Matthew 22:3

And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. AND SENT FORTH HIS SERVANTS (REPRESENTING ALL PREACHERS OF THE GOSPEL), TO CALL THEM THAT WERE BIDDEN - here meaning the Jews, who were "bidden," from the first choice of them onwards through every summons addressed to them by the prophets to hold themselves in readiness for the appearing of their King. TO THE WEDDING - or the marriage festivities, when the preparations were all concluded. AND THEY WOULD NOT COME - as the issue of the whole ministry of the Baptist, our Lord Himself, and His apostles thereafter, too sadly showed....

1-14 The provision made for perishing souls in the gospel, is represented by a royal feast made by a king, with eastern liberality, on the marriage of his son. Our merciful God has not only provided food, but a royal feast, for the perishing souls of his rebellious creatures. There is enough and to spare, of every thing that can add to our present comfort and everlasting happiness, in the salvation of his Son Jesus Christ. The guests first invited were the Jews. When the prophets of the Old Testament prevailed not, nor John the Baptist, nor Christ himself, who told them the kingdom of God was at hand, the apostles and ministers of the gospel were sent, after Christ's resurrection, to tell them it was come, and to persuade them to accept the offer. The reason why sinners come not to Christ and salvation by him, is, not because they cannot, but because they will not. Making light of Chris...

AND SENT FORTH HIS SERVANTS - These represent the messengers that God has sent to invite people to his kingdom. TO CALL THEM THAT WERE BIDDEN - That is, to give notice to those who had before been invited that the feast was ready. It appears that there were two invitations - one considerably previous to the time of the feast, that they might have opportunity to prepare for it, and the other to give notice of the precise time when they were expected. THE WEDDING - The marriage-feast. The same word in the original as in Matthew 22:2. THEY WOULD NOT COME - They might have come if they had chosen, but they would not. So all the difficulty that sinners ever labour under in regard to salvation is in the will. It is a fixed determination no

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 22:1 _Parable of the marriage of the king_'_s son. _(Peculiar to St. Matthew.) MATTHEW 22:1 JESUS ANSWERED AND SPAKE UNTO THEM. After they had heard our Lord's words at the end of the last chapter, the Pharisees, according to St. Mark, "left him, and went their way," so that this parable was spoken in the audience of the disciples and the attendant multitude alone, without the former disturbing element. This fact may account for its exhibiting certain merciful and gracious features, setting forth the privilege rather than the duty of obeying the gospel call. The term "answered" often does not signify a reply given to some distinct question, but is equivalent to "took occas

AND SENT FORTH HIS SERVANTS,.... The ministers of the Gospel, who are the servants of the most high God, of his choosing and ordaining, of his calling and sending, and of his qualifying and employing, and who voluntarily and cheerfully serve him; and may intend John the Baptist, and the twelve apostles of Christ, who were sent TO CALL THEM THAT WERE BIDDEN TO THE WEDDING; הקרואים, "those that were called", as in 1 Samuel 9:13 by whom are meant the Jews, who were the "bidden", or "called ones"; called of God, and therefore styled "Israel my called" Isaiah 48:12 and by the Targum interpreted מזמני, "my bidden". They were called by the name of God, and called the people of God, and the children of God, and were the children of the kingdom; and were called to many valuable and e

Matthew 22:1. _And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come._ Observe, that it was a king who made this wedding feast; therefore, to refuse to come to it when the command implied great honour to those who were bidden, was as distinct an insult as could very well be perpetrated against both the king and his son. «They would not come.» Had the one who invited them been only an ordinary person, it might not have been their duty to come, and they might even have been justified in their refusal. But this was a king, who sent his servants to summon the guests to the marriage of his son; and I bid you to take notice that the gospel marriage feast, to which you are invited, is the fea

10. THE PARABLE OF THE MARRIAGE FEAST. The King's Answers and His Question. CHAPTER 22 _ 1. The Parable of the Marriage Feast. (Matthew 22:1 .) 2. The Herodians Answered. (Matthew 22:15 .) 3. The Sadducees Answered.(Matthew 22:23 .) 4. The Pharisees Answered.(Matthew 22:34 .) 5. The Unanswered Question.(Matthew 22:41 .)_ A third parable follows immediately. They would have laid their hands upon Him, after that searching second parable had been uttered by the Lord, but His hour was not yet. Once more He f

PARABLE(S) OF THE MESSIANIC BANQUET. This section is difficult, Matthew 22:1 has many resemblances to, but is not identical with, Luke 14:16. The two passages should be carefully compared; Lk.'s form, but Mt.'s position, is perhaps the more original. Matthew 22:11 is found in Mt. only, and appears to belong to another parable, the beginning of which has been lost. The marriage feast of the king's son may be ultimately symbolic of the glad union of Christ and the Church (as in Revelation 19:7), though the bride does not here appear. The nation had received intimation of the event and been invited to the festivity by the prophe

Jesus again answered them in parables: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like the situation which arose when a man who was a king arranged a wedding for his son. He sent his servants to summon those who had been invited to the wedding, and they refused to come. He again sent other servants. 'Tell those who have been invited,' he said, 'look you, I have my meal all prepared; my oxen and my specially fattened animals have been killed; and everything is ready. Come to the wedding.' But they disregarded the invitation and went away, one to his estate, and another to his business. The rest seized the servants and treated them shamefully and killed them. The king was angry, and sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and set fire to their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready. Those who have been invited did not deserve to come. Go, then, to the highways and invite to the w...

SENT FORTH, &C. John, the Lord, and the Twelve. WERE BIDDEN. those who had been bidden. This bidding had been done by the prophets. For the custom of such. later "sending" compare Esther 5:8 with Esther 6:14. TO. Greek. _eis._ App-104. WEDDING. wedding feast, as "marriage" in Matthew 22:1. WOULD NOT COME. wished not to come. App-102....