Sunday, December 31, 1995
"How Does It All End?"
Matthew 22:1-14
(see also Luke 14:15-24)
By P. G. Mathew, M.A., M.Div., Th.M.
Copyright © 1996 by P. G. Mathew
How does it all end? That is what we want to consider as we
study this parable of the king's feast. In Ecclesiastes 7:8 we
read, "The end of a matter is better than its
beginning." King Saul began all right, but his end was
disastrous. Judas began well, but his end was hopeless. Demas
began as a minister of the gospel, but he ended loving this
present world, not the kingdom of God. There will be an end to
our own lives. How will we end? Will the King of kings say
concerning us: "Good and faithful servant, enter into the
kingdom of God prepared for you, and enjoy my eternal
blessings"? Or will he say, "Depart from me, you
workers of iniquity. I never knew you"? This parable of the
king's banquet speaks of the judgment that awaits all of us at
the end.
The King's Invitation
Jesus told two parables about wedding feasts, this one in Matthew
22, and one in Luke 14:15-24. Both teach essentially the same
truth. In these parables Jesus makes reference to the ultimate
judgment of those who rejected the gospel invitation, the
invitation to a great banquet, which symbolizes the eternal
happiness of the salvation Christ gives his people.
We read that a king prepared a wedding banquet for his son. Let
us look at the gracious invitation of this king. The invitation
to this banquet was sent out to the people of Israel from the
beginning of their history. One after another prophets were sent
at different times to announce the way of salvation through the
Messiah, as we read in Hebrews 1:1: "In the past God spoke
to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and at
various ways." The entire sacrificial system spoke about
this great banquet, this salvation, as did the system of the
priesthood. The whole institution of prophets also spoke about
this great, eschatological banquet. Israel accepted this
invitation and agreed to come to the wedding feast of the king's
son.
According to custom, when the feast was ready, the king sent his
servants to re-invite those who had already accepted. This time,
however, the guests refused to come. In rebellion they treated
this king and his son with contempt, refusing to honor them. In
great grace the king sent other servants a third time with this
encouraging word: "Tell those who have been invited that I
have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fatted cattle have been
butchered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding
banquet!" (Matt. 22:4).
This gracious invitation is the gospel. Through different
servants at various times God has invited us also. John the
Baptist, the apostles, the seventy, Jesus himself, and all the
preachers of the gospel through the centuries have preached this
same truth, that there is a banquet that is ready. According to
the Father's eternal purpose, his Son was to grant eternal life
to all those whom the Father granted him by his substitutionary
death on the cross. This salvation was planned from all eternity
by God the Father. In 2 Timothy 1:9-10 Paul says, "[God],
who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of
anything we have done, but because of his own purpose and grace.
This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of
time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our
Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and brought life
and immortality to life through the gospel." In Romans 8:28
we read, "And we know that in all things God works for the
good of those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose."
God the Father planned this banquet, this redemption, and God the
Son executed it. From the cross he cried out, "It is
finished," meaning the banquet is ready. Christ died for our
sins, and he himself interpreted his own death and resurrection
in this manner when he said, "The Christ will suffer and
rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and
forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem." (Luke 24:46-47). The gospel is the
general call for all people. Christ is saying, Come! Salvation is
ready, redemption is ready, the banquet is ready. Come, one and
all! And not only that, the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the
Trinity, applies this salvation to everyone who comes. In 1
Corinthians 5:7,8 Paul said, "For Christ, our Passover Lamb,
has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us keep the Festival,"
meaning, let us celebrate! Christ is the manna from heaven, the
living bread.
This is a great banquet. This feast was announced by Isaiah long
ago in wondrous terms. In Isaiah 25:6 we read "On this
mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for
all people, a banquet of aged wine--the best meats and the finest
of wines." That is speaking about a sumptuous salvation.
How was this banquet was prepared? The fifty-third chapter of
Isaiah describes the fact that this eternal Son, Jesus Christ,
the suffering servant, died in our place, and now justifies many
by his righteousness. In Isaiah 54 and 55, the great invitation
is given for Jews and Gentiles alike to experience this richest
of fare:
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you
who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not
bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to
me and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the
richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul
may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my
faithful love promised to David." (Isaiah 55:1-3)
God wants us to listen to this gracious invitation. Do you say
you have no money? Don't worry. This is extremely costly, and no
one can pay money for it. This invitation is freely given to all
who are needy, to all who hunger and to all who thirst. You are
invited to come to this banquet which will meet your every
spiritual need. This banquet alone will give you peace with God,
free pardon of all your sins, great joy and eternal life. This
banquet alone clothes you with the irreproachable and perfect
righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.
The King's Invitation Rejected
So the king issued three invitations, but in Matthew 22:5 we are
told, "they paid no attention." Those who had been
invited gave no consideration, no thought, to this king and his
son, who is Jesus Christ. God created man with a mind to think,
first of all, of God, but man refuses to think of his Maker. Most
men are practicing atheists, as we read in Psalm 10, living as
though there is no God. Such men do not believe God will call
them to account. Rather, they think God has forgotten his
creation.
These men's minds were engaged in other priorities. They did not
believe in the kingdom of God or eternal judgment. They did not
believe in sin, guilt, judgment or hell. They had no time to
consider these matters. Like many people today, they probably
felt they should work harder and make more money, rather than go
to the banquet. They felt they must make their wives happy and
take care of their children. They needed to travel, to entertain
themselves and to be active politically. They needed to prepare
for retirement. They were busy! They had no time to think about
God the King, his Son, and eternal life. They were working hard
to gain the whole world, if that were possible.
Such men would not listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 16:26:
"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world,
yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his
soul?" No, to these men, what mattered was life in this
world. Luke 17:26-28 tells us about people who are busy buying
and selling, planting and building, marrying and giving in
marriage, eating and drinking--fully engrossed in this world and
not at all concerned about the world to come. These men were like
that--sensual, walking by sight, living to satisfy their lusts,
with no time for spiritual things. Such people are worldly, like
the third soil in the parable of the soils. The deceitfulness of
riches, pleasures of life, and worries and desires for many
things crowd their minds and choke any spiritual interests and
concern for the world to come.
Others were openly hostile to the invitation of the king. They
mocked his messengers--the preachers, the prophets and Jesus
himself. They mocked the message--that Christ died for us on the
cross. They hated the idea that the blood of Jesus Christ
cleanses us from all our sins. It sounded too simple to them, so
they mocked it. They also mocked the King--the eternal, infinite,
personal, almighty God--and his own only begotten Son. They
believed in the ultimacy of matter, and said that God and his Son
were only creations of human imagination.
Not only did some mock, but some killed the king's servants,
demonstrating their hatred of him. They had no fear of the king,
thinking he was very weak, and would never deal with them. This
is not a new idea. Noah warned of God's judgment on man's violent
and lawless behavior. The people who heard him laughed at the
idea of a flood, but in God's time there was a flood. Lot spoke
against what he saw in Sodom and Gomorrah, and warned of God's
judgment. The people in those cities did not believe him, but
God's word came true. So also we see these people mocking God and
his invitation, and killing his messengers.
Others heard the invitation and, being decent people, devised
courteous excuses. They were diplomatic in their rejection of the
gospel. You read these excuses in Luke 14. One said, "I have
just bought a field, and I must go and see it." (v. 18) What
contempt he showed for this eternal King and his invitation! His
reply revealed the worldliness of this man. He did not have to go
to his field then. He already owned it, and could have gone any
time. Another said, "I have just bought five yoke of oxen,
and I'm on my way to try them out," (v. 19) to see whether
they were worth the investment. But like the first man, why did
he have to go then? He owned the oxen. They would have waited.
Still another said, "I just got married, so I can't
come." (v. 20) But nowhere in the Bible does it say that one
should not go to a banquet after marriage. In fact, it would have
been good of this man to have taken his wife, so that she could
enjoy the banquet with him! These were all flimsy, superficial
excuses devised by the minds of unbelievers
What was the real story? This banquet was at the bottom of their
priority list. Let me ask you: have you seen people respond this
way? They listen eagerly as you speak about the things of the
world, but are bored and unhappy when you speak about the things
of God. They do not think that they could die at any time. They
do not consider their eternal state. They assign the lowest
priority to their souls and their salvation. They detest this
king, his son, and his feast. They think they have no spiritual
need. They are not hungry, thirsty, lost or sick. They think they
are not guilty sinners. They are rich, self-righteous, and
secure. These people think they have need of nothing, and
therefore do not come to the banquet.
The King's Strategy
What did the king do? Those invited had declined his invitation,
but this king had an alternative strategy. He planned a banquet
for his son's wedding, and it would be attended by people who
would honor him and his son. How did he accomplish this?
The thirteenth chapter of Acts is a commentary on this parable.
Here we see St. Paul speaking to the Jewish people of Psidian
Antioch. They did not want to listen, so Paul and Barnabas said,
"'We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you
reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life,
we now turn to the Gentiles. For this what the Lord has commanded
us: "I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may
bring salvation to the ends of the earth."' When the
Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the
Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed."
(vv. 46-48)
God has a plan to fill his house! Many are invited but few are
chosen. The chosen from all eternity will eagerly listen to the
gospel invitation. They have their priorities straight. They will
welcome the message into their hearts, because the Lord opens
their hearts. So the king told his servants to go to the street
corners of the city, where they would find other people,
"both good and bad," (Matt. 22:10) to come to his
banquet.
Who were these others? Some were those that the Pharisees and
Sadducees treated with contempt. They categorized them as
publicans and sinners, people of the earth, and thereby unfit to
enter into the kingdom of God. The Pharisees and Sadducees boldly
thought that they alone would eat with God in the kingdom of God,
with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because they were Abraham's
descendants. This is like today's children of Christian parents
who think that they will go to heaven because they have grown up
in a church. But no one will be at God's banquet unless he or she
welcomes the message and puts his or her faith in Jesus Christ.
God has other people--publicans and sinners--and he told the
servant to bring them in.
This gospel goes out to people who do not deserve or expect
salvation. A person may say, "Oh, I am just a wicked sinner.
Nobody cares for me," but God cares for that person. This
king instructed, "Invite to the banquet anyone you
find" (Matt. 22:9). In Luke 14 the servants were told to go
beyond the city, meaning the invitation also went to the
Gentiles.
The gospel goes out to the needy. In Luke 14 we read that they
found people who were poor, crippled, blind and lame. This
demonstrates the doctrine of total depravity. These represent
people who will say, "I am a sinner." By the Holy
Spirit they have been made conscious of their blindness, their
crippled nature, their lameness and their spiritual poverty. They
understand they are lost, wretched sinners, and they grasp the
king's offer with all earnestness. They ask, "Do you really
believe that God loves me? I am just a nobody, a lost wicked
person. Are you telling me that this eternal God, the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords, invites me for the wedding of his
Son--that he would give me such honor and dignity?"
"Yes," God's messengers said. "All that is
true." They compelled them to come in. Why? God loved them
from all eternity. From before the creation of the world, God
loved these with his special love. They were not only invited,
but chosen.
These welcomed the invitation and they came. They didn't need
three invitations. So many came that they filled the banqueting
hall. Yes, they were poor and needy, but this banquet of
salvation will only be enjoyed by the poor. Jesus said,
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven . . . Blessed are those who mourn. . . Blessed are
those who hunger and thirst after righteousness." (Matt. 5)
God sends the rich, the sophisticated, the powerful away empty,
but he loves sinners.
In John 6:37 Jesus said, "All that the Father gives me will
come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive
away," meaning they will come in and taste this feast of
great salvation, to their souls' great satisfaction. So those who
were poor, blind, crippled, lame, hungry, thirsty, sick, sinful
all came. They are still coming, every day, from all over the
world. If God has chosen you in Christ before the creation of the
world, you will also come, with great delight, great passion,
great thankfulness and great joy.
The King's Wrath
What about those who rejected the king's invitation? "The
king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers
and burned their city." (Matt. 22:7) We think of Jesus as
kind and loving, but Jesus is also the Judge. God the Father is
love, but he is also holy and righteous. This king was not just
love and mercy. PGM As king, he meted out judgment to those who
opposed him and treated him and his son with contempt.
These verses speak about God's rejection of natural Israel, who
rejected Jesus Christ and his gospel. They speak about the
rejection of those who consider themselves to be privileged, yet
refuse to embrace the gospel. They may also point to the
destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army in A.D. 70, which was
prophesied by Jesus Christ in Luke 19:44, "They will dash
you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They
will not leave one stone on another, because you did not
recognize the time of God's coming to you."
And not only did the king display his wrath against those who
rejected the invitation, but he also showed it against those who
came to the banquet in their own way, without the proper wedding
garments. "But when the king came in to see the guests, he
noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,
' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding
clothes?'" (Matt. 22:11,12)
The king came to see his guests. His eyes are like flaming fire
(Rev. 1:14, 19:12), and he immediately noticed the one without
the wedding garment. Now, the blind, the poor, the crippled, the
lame, the publicans and the sinners were incapable of attiring
themselves appropriately for this dignified occasion, so we must
assume that this great king made provision for them to be clean
and fitted with proper garments. Some preparation was necessary.
Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they
will see God." Hebrews 12:14 tells us "Without holiness
no one will see the Lord." The king had provided for his
guests to enter his presence, but this man just came in his own
way, not the prescribed way.
This man presumed he could come to God in his independence,
autonomy and self-righteousness. God does not want us to come
like that. God chose the foolish, weak, lowly, and despised
things of the world to shame the wise and mighty. Those who know
they are nothing will come God's way, in humility. First
Corinthians 6:9-11 Paul describes the sinful lifestyles of some
of the Corinthian Christians, and then he says, "But you
were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." If
you are truly the elect of God, the Holy Spirit will apply
Christ's redemption and make you holy and blameless in Jesus
Christ. With great thanksgiving you will receive the garment of
holiness with which you can see God and live. Those who knew they
were nothing came, were washed, and put on their brand new
garments with thanksgiving.
But this man was not so washed and dressed. Who was he? He
represents those who profess religion without living the reality
of it. He represents many people who crowd into church without
understanding the true gospel, who have no true repentance,
faith, regeneration or conversion. They have no understanding the
lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives. These people are
independent, self-willed, and dependent on their own
righteousness. They do not consider themselves to be sinners in
need of the gospel of Christ. They despise the cross and think
they will be accepted on the basis of their own good works. They
believe that there are other ways to come to God, such as
philosophy or culture. They are very educated and politically
savvy. They are hoping that God will not notice their lack of a
wedding garment. They are like Cain, who was instructed in the
proper way to come to God, but refused to do so. He came in his
own way and failed to receive God's approval.
If we come in our own way, the omniscient God will surely notice.
The king asked this man what he was doing there, but "the
man was speechless." Are we like this man? Do we think that
when we get into the presence of God we can present our arguments
to convince God to accept us in our own way? We know that
salvation is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in his blood
shed on behalf of sinners, but perhaps we think that there are
also other ways to come to God. Perhaps we are hoping that on the
last day we will be able to explain to God what our way is, and
God will be impressed with our arguments and accept us.
No! Even if we think that way now, when we stand before God, we
will be speechless like this man. Our tongues will stick to the
roofs of our mouths because we will be so convicted of our
wickedness. All our arguments will evaporate, and we will be
bound, like this man. "Tie him, hand and foot!" the
king commanded. If we live our lives without paying attention to
the law of God, we will then feel the law of God in all its
power.
Then the king said, "Throw him outside!" In three
places, Matthew 8:12; 22:13; and 25:30, Jesus Christ himself said
such people will be thrown out. But this is tragic. This man was
a professing, religious person who hoped to get into heaven all
his life. How anticlimactic, to live in that expectation only to
hear, "Tie him, hand and foot, and throw him outside!"
He was thrown away from the light of God, away from the banquet,
away from fellowship with God, away from joy, away from
celebration, away from life eternal. He was thrown into the
darkness, "where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth." This is the hell that awaits all who reject the
gospel of God, and for all those who go to church, but never
submit themselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
What is this hell like? First, people will be conscious there.
They will be able to remember, even while they are in torment and
agony. Secondly, this hell will be without end. It is eternal.
And thirdly, every person in hell will be given an understanding
of the great banquet going on in heaven, and will understand what
might have been. In Luke 13:28-30, Jesus Christ had a warning for
those who would not believe: "There will be weeping there,
and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and
all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown
out. People will come from the east and west and north and south,
and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.
Indeed, there are those who are last who will be first, and the
first will be last." Those who were religious without
reality, those who were openly hostile to the gospel, and those
who were worldly and did not have time to consider the state of
their souls will be there. They will see and remember, but they
will be in the outer darkness, away from light, away from joy,
away from peace, away from eternal life, and above all, away from
the magnificent presence of God. They will understand all of
this, and what will this understanding do? It will cause them to
wail and gnash their teeth.
We need to know that a time will come when repentance is no
longer possible. We are not told that the king asked this man to
repent. His time was over. He would see the feast, but he would
not taste it, and his end was disastrous. Revelation 20:15 says,
"If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life,
he was thrown into the lake of fire."
The King's Grace
God showed grace to the blind, the poor, the crippled, the lame,
the publicans and the sinners--the elect of God. They came in
true repentance and faith to Jesus Christ, and were clothed in
the robes of his perfect righteousness. God enabled these who
were nothing in the eyes of the world to make themselves ready
for his wedding banquet, and this gift of a robe was given to
them. The garment that God requires consists of justification and
sanctification--the imputed and the imparted righteousness of
God. Look at Revelation 19:6-9:
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar
of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
"Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns! Let us
rejoice and be glad, and give him glory! For the wedding of the
Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen,
bright and clean, was given to her." (Fine linen stands for
the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me,
"Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding
supper of the Lamb!'"
These are the faithful servants. They are blessed! They will
enter into the joy of the Lord, as the bride of the Son of this
King. What blessings await us who trust in Christ! What a blessed
end!
Even now by faith, if we are true Christians, we are tasting this
feast. Why? Christ tasted the death that was ours on the cross,
that we may taste, not death, but this rich banquet of his
eternal salvation. As the gospel was preached, we came, drawn by
the Father, drawn by the Spirit. Our sins were forgiven and we
were justified. We put our trust in Jesus Christ by the faith he
granted us.
Some of us were like Naaman who almost lost out. The gospel was
preached to him. What was he told? Go to the muddy Jordan River
and dip yourself seven times, and you will be saved. But Naaman
was arrogant. He became angry and almost went to hell. But he was
an elect of God, and so, after listening to sound counsel, he
dipped himself seven times, and came up--saved! He was not like
Lot's wife, who had everything, but missed salvation. The angel
came and preached the gospel, that destruction was coming and it
was time to leave. She did not want to go, and became a pillar of
salt.
What is this gracious invitation? Repent, and believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Then you will taste this
banquet, not only then, but now. You will experience the joy of
the forgiveness of all your sins, the joy of eternal salvation,
the joy of being accepted and embraced by the Father and hearing
from his lips, "Come, good and faithful servant, enter into
the joy of the Lord prepared for you from the foundation of the
world."
Do you still make excuses? C. H. Spurgeon spoke about these
excuses: Some say, "I am too busy for God. I am really too
busy." Others say, "I am too good. I don't really need
this type of salvation. It is for outright sinners." Still
others say, "I am too bad. I don't think God will save
me." Others say, "It's too soon. I have to live a
little more. There is a wonderful world out there, and I need to
experience it first." Others might say, "I just don't
think I am elect of God." And others say, "You know, I
just cannot trust in Christ." Oh, no. The
answer is, you will not trust in Jesus Christ. You
must come. Christ will never drive away anyone who comes to him.
Let us accept the gracious invitation of this King! Let us be
washed, cleansed and sanctified, and receive the robe of the
perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, that we may feast in his
kingdom now and forever. Amen.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
"NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark office by International Bible Society.
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