1 And Jesus, talking to them again in stories, said:
2 The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who made a feast when his son was married,
3 And sent out his servants to get in the guests to the feast: and they would not come.
4 Again he sent out other servants, with orders to say to the guests, See, I have made ready my feast: my oxen and my fat beasts have been put to death, and all things are ready: come to the feast.
5 But they gave no attention, and went about their business, one to his farm, another to his trade:
6 And the rest put violent hands on his servants, and did evil to them, and put them to death.
7 But the king was angry; and he sent his armies, and those who had put his servants to death he gave to destruction, burning down their town with fire.
8 Then he said to his servants, The feast is ready but the guests were not good enough.
9 Go then to the cross-roads, and get all those whom you see to come to the bride-feast.
10 And those servants went out into the streets, and got together all those whom they came across, bad and good: and the feast was full of guests.
11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who had not on a guest's robe;
12 And he says to him, Friend, how came you in here not having a guest's robe? And he had nothing to say.
13 Then the king said to the servants, Put cords round his hands and feet and put him out into the dark; there will be weeping and cries of sorrow.
14 For out of all to whom the good news has come, only a small number will get salvation.
15 Then the Pharisees went and had a meeting to see how they might make use of his words to take him.
16 And they sent to him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, Master, we see that you are true, and that you are teaching the true way of God, and have no fear of anyone, because you have no respect for a man's position.
17 Give us, then, your opinion of this: Is it right to give tax to Caesar, or not?
18 But Jesus saw their trick and said, Oh false ones, why are you attempting to put me in the wrong?
19 Let me see the tax money. And they gave him a penny.
20 And he said to them, Whose is this image and name on it?
21 They say to him, Caesar's. Then he said to them, Give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's.
22 And hearing it, they were full of wonder, and went away from him.
23 On the same day there came to him the Sadducees, who say that there is no coming back from the dead: and they put a question to him, saying,
24 Master, Moses said, If a man, at the time of his death, has no children, let his brother take his wife, and get a family for his brother;
25 Now there were among us seven brothers; and the first was married and at his death, having no seed, gave his wife to his brother;
26 In the same way the second and the third, up to the seventh.
27 And last of all the woman came to her end.
28 When they come back from the dead, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? because they all had her.
29 But Jesus said to them in answer, You are in error, not having knowledge of the Writings, or of the power of God.
30 For when they come back from the dead there are no husbands and wives, but they are as the angels in heaven.
31 But about the dead coming back to life, have you no knowledge of what was said to you by God in the Writings:
32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead but of the living.
33 And the people hearing it were surprised at his teaching.
34 But the Pharisees, hearing how the mouths of the Sadducees had been stopped, came together;
35 And one of them, a teacher of the law, put a question to him, testing him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the chief rule in the law?
37 And he said to him, Have love for the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
38 This is the first and greatest rule.
39 And a second like it is this, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself.
40 On these two rules all the law and the prophets are based.
41 Now while the Pharisees were together, Jesus put a question to them, saying,
42 What is your opinion of the Christ? whose son is he? They say to him, The Son of David.
43 He says to them, How then does David in the Spirit give him the name of Lord, saying,
44 The Lord said to my Lord, Be seated at my right hand, till I put under your feet all those who are against you?
45 If David then gives him the name of Lord, how is he his son?
46 And no one was able to give him an answer, and so great was their fear of him, that from that day no one put any more questions to him.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Matthew 22
Commentary on Matthew 22 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 22
Mt 22:1-14. Parable of the Marriage of the King's Son.
This is a different parable from that of the Great Supper, in Lu 14:15, &c., and is recorded by Matthew alone.
2. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son—"In this parable," as Trench admirably remarks, "we see how the Lord is revealing Himself in ever clearer light as the central Person of the kingdom, giving here a far plainer hint than in the last parable of the nobility of His descent. There He was indeed the Son, the only and beloved one (Mr 12:6), of the Householder; but here His race is royal, and He appears as Himself at once the King and the King's Son (Ps 72:1). The last was a parable of the Old Testament history; and Christ is rather the last and greatest of the line of its prophets and teachers than the founder of a new kingdom. In that, God appears demanding something from men; in this, a parable of grace, God appears more as giving something to them. Thus, as often, the two complete each other: this taking up the matter where the other left it." The "marriage" of Jehovah to His people Israel was familiar to Jewish ears; and in Ps 45:1-17 this marriage is seen consummated in the Person of Messiah "THE King," Himself addressed as "God" and yet as anointed by "His God" with the oil of gladness above His fellows. These apparent contradictions (see on Lu 20:41-44) are resolved in this parable; and Jesus, in claiming to be this King's Son, serves Himself Heir to all that the prophets and sweet singers of Israel held forth as to Jehovah's ineffably near and endearing union to His people. But observe 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, which would not have harmonized with the introduction of the Bride.
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.
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.
4. my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage—This 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." Compare 1Co 5:7, 8, "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; therefore, let us keep the feast"; also Joh 6:51, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
5. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
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 absolutely hostile—the one, contemptuous scorners; the other, bitter persecutors.
7. But when the king—the Great God, who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
heard thereof, he was wroth—at the affront put both on His Son, and on Himself who had deigned to invite them.
and he sent forth his armies—The Romans are here styled God's armies, just as the Assyrian is styled "the rod of His anger" (Isa 10:5), as being the executors of His judicial vengeance.
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" (Ps 48:2), and even up almost to this time (Mt 5:35); but now it is "their city"—just as our Lord, a day or two after this, said of the temple, where God had so long dwelt, "Behold your house is left unto you desolate" (Mt 23:38)! Compare Lu 19:43, 44.
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?
9. Go ye 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 ye shall find, bid to the marriage—that is, just as they are.
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. Thus far the parable answers to that of "the Great Supper" (Lu 14:16, &c.). But the distinguishing feature of our parable is what follows:
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!
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 language here is drawn from the following remarkable passage in Zep 1:7, 8:—"Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God; for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, He hath bid His guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel." The custom in the East of presenting festival garments (see Ge 45:22; 2Ki 5:22), even though nor clearly proved, Is certainly presupposed here. It undoubtedly means something which they bring not of their own—for how could they have any such dress who were gathered in from the highways indiscriminately?—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?" (See Ps 45:13, 14). Nor could such language be strange to those in whose ears had so long resounded those words of prophetic joy: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels" (Isa 61:10).
12. Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless—being self-condemned.
13. Then said the king to the servants—the angelic ministers of divine vengeance (as in Mt 13:41).
Bind him hand and foot—putting it out of his power to resist.
and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness—So Mt 8:12; 25:30. The expression is emphatic—"the darkness which is outside." To be "outside" at all—or, in the language of Re 22:15, 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 and felicity of the kingdom above, but thrust into a region of "darkness," with all its horrors, this is the dismal retribution here announced, that awaits the unworthy at the great day.
there—in that region and condition.
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. See on Mt 13:42.
14. For many are called, but few are chosen—So Mt 19:30. See on Mt 20:16.
Mt 22:15-40. Entangling Questions about Tribute, the Resurrection, and the Great Commandment, with the Replies. ( = Mr 12:13-34; Lu 20:20-40).
For the exposition, see on Mr 12:13-34.
Mt 22:41-46. Christ Baffles the Pharisees by a Question about David and Messiah. ( = Mr 12:35-37; Lu 20:41-44).
For the exposition, see on Mr 12:35-37.