Being ready to meet with God,

1. A Kings wedding!

5. Verse 1 And Jesus
answered and spoke to
them again by parables and
said:
Verse 2 The kingdom of
heaven is like unto a certain
king, which made a
marriage for his son.

6. Here we see in one sense TWO weddings:
The “marriage” of Jehovah God to His
people Israel (Psalm 45:1-17), this
marriage is seen consummated in the
Person of the Messiah.
The marriage of the King, yet sadly Israel
rejected their Messiah. This we see in the
first part of this parable.
Then we see the “marriage of the Kings
son” which is Christ and His church.
Both of Jew and Gentle, now it is not the
rejection of a nation, but sadly the
rejection of individuals.

7. But study carefully, that THE
BRIDE does not come into
view in this parable; its
design being to teach
certain truths under the
figure of guests at a
wedding feast, and the want
of a wedding garment.

8. Verse 3 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.

9. To the wedding.
Or the marriage celebrations,
when the preparations were all
finished.
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.

10. Verse 4 My oxen and my fatlings
are killed, and all things are ready;
come unto the marriage.
These points to those Gospel calls
after Christ's death, resurrection,
ascension, and effusion of the
Spirit, to which the parable could
not directly allude, but when only
it could be said, with strict
propriety, “that all things were
ready.”

11. Verse 5
But they made light of it,
and went their ways, one to
his farm, and another to his
merchandise:

12. Verse 6
And the remnant took his servants,
and entreated them spitefully.
Insulted them.
And slew them.
These are two different classes of
unbelievers: the one simply
indifferent; the other totally hostile --
the one, disapproving scorners; the
other, bitter persecutors.

13. Verse 7
But when the king.
The Great God, who is the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Heard thereof, he was wroth.
At the outrage put both on His Son and on
Himself who had deigned to invite them.
And he sent forth his armies.
As being the executors of His judicial
vengeance.

14. And destroyed those murderers.
And in what vast numbers did
they do it!
And burned up their city
Ah! Jerusalem, once “the city of
the Great King” where God had so
long dwelt, “Behold your house is
left unto you desolate” Matthew
23:38.

15. Verse 8
The wedding is ready, but they
which were bidden were not
worthy.
For how should those be
deemed worthy to sit down at
His table who had affronted Him
by their treatment of His
gracious invitation?

16. Verse 9
Go you therefore into the
highways.
The great outlets and
thoroughfares, whether of town
or country, where human beings
are to be found.
And as many as you shall find,
bid to the marriage.
That is, just as they are.

17. Verse 10
So those servants went out into the
highways, and gathered together all
as many as they found, both bad and
good.
That is, without making any
distinction between open sinners
and the morally correct. The Gospel
call fetched in Jews, Samaritans, and
outlying heathen alike. But the
distinguishing feature of our parable
is what follows:

18. Verse 11
And when the king came in to
see the guests.
Solemn expression this, of that
omniscient inspection of every
professed disciple of the Lord
Jesus from age to age, in virtue
of which his true character will
hereafter be judicially
proclaimed!

19. He saw there a man.
This shows that it is the judgment of individuals
which is intended in this latter part of the
parable: the first part represents rather national
judgment.
Which had not on a wedding garment?
The custom in the East of presenting festival
garments, even though nor clearly proved, is
certainly presupposed here. But which they
receive as their appropriate dress.
And what can that be but what is meant by
“putting on the Lord Jesus,” as “THE LORD
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS?”

20. Verse 12
Friend, how came you in
hither, not having a
wedding garment? And
he was speechless.
Being self-condemned.

21. Verse 13
Then said the king to the
servants.
The angelic ministers of divine
vengeance.
Bind him hand and foot.
Putting it out of his power to
resist.

22. And take him away, and cast him into
outer darkness.
To be “outside” at all, to be “without”
the heavenly city, excluded from its
joyous nuptials and gladsome
festivities -- is sad enough of itself,
without anything else. But to find
themselves not only excluded from
the brightness and glory and joy of
the kingdom above, but thrust into a
region of “darkness,” with all its
horrors.

23. Verse 14
For many are called, but few are
chosen.
He is to blame, not for being invited;
not for coming, if he would come-for
he is freely invited; but for offering the
highest contempt to the King of Zion,
in presenting himself with all his filth
and rags, and in refusing to be saved
in the way provided in the gospel.