Matthew 22:3

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Matthew 22:3

And sent forth his servants - These represent the messengers that God has sent to invite people to his kingdom.To call them that were bidden - That is, to give notice to those who had before been invited that the feast was ready. It appears that there were two invitations - one considerably previous to the time of the feast, that they might have opportunity to prepare for it, and the other to give notice of the precise time when they were expected.The wedding - The marriage-feast. The same word... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Matthew 22:2-3

Matthew 22:2-3. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king That is, the dispensation of the gospel may be well illustrated by that which happened in the case of a king; who made a marriage for his son Our Lord is frequently represented in Scripture under the character of a bridegroom. The marriage-feast here spoken of is intended to signify the blessings of the gospel, which are set forth under the emblem of a feast in divers passages of Scripture, especially Isaiah 25:6; and... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Matthew 22:1-14

124. The royal wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-14)Throughout the Old Testament period and into the New, God sent his messengers to Israel, but the people ignored his message. God was like a king who invited people to a wedding feast for his son, but when the time for the feast arrived, they refused to come (Matthew 22:1-5). This was a picture of the refusal of the Jews to accept Jesus’ message and enter the kingdom of God. Their rejection of Jesus would bring God’s judgment upon them and result in... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Matthew 22:3

sent forth, &c. John, the Lord, and the Twelve. were bidden = those who had been bidden. This bidding had been done by the prophets. For the custom of such a later "sending" compare Esther 5:8 with Esther 6:14 . to. Greek. eis. App-104 . wedding = wedding feast, as "marriage" in Matthew 22:1 . would not come = wished not to come. App-102 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 22:3

And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the marriage feast: and they would not come.Israel had long known of that approaching appointment to receive and honor the King's Son when he should appear in their midst. Their whole nation had been protected and nurtured through long history for the specific purpose of equipping them to recognize and hail their Messiah when he came. The first of those servants sent to announce that the great feast was at hand was John the Baptist.... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Matthew 22:3

Matthew 22:3. And sent forth his servants— It was sometimes customary to send two messages, as in the case here supposed, which represented the condescension the greater, and suited the repeated invitations given to the Jews by Christ himself during his life, and by the Apostles after his death. The invitation which preceded the call at the hour of supper, may signify the vocation of the Jews, by which they became in a peculiarsense the visible church; and, in consequence whereof, they had the... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Matthew 22:3

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... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Matthew 22:1-14

The parable of the royal wedding banquet 22:1-14The three parables in this series are similar to three concentric circles in their scope. The scope of the parable of the two sons encompassed Israel’s leaders (Matthew 21:28-32). The parable of the wicked tenant farmers exposed the leaders’ lack of responsibility and their guilt to the people listening in as well as to the leaders themselves (Matthew 21:33-46). This last parable is the broadest of the three. It condemned the contempt with which... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Matthew 22:2-3

Jesus said the kingdom was similar to what the following story illustrated (cf. Matthew 13:24; Matthew 13:31; Matthew 13:33; Matthew 13:44-45; Matthew 13:47; Matthew 20:1). The king represents God the Father. His son, the bridegroom (cf. Matthew 9:15; Matthew 25:1), is Messiah. The wedding feast is the messianic banquet that will take place on earth at the beginning of the kingdom (Matthew 8:11-12; Matthew 25:1; cf. Psalms 132:15; Isaiah 25:6-8; Isaiah 65:13-14; Revelation 21:2). As in the... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 22:1-46

Parables of the Marriage of the King’s Son and the Wedding Garment1-14. Marriage of the King’s Son (peculiar to St. Matthew). Jesus concludes His discourse by reiterating in still clearer and stronger language the teaching of the last parable, viz. His Divine Sonship, the impending destruction of Jerusalem, the rejection of the Jews, and the call of the Gentiles. He concludes with a warning to the Gentiles not to abuse the mercy about to be extended to them, by appearing at the feast (i.e.... read more