Matthew 22:1

MATT. 22

THE PARABLE OF THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING'S SON; THE TRIBUTE TO CAESAR; IN HEAVEN; WHOSE WIFE SHALL SHE BE? THE GREAT COMMANDMENT; HOW THEN DOES DAVID IN THE SPIRIT CALL HIM LORD? THE PARABLE OF THE KING'S SON

And Jesus answered and spake again in parables unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son (Matthew 22:1-2)

This is the third of a series of three parables Jesus directly addressed to the Pharisees. There is a definite connection in all three, revealing a progressive intensity in the sins of the Pharisees, and setting forth stronger and stronger punishments to be incurred by them. For a comparison and analysis of all three parables, see under Matthew 22:14, below. This parable has the following analogies:

The king represents God.

The king's son is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The marriage supper stands for the privileges of the true faith.

The messengers are the evangelists of all ages who preach the truth.

The mistreatment of the messengers refers to the hostility of the Pharisees against the apostles, first, and to other preachers later.

The rejection of the invitation is the rejection of Christ's message by the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders.

The destruction of their city is the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus and Vespasian in 70 A.D.

The sending of the messengers into the byways prefigures the call of the Gentiles.

The man without a wedding garment represents all who despise the privilege of true faith, and, while professing it, prove themselves unworthy of it.

The coming in of the king to see the guests is the arraignment of all men at the final judgment.

The binding of the offender and casting him out show the punishment of the wicked in hell.

The speechlessness of the offender shows that evil men at last shall concur in their own punishment, being able to make no defense of their own conduct.