Matthew 22:1-14

Mark states (Matthew 12:12) that, after the parable of the wicked husbandmen the rulers ‘left Him and went their way; ‘hence this parable (peculiar to Matthew) was not spoken directly to the rulers. Matthew 22:1, however, indicates that it was aimed at their thoughts and designs. The parable in Luke 14:15-24 (‘the great supper') resembles this one which is properly called, ‘the marriage of the king's son,' but with essential differences. The former was delivered in Perea, at the house of a Pharisee, and was occasioned by an exclamation of one who sat at meat with Him. The one was a supper, given by a man of wealth; this a marriage feast given by a king. In the former case the infinite goodness and grace of the Lord is brought out, here judgment is made prominent. The two-fold invitation: 1. Preparatory (through the centuries of Jewish history). 2. Peremptory, at the time of the wedding (when the New Dispensation was ushered in). The two-fold rejection: 1. by indifference (Matthew 22:5), 2. by persecution (Matthew 22:6). The two-fold punishment: 1. on the persons; 2. on the place of the persecutors. The invitation to the Gentiles: 1. without any preliminary (Matthew 22:9); 2. universal (Matthew 22:10). The two-fold sifting: 1. through the invitation; 2. at the feast itself (Matthew 22:11-14). The excuses of indifference (Matthew 22:5), the speechlessness of self-righteous profession. The wedding feast implies the offer of the wedding garment.