Well, I invite you to turn this morning to Matthew chapter 22. Matthew chapter 22. And next week we have the privilege to partake of the Supper together. So this sermon really is a preparatory sermon in and of itself, and you'll see the calls to examination there in the sermon as we'll look at those. But what a beautiful text this morning! For it's an invitation to a great feast. So let's give our attention this morning to Matthew chapter 22, page 983, beginning at verse 1.
"And Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast. But they would not come. Again, he sent other servants, saying, "Tell those who are invited: See, I've prepared my dinner. My oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast." But they paid no attention and they went off one to his farm, another to his business. While the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, "The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go, therefore, to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find." And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?" He was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen
May the Lord bless now the hearing of His word.
Well, this morning we have before us is really the third parable in a grouping of parables that all have been driving home the same point of Jesus. It's been a really important section to study. And as I've i've made the case, this is this is Jesus really coming and showing us Himself as a prophet of judgment after the incredible patience of our Lord that has been exhibited all throughout this Gospel and all throughout the history of mankind. If you will, what we have here is many in israel many in israel would not respond They would not enter they would not come. And I think, as rightly has been observed, that those who have always been raised in the kingdom and those who have always had this and those who have always from the beginning been baptized in this run this same risk. So it's a very important section this morning to consider the calls of the King and the refusal of many who would not enter in and how something very important is being communicated to us about entrance into the kingdom of God.
And really, if I might be just very common here in saying this: the craziness of those who refuse to enter. But what does that look like? What does not entering look like? How do we understand it? And that's what this text, I think, is very helpful in showing us this morning. The judgment unfolding here in this particular text.
I found a little statement by Ralph Davis. It wasn't really commenting on this, but I thought this this this expositor says something that I think really captures the heart of this text: "If you despise God's word, he will take it from you. If you persistently refuse to listen to God's speech, you will endure his silence." And I think that captures somewhat of the heart of what Jesus is saying here, that to refuse to listen to the Word of God and refuse to take seriously the calls that come to us invites judgment. That's what these parables are all saying to us.
And all of this is set the backdrop of the wonderful character of the One who's calling us. He's not a tyrant. Um, he's wonderful. That's that's you can't get away from in these these parables. He goes to great lengths to call people to enter into His kingdom. He goes to great lengths to do this to call people to come. And we're still here. We're still we're still going. And to think about this in 2025, it's a testimony that He's still calling.
So the great and simple message is: Do you understand what accepting the invitation looks like? And then coming? And have you done that? Enter in today is really the message. Lest you find others entering in before you because you have not. That's the whole point. It's the whole point of this parable as I as i think about it and wrestled through it: Enter in today, lest you find those entering in before you because you won't. And that's a very important call today that comes to all of us.
So Jesus began his whole ministry, you remember, with the great calls: "The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel." Repent and turn to Me in faith were the calls. And as we near the end of His ministry, after this long study in the Gospel of Matthew, He's been giving us parables to capture this and how this has gone in Israel. And you might say that we've come to the final phase of His kingdom work here as before He goes to the cross when really what's anticipated is the great marriage feast of the Lamb, when His kingdom is finally consummated. We have a picture of that. We have a picture of what's coming the final consummation. We have a picture of the feast that's coming. And it it sort of captures this the whole phase all the way through to this major place and what it looks like in the end.
And in His ministry, Jesus expressed great concern that people come. That's why calls were given constantly, because they didn't see the need for Him. Jesus would press further. And what we saw from people along the way was the sort of treatment of Him was there was no real appreciation for those who had everything of what it even meant to belong to the kingdom of God. Their attitude was one of self-confidence. Their attitude was one of arrogance. Their attitude was one of just, really in general, apathy to all that was happening in the kingdom as Jesus was had arrived and and the kingdom of God had broken into this world.
So now we come to this final parable in this grouping of three. And what we're looking at here is this: invitation refused, and then the wedding hall that is filled, and then the need for the garment to enter It's It's just the basic flow of this text it's not sort of rocket science and understanding the three points that are here. but this invitation refused is really the great point that is being driven home up front here
For all who have believed in Him, for all who had come to Him, for all who today have trusted in him we? are anticipating something glorious aren't we we are anticipating something wonderful. Uh, a great wedding banquet is of the king is here described. And you'll notice that in verse one of chapter 22: "And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son and sent servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast. But they would not come
Jesus likens the whole kingdom of heaven here to a wedding banquet consummated that the King is uh throwing this great King is throwing for His Son. I think you know that every time you have the kingdom referenced like this, it's referenced the consummation of the kingdom, the fulfillment of the kingdom. It's always described in the most beautiful terms and language possible in the Scriptures. It's a place of celebration. It's a place of happiness. It's a place of bliss. It's a place free from misery. If you opened up the end of Revelation, you have it described:
"And I heard what seemed to me to be the voice of a multitude, like the roar of many waters, like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, hallelujah For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was granted her now think of this whole parable, to clothe her with fine linen, bright and pure For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. There's a definition of that fine linen. It's the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. And he said to me, These are the true words of God.
Imagine it. We have something of this captured here in the very description of Jesus. You look around and you're overwhelmed. You're overwhelmed. You've never seen anything quite like this wedding hall. I mean, we do all we can to make wedding halls beautiful. And I'm not looking forward to spending on that one day. But our Lord has a beautiful hall planned. And there you step into the hall There's there's there's abraham what there's abraham there And there's there's moses and there's elijah and you're not going to believe samson's in there, that renegade! And Paul is in there. And all the saints. And there's the Bridegroom. And He has a cup. And He's promised all your life He's going to drink this anew with you in the kingdom, right? Remember He said that when He gave the Supper, instituted it: "I will drink this anew with you in the kingdom." One day, face to face in the new heavens and the new earth. It's cup of blessing. It's cup of happiness.
Enjoy in these wedding feasts, the groom would come in with the best attire, with his friends. And they would sing. And they would bear torches. And they would come to their betrothed and would have a great procession. He would taking his bride home. And then he would take his bride into the dining hall, and there would be the great feast. We have some sense of this every time we have a wedding, and it's a beautiful thing. The most glorious festivities would go on in Israel for seven days. Who wants to pay for that, right?
Jesus described in John 2 remember the wedding he went to in Cana? Um, they pressed him. Remember what he said? "It's not my time yet. It's not my wedding feast yet. It's coming." Well, "Can you change the wine? Can you do something now?" And he anticipates it by changing the water to wine to signify the joy of his feast that's coming.
Well, in these uh feasts, you would send the invitation. And this was no small invitation. This was like getting a this was not like getting a calvin grad invite um This is this is the invite of a great king a great king a monarch this is this would Be unthinkable i mean it has the insignia has the seal be unthinkable for someone not to come. We got invited, He considered us, right? And that's how it worked, right? They'd send out the the invite and then the the king would prepare the hall. So there'd be some time that expired.
You'll notice that here there's really three invitations in this text. So so the first one went out: "I'm having a great feast for my son. You are invited." The invite went out. And then once the hall was all prepared, he would come back and say, "It's all ready. It's all ready. You got to see this come." So the time for the great feast came, and he went out. And he called he sent his servants, those who were invited The invitation went out and then the time for the feast came and he went out and he said okay it's time it's ready my servants go out and call all those who were invited to come to come the the imagery here is this really good King. This is you can't you can't miss this. This really good King took great efforts to prepare something wonderful for his guests because of his son. This is a treasured Son. And I can't help but to think here of what our Lord kept telling us about the preparation of the fullness of His kingdom that would come through the cross: "Eye has not seen nor ear heard the things that God has prepared for those who love Him." That's what He's doing: preparation. "I go to prepare a place for you." Where he went to prepare that place was the cross.
But then we come to this stunning part of the parable. After receiving the second invite, we read, "But they wouldn't come." It's interesting what Jesus captures. And in Luke, it's it's not The same parable but it's a similar parable they made great excuses the feast was prepared. And what Jesus is drawing out here initially they heard the call to come and they said, "You know, I don't really feel like going tonight? Do you, honey? We're tired. The Dodgers are on."
Luke has the similar parable at this point: "They all alike began to make excuses. The first said, I've just bought a field. I got to go see it. Please excuse me. Another said, I just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on the way to try them out. Please excuse me. Would you stop to say, you're more interested in your oxen? Still another said, I just got married, so I can't come. What a great thing to take your new bride to a feast! So they forcibly took the invitation and they ripped it in half and they threw it in the trash. They just wouldn't come.
You get the sense that the anger and the irritation there's almost anger and irritation that they have to come. That's the attitude behind it: "Are you kidding me? I gotta go?" They might have called it legalistic. so so so you're stunned. The parable's meant to stun us. It's so unimportant to them in this Matthew version of it. At first, they don't make the excuse, and we're shocked. I think the implication of this is the effect of this is Have they thought at all who invited them? Have they do they know who invited them and what do we have here? We have a picture captured in this parable of how Israel responded to her Messiah so far. We have two invitations: phase one, the whole history of Israel had been a giant invitation to come to the feast. The Passover celebrated it. It anticipated it. Preparations had been made. And they said, "We'll come." Phase two: John the Baptist and Christ Himself came. The King's Son. Total rejection. They just won't come.
It's kind of a parallel to the Lord's Supper. What if I announce next week we have Supper? What if I said, "Tonight, just put it wherever you want. But next week we have the Supper. But if we think about it tonight: great table set for you. A feast is spread. You're going to get to come and dine with Him tonight. You're going to meet with the King, anticipating the great feasts. That's what the Supper is. It's an anticipation by faith of the great feast." And He says, "It's ready. It's all ready. The table's set. We've prepared the wine. We've prepared the bread. We've prepared the feast. All these people are invited to come." And what's the heart of Israel? "I'm tired. My family is getting together tonight. You know, this is just legalistic to try to tell us to come." That's all pretense for a hard heart. All of it. They don't value the King. They don't value His Son. They won't come. It means nothing to them.
So why would they even initially accept? You see? Why play the game? When the real thing comes, you don't want to do it. Why are you playing the game? And what's Matthew been showing us the whole book? There's nothing on the inside. Because what's needed in the human heart is regeneration, life. And you see, the parable is exposing the awful attitude of people who won't come. Deep in their hearts, there's no interest in this.
And the shocking thing is: Why? I mean, this is such a good King. He's such a good King. He's the greatest King you could ever imagine. And this good Father is throwing a feast for His Son. And he thinks to himself, "No, this can't be right. This just can't be right. That can't be their attitude." So the King says, "I'm going to send servants again. Go tell them my Supper's ready." So this is like third invitation by now. Initial invite, will come. Time, it's come. We're ready. No. Well, I'll do it again. Third invitation. Tell them, my supper's ready tell them tell them this. they'll come when they hear this The fatted calves are slaughtered for them. Everything's ready. Come, taste and see that the Lord is good. Come to the wedding feast.
But verse 5: "They paid no attention. And this time we read, one went off one to his farm, another to his business. While the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully and killed them. What? I mean, what the amazing thing about the parable is here: is how patient this King has been. And that's how they treated the servants who went to announce that it was ready.
And you see, that's the history of Israel with the prophets. It's the very thing that was captured in the previous parable remember of the landowner of the vineyard? "I came to collect fruit, and I sent servants. And they did the same thing: they killed them, they beat them, they stoned them, they murdered them. But they'll never do that to my Son." But then the most overwhelming part of the parable comes in verse eight "Then he said to his servants, the wedding feast is ready. Those invited were not worthy. Go, therefore, to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find. And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found both listen bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests
You imagine this? This is "go to the back alleys. Go out into the streets." And I often like think Escondido such a perfect illustration of this. Head down to Washington Avenue. Head over to the bus depot. See that line of homeless out there? They'll come if they get invited. They'll want to be here. I want you to think about it. If you went to the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame as Luke calls it this would be like walking down there on Saturday morning and saying, "All of you: the King of heaven and earth has invited you to come in to the feast, right? And this wonderful man He'll He'll care for you. He'll provide for you. or He'll help you he'll feed you. he'll do what You need he has a home for You come. you come you come The King is inviting us."
They can't imagine it. That's the that's that's why The house is filled. The hall's filled think he's inviting us like us the King? Yeah, and His personal limo is going to come pick you up because you can't even get there on your own. You're poor, you're blamed, you're maimed. And they get in the limo, and they stink the whole thing up, right? And you see, you just have a picture of God saying, "I'm going to bring the Gentiles into the kingdom. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to fill my hall with Gentiles." It's us. You understand the intention here?
The blessing of the feast is enjoyed by those who understand the privilege of feasting with this King and His Son. And here's where we get to the real meaning of the parable: the kingdom of God had come upon them. Remember, Jesus said that God has sent everything anticipated and looked for. And Christ was saying the whole time, "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden. Come to me, and I'll give you rest for your souls. I'm gentle. I'm lowly in heart. You'll find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." And here's the beauty: when you come today, you enter once and for all. You are accepted into the Beloved by faith. That's the whole picture of Gospel ministry.
But Christ presses the real issue here home. To close this out, in verse 10: "And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests, both bad and good. Whoa, wait a minute. That's interesting. That's the most offensive part of the parable. What do you mean bad? The bad are with the good? Who were the good? Who were the bad?"
Isn't this the whole point of Matthew? What was the charge the whole way through? "You sit and you dine with who? The tax collectors and the sinners?" And in the previous parable, first parable, Jesus just said, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. And when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him." He's saying the same thing here.
At the door of these feasts, there would be a great nobleman standing there. And he would be, we know this we have this in history, he would provide proper garments for them to wear as they entered in. And the issue here is: Who has the garment?
But when the king came to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had on no garment. wedding garment He said to him, friend how did you get in here without a wedding garment He was speechless. And the king said to the attendants, bind him hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen
The impression is this: that to enter the kingdom, you got to have on this garment. The question is: Who had on the wedding garment? And I submit it's the bad in their eyes those who were the righteous those who were the elites those who were the aristocrats those who were the greats in the kingdom who had everything in life, never saw their need for a garment. What a privilege to come! And then this King provides you a garment? What kind of person wouldn't take the garment?
Kind of person who walks up to the door and says, "Well, I want to come, check this thing out." "Here's a garment for you." "No, I don't need that. I'm fine. I'm fine." And the whole Bible captures this: "Because you say, i'm rich (Revelation 3 have become wealthy have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, and blind and naked. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come to him and dine with him, and he with me."
A knock is a knock of judgment.
Well, here's the powerful message: here the one who comes into the feast must be properly dressed. And I think R.C. sprall had a great little children's story on the righteousness of the garment that Jesus Christ gives us and covers us in His righteousness. I do think in the context of Matthew, it's a little different. Remember, Revelation said: those fine linen acts that fine linen that they receive entering the feast arts the righteous acts of the saints. What does that mean? Well, they realized something that Jesus had been saying the whole time. What did he say in Matthew 5, at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount? "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter." And what is the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees in Matthew? Mere external connection to Jesus with no changed hearts. And the lives follow Jesus. Becomes the real there. becomes
The real divider right there many are called But few are chosen. the call goes out, but at the end of the day, what the righteous won't accept is: this is a free gift. And I think Matthew comes together right here. Why did Jesus come? He came to die on a cross and then to announce, "Whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life, everlasting life." And the great need that Matthew's telling us here is: in coming to Him and having been justified by faith, He regenerates. And He washes our hearts. And He creates us new in Him to love Him, to know Him, to understand Him, to value Him, to treasure Him.
"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be."
And the Lord has opened His kingdom to those who confess Him and turn from their sins and who understand how wonderful the grace of God has been to them in this life. God will carry such people there who profess Him in faith and prepare a table for them in the wilderness.
But here's the main point today: Israel wouldn't enter in, and the kingdom was taken from them and given to a nation that would bear the fruits. And if you struggle what fruit looks like i thought to this my the other day. I think the Lord gave us a dear saint to look at and see fruit, everything contrary to this. You can see, as Paul said, "Note those among you who have laid given this kind of example of fruit." Who am I thinking of? Abe Marcus. Fruit. Who loved the Lord. Who served the Lord. Who trusted the Lord. Who believed His promises. Who wouldn't miss church till his dying day. Real fruit in that man.
And the other day he entered into the presence of the Lord dressed appropriately and will be, on that day in the resurrection.
Point is: accept the gracious invitation today and come. Because if we won't, He'll have His hall full of people who will come in before us. "The last shall be first." And if you won't enter today and you won't come with true faith and believing, then read the final words of this, because it'll be no different for us.
What is true here in the EURC, his people will come. And those who, like Israel, refuse will find themselves on the last day. And what have we seen in Matthew? The children will cry out, "Hosanna!" in the temple if we won't. The tax collectors and the prostitutes will enter if we won't.
So what does that say? Enter today.
And what a beautiful thing. If you today can say, "I believe in God's Son. I have turned from my sins to the living God by grace. I have faith in Him as my Savior. I trust Him so much, and I do not doubt He will provide whatever I need in body and soul. I trust Him so much. If you can say those things and you've come right now today, you are a child of grace, and nothing can take that from you. You are the fulfillment of those who've come in.
Isn't that wonderful?
You will always have a place in His kingdom. And on that day, you will feast with Him anew in the kingdom.
So have you come? That's the call of this parable. Come. Enter the Lord Jesus Christ today, and you will be found by Him, and you will have place in His kingdom, and nothing will take that from you.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for a rich parable to teach us the great call of the Gospel that has sounded out all these years that people should come and enter. May there not be found one here, O Lord, who does not respond and come. Come to Him for mercy and grace. Come to Him for righteousness and truth. Come and enter His hall, overwhelmed at the gift that's been provided through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank you for the Gospel, and thank you for what we have to look forward to and what we can enter into this day. May Your grace, O Lord, sustain us, and may we realize who has called us. And may we give our hearts in response and joyful thanksgiving to be able to come before the King and His Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Thank you.