The Parable of the Wedding/Marriage Feast

Matthew 22:1-14
Randy Neal

The Parable of the Wedding/Marriage Feast (Matthew 22:1-14) The word parable literally means a casting or placing along side of, describing the taking of an earthly story or metaphor and setting alongside this story a spiritual truth.1 Perhaps a parable can best be summed up by the following definition: an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.2 Here in the parable of the Marriage or Wedding Supper, Jesus takes a physical reality (a wedding) and places the marriage supper beside a spiritual truth (the kingdom). Here we find this passage following Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-16) and sandwiched in between the challenging or questioning of Jesus authority in Matthew 21:23-22:46. One may even argue that this parable is an extension of the parable of the wicked farmer or vinedresser (Matthew 21:33-46). In the parable of the wicked vinedresser, Jesus condemns the religious leaders for rejecting the
This article is part of a lecture given at the 11th Annual Southeastern Bible Lectureship on Tuesday, September 24, 2001 (conducted at the Central Church of Christ in Saraland, AL.). The theme for the lectureship: Self-Discovery A Study of the Parables: Earthly Things with a Heavenly Meaning. 2 The Greek word TEVEFSPL, is a comparison, a type, figure, or illustration. In the synoptic gospels, Matthew uses this term 14 times, Mark 13, and Luke 18. A parable is a short discourse that makes a comparison; it often expresses a (single) complete thought. William F. Ardnt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament and Otgher Early Christian Literature, 2nd Ed. Revised and Augmented by F. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick W. Danker (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1979), 612-13.
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messengers of the farmer (the prophets) and ultimately his son (Jesus). This rejection Jesus speaks of (quoting from Psalm 118:22-23 and Isaiah 28:16) describes the rejection of the Messiah. The Pharisees and chief priests realized that Jesus spoke of them. When considering any passage of scripture, one always needs to do some background study to place the passage in the proper context. We will first of all examine the parable of the wedding supper in relation to the rest of Matthew. Secondly, we will discuss Matthew 22:1-14 in connection with Jewish marriage customs. Thirdly, we will give an analysis and interpretation of this parable.

kingdom of God is found 5 times. No wonder Merrill Tenney calls Matthew s gospel the Gospel of the King or Messiah. 3 Matthew s gospel record is known for its great sections: (1) chapters 5-7: Sermon on the Mount; (2) chapters 8-9: Section on miracles (Jesus power over sickness/disease, demons, and death); (3) chapter 13: Jesus great parables on the kingdom; (4) chapters 16-18: Jesus teaching on the church; (5) chapter 23: Jesus condemnation pronounced upon the scribes and Pharisees; (6) chapters 24-25: Jesus teaching on the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Coming. The first gospel account can be divided into three sections: (1) Part One: begins in Matthew 1:1 and goes through Matthew 4:11 (genealogy and birth through Jesus baptism and temptation); (2) Part Two: extends from Matthew 4:12 to Matthew 22:35 (which includes His Galilean Ministry); (3) Part Three: covers Matthew 24:1 through Matthew 28:20 (which includes His Perean/Judean Ministries and through the passion/resurrection narratives).

Parable of Wedding Feast in Relation to the Rest of Matthew There are approximately 124 quotation or allusions made by Jesus to the Old Testament in Matthew s gospel. There are also some 200 verses in Matthew that either make reference to an Old Testament passage and/or character. One of the predominate themes in Matthew s gospel is that of Jesus as being both Messiah (Anointed One) and King. Matthew shows that through Jesus genealogy He is the Son of David. The idea of Kingship is found throughout the gospel when Jesus teaches about the nature of the kingdom. The phrase, kingdom of heaven, is found some 33 times in Matthew (while nowhere else in the New Testament), and the

Merrill C. Tenney, New Testament Survey, Rev. by Walter M. Dennett (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985), 149-59.

Parable of Wedding Feast in Connection with Jewish Marriage Customs Marriages were normally arranged in ancient times as they are in some parts of the world today. Marriage came first and love came afterwards. In Jewish society, there were four great occasions or rites of passage that marked the progess of life: birth, maturity4, marriage, and death. The dowry. The friend of the bridegroom (John 3:29), today we would call him the best man, negotiated on behalf of the prospective bridegroom and his father, along with a representative of the bride s father. An agreement would be made on a price to be given the father of the bride. This payment was looked upon as compensation for the loss of a worker and protection of the woman in case something happened to the husband. The price is mutually agreed upon (Genesis 34:12; Exodus 22:16-17). However, the dowry could consist of service instead of money. For example, Jacob agrees to work for seven years for Rachel (Genesis 29:18-20) and after being tricked by Laban he is given Leah instead, he agrees to work seven more years for Rachel. The exchange of money is probably written as a contract/agreement. After the arrangement is made, the couple is considered engaged.

Betrothal. There is a betrothal that is more binding than engagement in our modern western society. Although not yet the wedding married, a man betrothed to a woman is exempt from military service (Deuteronomy 20:7). If a man rapes a woman betrothed to another man, the act is adulterous on the part of th eman and the offender faces the death penalty (Deuteronomy 22:24, adultery). Joseph is betrothed to Mary when he finds that she is pregnant. He does not want to make a public example out of her, so he is willing to divorce her privately. Not until the angel of the Lord appears unto Joseph in a dream that he marries Mary because her conception is by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:1825). The length of time from the engagement (betrothal) until the marriage ceremony ends would last anywhere from a few months or up to a year. During this time the young man prepares the house while the young woman makes the wedding clothes (probably what Jesus is referring to in John 14:1-3; we as part of the bride await His final work on that Heavenly home). The bride s family prepares for ceremonies. Wedding Day. When a man in this society is preparing for a great banquet, an announcement is made and the exact day set (although the specific hour is not). The banquet would bengin when all preparations are final. On the wedding day, the bride and groom dress in their finest clothes (they dress like a king and queen). The bride adorns herself as a queen (Revelation 21:2), she bathes, and braids her hair with precious stones (Psalm 45:14-15; Isaiah 61:10; Ezekiel 16:11-

Barmitzva for boys and batmitzva for girls. This rite of passage (for boys) may be what we find with Jesus at the age of 12 in the temple at Jerusalem (see Luke 2:41-52).

12). The girls who dress her would become her wedding companions. The groom also dresses in his finest clothes and jewelry (Isaiah 61:10); the friends of the groom accompany him to the wedding (John 3:29). The wedding begins in the evening with a wedding prcession lighted by oil lamps and torches. The groom and his companions set out from his house to fetch his bride from her parents home. The bride would wear a veil that may not have been removed until after the consummatiion (or in the case of Jacob and Leah, until the next morning). Great singing, music, and dancing accompany this procession (Jeremiah 7:34; 16:79; Isaiah 24:7-8; Matthew 11:16-17). The ceremony proper may have included a skirt spreading ceremony, symbolizing that a woman is taken as a wife (example, Ruth-Boaz, Ruth 3:7). A modern observer notes an Arab practice of taking th husband s cloak/skirt and spreading the cloak over the bride; thus he declares that no one else would cover her. At the point in the ceremony when the bride s veil is removed, the veil would be taken off and laid upon the groom and declared, The government shall be upon his shoulder. Final Ritual Consumation and Proof of Virginity. This would take place in the tent (or bridal chamber) set up in the groom s house. The couple consummate the marriage through sexual union while the guests wait outside. To keep anyone from accusing the bride of not being a virgin (Deuteronomy 23:13-21), the bed sheets are taken to the

friend of the groom (the token of her virginity ) to testify to her virginity. This would further explain why Joseph is willing to put away Mary quietly. The wedding feast or ceremony would continue seven days or longer (Judges 14:12). We read of Jesus turning water into wine at Cana of Galilee; they would normally water down the wine to make the beverage go further (due to the length of th efeast) and probably to keep the guests from getting drunk (John chapter 2). If a family is very wealthy, they provide wedding garments for the guests (Matthew 22:12).5

Analysis and Interpretation of the Parable Notice how the parable can be broken down into four sections: (1) the first invitation to the wedding feast (vs. 2-4); (2) rejection by the guests to the wedding (vs. 5-7; (3) the second invitation to the outcasts (vs. 8-10); (4) the guest without a wedding garment (vs. 10-14). Most would agree with this division of the parable, although William Barclay
Works consulted for this section of Jewish Marriage Practices. Nelson s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Herbert Lockyer, Sr., General Editor. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1986), s.v., Marriage, s.v. Wedding, pp. 680-82; 1095-96. Ralph Gower, The New Manner and Customs of the Bible. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1987), 67-69. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. 3, Ed. By James Orr. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1939), s.v. Marriage, by George B. Eager, pg. 1996. The Interpreter s Dictionary of the Bible, K-Q, George Arthur Buttrick, Ed. (New York: Abingdon Press, 1962), s.v. Marriage, by O.J. Babb, pp. 278-287.
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considers this context as containing two parables (Matthew 22:1-10, the Great Feast, and Matthew 22:11-14, the Wedding Garment).6 There are some similarities between this parable and the parable of the Great Supper in Luke 14:6-24 (those originally invited spurn the invitation).7 Some argue that Matthew and Luke s parables are two variations of one original story, but in fact the details of the parables, and their backgrounds, are quite different. 8 We find that Matthew s parable follows in close succession to the Parable of the Wicked Husbandman and sounds a warning note to the Jews who would reject their Messiah. Luke s parable, on the other hand, is not as severe in tone, yet it stands as a warning to all men that they should not take the kingdom of God for granted. Any similarities between these two parables is due to their common source of origin the Galilean Teacher. 9 This is one of Jesus easiest parables to interpret. The King in this parable represents our Heavenly Father, and the Son is Jesus. While the servants who extend the invitation may symbolize the prophets of God, yet they do not play as prominent of a role in this parable as those who reject the King s invitation. Those of the household of Israel are those who are rejecting Jesus (Matthew depicts Jesus as a rejected
William Barclay, And Jesus Said (Philidelphia: The Westminster Press, 1970), 151, 158. 7 Neil Lightfoot, The Parables of Jesus, vol. 2, Rev. Ed. The Way of Life Series. (Abilene: A.C.U. Press, 1986), 10. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid.
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King, Matthew 27:11-37). The second group who are invited represents the Gentiles (the outcasts, according to the Jews). Finally, the guest without a wedding garment represents those who are called the second time (Gentiles), but who take lightly the grace and mercy of the King. The apostle Paul describes this group (Gentiles) as a wild olive branch grafted on to a natural tree (the Jews/Israel) in Romans 11:17-25). Paul warns the Gentile Christians that they can be removed if they become arrogant and disobedient to God (Romans 11:1922). The wedding garment (IRHYQE) refers to a garment, clothing to be worn (IWHY[)by a person.10 This could refer to a specific garment, or simply to clean, laundered clothes. Those who are invited obviously could not afford one, so one is provided for them. The Bible describes God s grace and salvation as garments of salvation and a robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). In Revelation 3:4, 5, 18 and 19:18, John describes those faithful Christians who had not yet stained their garments with sin of idolatry or spiritual adultery. Paul teaches the church at Colossae that they are to put to death the old sins of the flesh and put on (IRHY[) ourselves with righteousness (Colossians 3:5-14).

10

Bauer, Bauer-English Lexicon, 263.

Conclusion Entrance into God s kingdom is by invitation. Jesus extends His great invitation (Matthew 11:28-30) to all mankind (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-48). Salvation is not limited to only a select number of people predetermined by God ages ago; the gospel plan of salvation literally is for all. In the Old Testament, Israel is God s beloved bride who is unfaithful to Him (Jeremiah 3:1-2; Ezekiel 16:2645). In the New Testament, the church is the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:21-33; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 21:1-2). If we desire to be part of that Heavenly Homecoming one day, we must watch for His return (as did the wise virgins in Matthew 25:1-13) and keep our garments pure so that we will not be cast into the eternal lake of fire. Jesus calls everyone to the banquet through the gospel, but only few will accept the invitation. The way to life is difficult and narrow (Matthew 7:13-14, and only a few will find it. The chosen (elektos elect) of Matthew 22:14 refers to those who accept the invitation and keep their garments clean until the end.

Bibliography Ardnt, William F. and F. Wilbur Gingrich. A GreekEnglish Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 2nd Ed. Revised and Augmented by F. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick W. Danker. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1979. Barclay, William. And Jesus Said: A Handbook On The Parables Of Jesus. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1970. Buttrick, George Arthur, Ed. The Interpreter s Dictionary of the Bible, K-Q. New York: Abingdon Press, 1962. S.v. Marriage, by O.J. Babb: 278-287. Gower, Ralph. The New Manner and Customs of the Bible. Chicago: Moody Press, 1987. Lightfoot, Neil. The Parables of Jesus, vol. 2, Revised Edition. Abilene: A.C.U. Press, 1986. Lockyer, Herbert, Sr., Ed. Nelson s Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1986. S.v. Marriage,: 680-682; S.v. Wedding, 1095-1096. Orr, James, Ed. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1939. S.v. Marriage, by George B Eager: 1996. Tenny, Merrill C. New Testament Survey, Revised by Walter M. Dennett. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.