marriage” from Deuteronomy 25: 5– 10. (The word levirate comes from the Latin word levir which means “a husband’s brother.” ) The surviving brother of a childless widow is to marry his sister-in-law and provide an heir to preserve the genealogical line for his deceased brother as well as an inheritance.

SLIDE 11 Matthew 22: ²⁸ In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her."

29But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither 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.

Think about the reason made man and women-to populate the earth.

There will be no need for marriage in the next life because there will be no death. Therefore it will not be necessary to bear children to replace those who die.

 *Jesus did not say that we would be angels with wings when we are glorified in heaven. He said we would be “as the angels.”

³¹ And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God:³² 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living."³³ And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

SLIDE 1235 A Pharisee schooled in the law, asked him a question to test 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 first commandment.³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

These two summarize all the laws and commands in Scripture.
The Ten Commandments deal with our relationship with God and with other people. Our love of God will overflow to others. It is impossible to love others with their flaws and demands if we cannot commit to a loving, infallible God. Only when we are transformed by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit we are able to begin to love others as ourselves. 

 SLIDE 13 (22:41-46) ⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,⁴² saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David."⁴³ He said to them, "How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

⁴⁴            "'The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet'?

⁴⁵            If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?".
Psalm 110:1 teaches the deity and the humanity of Messiah.

There is only one answer to this question. As God, Christ is David’s Lord; as man, He is David’s Son. He is both “the root and the offspring of David” (Rev. 22:16).

When He was ministering on earth, Jesus often accepted the messianic title “Son of David”

•         Matthew 9:27;  2 blind men

•         Matthew 12:23; crowds after healing

•         Matthew 15:22; woman of Canaan

•         Matthew 20:30–31; 2 blind men

•         Matthew 21:9; multitudes in Jerusalem

•         Matthew 21:15; children in temple

•         Matthew 22:42; Pharisees

The rulers had heard the multitudes proclaim Him as “Son of David” when He rode into Jerusalem. The fact that He accepted this title is evidence that Jesus knew Himself to be the Messiah, the Son of God.

⁴⁶ And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Warren Weirsbe once again provides additional thoughts to this questioning.
“But there was another reason for the questions, one that His enemies did not realize. Jesus was going to die as the Lamb of God, and it was necessary for the lamb to be examined before Passover (Ex. 12: 3– 6). If any blemish whatsoever was found on the lamb, it could not be sacrificed. Jesus was examined publicly by His enemies and they could find no fault in Him.  

What would you ask Jesus? Do you accept His wisdom and authority as Immanuel, God with us?

Are you will to accept His invitation to the Wedding Feast?

Wiersbe, Warren W. (2015-08-18). The BE Series Bundle: The Gospels: Be Loyal, Be Diligent, Be Compassionate, Be Courageous, Be Alive, and Be Transformed (The BE Series Commentary) (Kindle Locations 2864-2865). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition.