"The Parables No. 14.  The Marriage of the King's Son (Matt. xxii. 1-14)" by
Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor circa 1916.

On page 53 of Volume IV. we gave the arrangement of the Parables occurring in
Matt. xvi.-xxv., but as some of our readers may be unacquainted with it, we
will take out the two corresponding members in order that the place of the
parable we are to consider may be seen:-

B | xx. 1-16. The Householder and Vineyard. -The call of the labourers:-

     1. Early.                        Many
     2. Third hour.                   called,
     3. Sixth and ninth hours.        but few
     4. Eleventh hour.                chosen.

B | xxii. 1-14. The Marriage. -The call to the guests:-

     1. Bid those who were bidden.       Many
     2. Again tell them.                 called,
     3. Go therefore to highways.        but few
     4. The wedding garment.             chosen.

It will be seen that we have something of a parallel, yet a contrast, for
instead of a householder we have a certain king, and instead of labourers we
have guests.  The concluding words of each parable, however, are the same in
the A.V., "Many called, but few chosen."  The retention of these words,
however, in Matt. xx. 16 is extremely doubtful, and we may be on more certain
ground if we say that the closing words of the Parable of the Labourers are,
"So the last shall be first, and the first last," while the closing words of
the Parable of the Marriage Feast are, "For many are called, but few are
chosen."

The parable, like those which have already been considered, was addressed to
the Pharisees (cf. xxi. 45, and xxii. 1).  "Jesus answered, and spake unto
them again by parables."  It will be noticed, by the use of the word "again,"
that in the Parables of the Householder, the Wicked Husbandmen, and the
Marriage Feast, there is an emphasis upon the fact that an action was
repeated.

xx. 5. "Again, he went out about the sixth and ninth hour," after having hired
two set before.

xxi. 36. "Again, he sent other servants, more than the first," after the first
messengers were beaten and killed.

xxii. 4. "Again, he sent forth other servants," after the refusal to come to
the feast.

This element of longsuffering and renewal of invitation is a feature that is
essentially a part of the parable.  Let us first of all examine the figures
used, and then attempt with the knowledge gained to understand its import.

The characters introduced are, a king, his son, servants, and guests.  The
parable centres around a marriage feast.  This parable contains the first
reference to a marriage feast in the N.T., and apart from this the word occurs
but once more in Matthew, namely, in xxv. 1O.  It is the same word that comes
in Rev. xix. 7, 9, and is connected by the added word "supper" of the latter
verse to the parallel parable of Luke xiv. 16..

The king's son of course is Christ Himself, and the marriage feast is the
marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. xix.)  It will be seen that the servants of
the king go out three times, twice to the same people, and once, after the
destruction of their city, into the highways.  Those to whom the servants went
the first time are called, "them that were bidden."  The expression is almost
a title, and is rendered, "the persons invited," by Darby.  The chief thought
is that the servants did not give the original invitation, but that it had
been given already.  They went out to invite them that had been invited.  This
message met with refusal.  Again the king sent the message of invitation,
adding the words:-

"Tell them that have been invited, behold, I have prepared my dinner, my
bullock and the fatlings having been killed, and all things ready, come unto
the marriage."

These added words are by no means accidental.  These two invitations, together
with their differences, give us in parable form the ministries that occupy the
period commencing with John the Baptist and ending with the close of the Acts
of the Apostles.  "Them that were bidden" are the people of Israel.  Readers
of these pages will not need citations from the Scriptures to prove or to
demonstrate this statement.  John the Baptist, the last of the prophets
according to the Old Testament order, announces the good news, "The kingdom of
the heavens hath drawn nigh," and further is spoken of as "the friend of the
Bridegroom." The Lord Himself, the twelve, and the seventy continue this
witness.  We know how sadly true the words of the parable are, "they would not
come."  The second invitation commences with the Acts of the Apostles.  There,
Peter and the twelve, and those associated ("them that heard Him," Heb. ii. 3,
4), went forth again with the invitation, this time being able to add, "all
things are ready."

The message of Matthew differs from that of the Acts in this particular.
Matt. x. for instance shows us the servants going forth to proclaim the good
news, but Matt. xvi. 21,22 makes it clear that those who carried that
invitation could not have said "all things are ready," for not only was Peter
ignorant of the fact that the Lord must "suffer...and be killed and be raised
again the third day," but he even urged the Lord to abandon the idea.  Peter's
attitude in the Acts is very different.  Every recorded address that he gives
has the suffering, the death and the resurrection of the Lord as its basis:-

"But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all His
prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath so fulfilled, Repent ye
therefore" (Acts iii. 18, 19).

