1 And Jesus answering, again spake to them in similes, saying,
2 `The reign of the heavens was likened to a man, a king, who made marriage-feasts for his son,
3 and he sent forth his servants to call those having been called to the marriage-feasts, and they were not willing to come.
4 `Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Say to those who have been called: Lo, my dinner I prepared, my oxen and the fatlings have been killed, and all things `are' ready, come ye to the marriage-feasts;
5 and they, having disregarded `it', went away, the one to his own field, and the other to his merchandise;
6 and the rest, having laid hold on his servants, did insult and slay `them'.
7 `And the king having heard, was wroth, and having sent forth his soldiers, he destroyed those murderers, and their city he set on fire;
8 then saith he to his servants, The marriage-feast indeed is ready, and those called were not worthy,
9 be going, then, on to the cross-ways, and as many as ye may find, call ye to the marriage-feasts.
10 `And those servants, having gone forth to the ways, did gather all, as many as they found, both bad and good, and the marriage-feast apartment was filled with those reclining.
11 `And the king having come in to view those reclining, saw there a man not clothed with clothing of the marriage-feast,
12 and he saith to him, Comrade, how didst thou come in hither, not having clothing of the marriage-feast? and he was speechless.
13 `Then said the king to the ministrants, Having bound his feet and hands, take him up and cast forth to the outer darkness, there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth;
14 for many are called, and few chosen.'
15 Then the Pharisees having gone, took counsel how they might ensnare him in words,
16 and they send to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, `Teacher, we have known that thou art true, and the way of God in truth thou dost teach, and thou art not caring for any one, for thou dost not look to the face of men;
17 tell us, therefore, what dost thou think? is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?'
18 And Jesus having known their wickedness, said, `Why me do ye tempt, hypocrites?
19 show me the tribute-coin?' and they brought to him a denary;
20 and he saith to them, `Whose `is' this image and the inscription?'
21 they say to him, `Caesar's;' then saith he to them, `Render therefore the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God;'
22 and having heard they wondered, and having left him they went away.
23 In that day there came near to him Sadducees, who are saying there is not a rising again, and they questioned him, saying,
24 `Teacher, Moses said, If any one may die not having children, his brother shall marry his wife, and shall raise up seed to his brother.
25 `And there were with us seven brothers, and the first having married did die, and not having seed, he left his wife to his brother;
26 in like manner also the second, and the third, unto the seventh,
27 and last of all died also the woman;
28 therefore in the rising again, of which of the seven shall she be wife -- for all had her?'
29 And Jesus answering said to them, `Ye go astray, not knowing the Writings, nor the power of God;
30 for in the rising again they do not marry, nor are they given in marriage, but are as messengers of God in heaven.
31 `And concerning the rising again of the dead, did ye not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,
32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not a God of dead men, but of living.'
33 And having heard, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching;
34 and the Pharisees, having heard that he did silence the Sadducees, were gathered together unto him;
35 and one of them, a lawyer, did question, tempting him, and saying,
36 `Teacher, which `is' the great command in the Law?'
37 And Jesus said to him, `Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thine understanding --
38 this is a first and great command;
39 and the second `is' like to it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself;
40 on these -- the two commands -- all the law and the prophets do hang.'
41 And the Pharisees having been gathered together, Jesus did question them,
42 saying, `What do ye think concerning the Christ? of whom is he son?' They say to him, `Of David.'
43 He saith to them, `How then doth David in the Spirit call him lord, saying,
44 The Lord said to my lord, Sit at my right hand, till I may make thine enemies thy footstool?
45 If then David doth call him lord, how is he his son?'
46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor durst any from that day question him any more.
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.