The initial ministry, that of John the Baptist, was to "prepare the way of the
Lord" (Matt. iii. 3), "prepare" being the same word as "ready."  It was also
"to make ready for the Lord a prepared people" (Luke i. 17).  Note, not to
make everyone ready, but to make ready a prepared people.  In Rev. xix. 7 we
read:-

"Let us rejoice and exult, and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb is
come and His wife has made herself ready."

And in xxi. 2:-

"And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of the heavens from
God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

In the second ministry, that of the Acts of the Apostles, the servants who
gave the invitation could indeed lay emphasis upon the fact that all things
were ready.  "But they neglected it."  The word translated "made light of," is
the word which occurs in Heb. ii. 3:-

"How shall we escape if we have been negligent of so great salvation, which at
the first began to be spoken by the Lord (the first invitation), and was
confirmed unto us by them that heard Him (the second invitation), God also
bearing witness both with signs, and wonders, and with divers miracles, and
distributions of holy spirit, according to His will?"

This is the second invitation of the parable.  That "the signs, wonders,
divers miracles, and distributions of holy spirit" are to be read as
equivalent to "All things are ready," may be seen by reading Acts ii. 1-4, 22,
23, 43; iii. 12-16; iv. 9-12 (note the reference to the stone rejected by the
builders, and Matt. xxi. 42, which immediately precedes the parable of the
Marriage Feast), and v. 30.

What was the result of this added testimony?  "They neglected it."  The
parable says that "one went to his own field, and one unto his traffic."
Readers may remember that in the Parable of the Sower the third sowing
indicated the ministry of the Acts (without necessarily precluding the thought
that, at the end, all these sowings will be true of the period then).  That
third sowing "fell among thorns, and the thorns choked them," which by
interpretation means:-

"That which among thorns being sown, this is he who hears the word and the
cares of this age and the delusion of riches, choke the word and it (he)
becomes unfruitful" (Matt. xiii. 22)

This same cause is expressed in the words, "his own field," and "his traffic."
Here is the divine statement as to the failure of the second invitation.  This
is not all, however.  While some "did not care for it," but preferred the
things of this age, "the rest" violently opposed.  "They seized the servants,
insulted and killed them."  The Lord Jesus had told His disciples that if the
world had hated Him, it would hate them, that He sent them forth as sheep amid
wolves.  That the days would come when they should be delivered up to be
afflicted, hated and killed.  This we find in measure in the Acts.  Some were
imprisoned (Acts iv. 3; v. 18; viii. 3; ix. 1, 13, 21).  Stephen was stoned
(Acts vii. 59); James was killed with the sword (Acts xii. 2).  At the first
rejection, which culminated in the betrayal and brutal death of the Lord
Jesus, the Lord in wondrous mercy withheld the punishment of which they
themselves had thought themselves worthy (Matt. xxi. 41) and sent to those who
were guilty of such sins the second ministry of pardon and invitation.  The
neglect of this "so great salvation," accompanied by the ill-treatment of His
servants, was not a second time passed over.  This time they had "crucified
unto themselves afresh the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame," and
"that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected and is nigh unto cursing,
whose end is to be burned" (Heb. vi. 8).  They had "trodden under foot the Son
of God."  "For if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth (first
invitation), much more shall not we, if we turn away from Him that speaketh
from heaven" (Heb. xii. 25) (second invitation).  And so we read:-

"But when the king heard thereof he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies,
and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."

Between verses 7 and 8 of Matt. xxii. comes the dispensation of the mystery,
just as it comes between "the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of
vengeance of our God."  When the Lord once again takes up the threads of this
purpose, the words of verse 8 onwards become true.  "The wedding feast is
ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy."  Because of their
rejection of the head stone of the corner, "the kingdom of God will be taken
from them, and given to a nation producing the fruits of it."  Because of
their refusal and neglect they made themselves "unworthy," and failed.  The
day will come when they shall see those who have come from the east and the
west, and from the north and the south, sitting down with Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens, but themselves cast out.  They knew
not the day of their visitation.  To no generation of Israel or of men had
such exceptional favours been given.  They proved unworthy, and forfeited
their place.  The day will come when the dispersed sons of Abraham will be
gathered from the four corners of the earth to sit down in the kingdom.  Those
who so miserably failed during the two ministries of the Gospels and the Acts
will be there, but not in a position of blessedness such as shall those who
have thus been gathered in.  Weeping and gnashing of teeth (terms that demand
a separate study) accompany the vision they have.  They were not worthy.  It
is interesting to note that the word axios, "worthy," and the word hetoimazo,
"to make ready," occur prominently in Matthew and in Revelation.  Axios occurs
seven times in the Revelation.  Hetoimazo occurs seven times in the Gospel of
Matthew, and seven times in the Revelation.  It seems that there is a
connection between the being made ready, and the being worthy.

If we view the parable and its teaching from the standpoint of the Epistles of
the Mystery, we shall be conscious of a difficulty to reconcile the very
distinct aspects of truth presented.  If we keep within the sphere of the
kingdom, the teaching will be clear.  In Matt. x. the twelve who were sent
forth were to enquire in each village for a "worthy person," and a "worthy
house."  Verses 37, 38 tell us what constituted "worthiness."  Axios occurs
seven times in the Acts.  There we read that the Jews "judged themselves to be
unworthy of eonian life" to the blessing of the Gentiles (Acts xiii. 46-52;
compare verse 51 with Matt. x. 14), and that Paul had echoed the words of John
the Baptist (Matt. iii. 8) in urging "fruit worthy of repentance" (Acts xxvi.
20).

In Rev. iii. 4 we read of some who shall walk with the Lord in white (robes),
"for they are worthy," and in xvi. 6 of some who shall have blood to drink
because "they are worthy."  Of similar import is Luke vii. 4 and xii. 48.  It
is evident from the usage of the word that it carries with it the idea of
meriting or deserving.  This is further substantiated by referring to the
following:-

"Those who are accounted worthy to obtain that age..." (Luke xx. 35).

"And take heed to yourselves lest at any time your heart be burdened with
surfeiting, and drunkenness, and the cares of life, and that day come upon you
unawares...watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted
worthy to escape all these things... and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke
xxi. 34-36).

Here is a close parallel to the condition of heart indicated by "the one to
his own field, the other to his traffic," and "the cares of this age, and the
deceitfulness of riches."  Such attitude of mind is observed in the "wicked
servant" of Matt. xxiv. 48-51, where the unexpected coming of the Lord, and
the intemperance of the servant, are brought together.  It will be observed,
further, that the statement concerning the fate of the wicked servant is
immediately followed by the words, "Then shall the kingdom of the heavens be
likened unto ten virgins," etc., which introduces under another set of figures
the two classes of those who have entrance into the marriage feast in view.
The same thought (unreadiness) is noticeable; it is that and that alone which
distinguishes the two classes of virgins.

In the parable before us, those who finally are gathered together, who are
found in the highways, are "bad and good"; worthiness is no longer spoken of.
These seem to be the elect, who are gathered together by the angels from the
four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.  A somewhat parallel change
is seen in Luke xiv. 16-24, where, after the servants had been sent to say,
"Come, for all things are now ready," and those who were invited made various
excuses of a shallow nature, the Lord is angry with them, and sends out first
to the streets, and lanes of the city, and causes to be brought in the poor,
the maimed and the halt and the blind, and subsequently sends as far as the
highways and hedges, compelling them to come in.  No worthiness attaches to
these, neither are they invited, they are "brought" and they are "compelled."

The scenes of the parable in Matt. xxii. change at verse 11, and we are taken
into the feast room.  The King enters to see the guests, and observes one not
clothed with a wedding garment.  Upon being questioned as to his entry in that
condition, the man is speechless.  The King gives orders to his servants to
bind him hand and foot, and to thrust him into the outer darkness, where there
is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  The reason that is given, and with which
the parable closes, is, "For there are many invited, but few elected."

The wedding garment given by the King to all who were brought into the feast
was an outward symbol of election.  The Lord had said, "Except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye
shall in no case enter into the kingdom of the heavens."  "Fine linen is (or
represents) the righteous acts of the saints" (Rev. xix. 8).  Peter says to
the dispersion, "Give all diligence, add to your faith...give diligence to
make your calling and election sure" (2 Pet. i. 5-11).  Just as fruit is the
sign of growth and life, so the wedding garment is the sign of election.

There are other aspects to be considered, and further truth to be discovered
along this course which will be the more clearly understood by continuing the
study of the parables rather than by attempting an exhaustive study of this
one. By way of application, it is well for us, although having something very
different from the marriage supper of the Lamb before us either as bride or
guests, to remember the exhortation to "walk worthy," and to note particularly
the reference to "reigning," a "crown," and a "prize" in the Prison Epistles.

The question of the difference between the bride, the wife, the virgins, and
the guests will be dealt with in subsequent articles, either in those which
deal with the Parables, or those which deal with the Revelation.