Matthew 22:1-14 is the third parable of a series that Jesus tells his interlocutors. He had already disturbed his hearers with the two previous parables (cf. Matthew 21:45), which share similarities in structure, though not in content. This third parable is similar to Luke 14:16-24 except that in Luke there is nothing about a new invitation and the throwing out of a party crasher. As it stands in Matthew's gospel, the parable is a commentary -- a midrash in a form of a mashal? -- on the words "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it. (Matthew 21:43)" and is meant to be a warning against being complacent vis-a-vis the kingdom.
Below are two illustrations showing how the Parable of the Wedding Banquet relates to the first two parables. The first table shows how the structures of the three parables differ. The first two are similar in that the moral lesson is derived from the answer to a question given by Jesus at the end of the parable. There is no such thing for the third parable. The second illustration shows how certain elements in the third parable recall similar ones in the two previous parables. It is as if Matthew intended to present the three parables "climactically": the prostitutes and tax collectors who precede the religious leaders into the kingdom are identified as among those who will make up the "other nation" who will tend the vineyard and who are also the objects of the new invitation in the third parable. It is also from there group that eventually, there will be a sorting out of guests. Further, the fate of those wicked tenants of in the second parable, left out in Jesus' moral lesson, is recalled in the third parable where the king responds to the violence to his servants with a massacre. Click on the thumbnails for a bigger look.
The Parts of the Parable
The parable can divided into the following parts:
1. Introduction
2-10 The invitation for the banquet
11-13 The banquet
14 Explanatory statement
Some interpreters of Matthew would divide the parable into three scenes: the first and second invitations (scene 1), the new invitation and the banquet itself (scene 2) and the sorting out of the guests (scene 3). I prefer just two scenes, the invitation and the banquet itself, as reflected in the outline above.
Observations on the Parable
The first part of the parable narrates jumps off immedately from the opening lines: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who had a banquet for his son". This is the first and last time that the son is mentioned. Throughout the rest of the parable until verse 10, the one who acts is the king, the servants and the invited guests. From vv. 11-13, only the king and the man without a wedding garment come to the fore.
The first part of the parable is similar to the previous one on the wicked tenants of the vineyard. Here, we see the king sending forth his servants to call in the guests. It is a banquet in honor of his son but the guests aren't interested. There are two sendings here. The second time, an announcement is made about the kind of preparation done. But the guests didn't mind it; they either went their way (5) or treated the servants with violence (6). The king reacts to this latter with a massacre (7), an element that hearers of the second parable would have expected from the owner of the vineyard.
The king acknowledges that the guests have been unworthy of the banquet. In the Lukan parallel, the host of the meal tells everyone that those invited will definitely not share in his meal, leaving us to understand that this includes future meals (see Luke 14:24). He then sends for those whom the servants will find in public places, "both good and bad". With the banquet hall finally filled up, the party did begin. Thus, the first part of the parable (8-10).
Once more the king initiates the action of the story. He goes into the banquet hall to check the guests who were already enjoying themselves (the use of the participle keimenon, which indicates that the party is already in full swing). He finds there a man who had no wedding garment.
For wedding banquets, the males wore the kittel, a white wrap-around robe that they also wore during Passover (See this article). Wedding feasts generally lasted for several days, and so guests are given time to come to the banquet prepared. Thus, the man whom the king found without the proper clothing really had no excuse. The king reacts upon seeing the man, just as he did when the first invited guests did violence on his servants. He asks him a question, but the man did not answer. Some translations render the mute response of the man with "but he was speechless". The Greek text however gives the sense that the man simply did not answer. The king, then, commands his servants to bind the man and throw him out where "there is wailing and grinding of teeth."
Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth
In Matthew, the expression is used solely in reference to those who could have been in a banquet but were eliminated. In Matthew 8:12, the expression is found in a context where Jesus indirectly rebukes "the sons of the kingdom" for not having a faith like that of the Roman centurion. Those who wail and gnash their teeth are those who won't be able to join the banquet with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The expression appears in a clear context of the judgment. Verse 42 is the conclusion of the wheat and the tares, while verse 50, that of the parable of the dragnet. In Matthew 24:51, it is the unfaithful servant whom the Master finds not doing his job who is thrown to where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth. Again, in Matthew 25:30 we find it used for the servant who hides the talent given to him. In other words, the expression's occurence here is a signal for the reader to understand this section of the parable as referring to the final judgment when the good and the bad will finally be separated. There is a similarity here to the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares and the Parable of the Dragnet (cf. Matthew 13:24-30.47-50).
The Wedding Garment
Seen in this light, it becomes easier to understand why the man without the wedding garment is thrown out of the banquet. It is to be noted that the man without the wedding garment is thrown out not only because he was ill dressed, but also because he was not able to explain himself. The lack of the proper attire and the muted response of the man would seem to be such a small thing for him to be thrown out of a party. But as we have seen, the expression "wailing and grinding of teeth" is a signal that here, we are dealing with Judgment. The man symbolizes someone who should have been in the eschatological banquet but was found lacking in some quality. I have suggested in another article that the wedding garment symbolizes the virtues of the saints. The reference is to the wedding banquet of the Lamb in Revelation
Or it can also refer to the robe that has been washed in the blood of the Lamb, seeing that the kittel -- the male wedding robe -- was also worn during Passover1. In other words, the man symbolizes one who has entered the kingdom but in the end had to be thrown out because he failed to mature in faith.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 to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure" -- for the fine linen is 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." (Rev. 19:7-9)
Conclusion
Jesus concludes the parable with a statement that summarizes the fate of those who have been invited into the banquet but who at then end find themselves excluded from it. The statement is also a brings back to mind previous sayings of Jesus about the big catch of fish and the weeds that look like wheat. In the light of the parable of the banquet, it also becomes a warning to those who seem to be favored by the two previous parables (about the two sons and the wicked tenants). The kingdom of heaven has been opened to all, but there are still requirements to be met. It is not really a problem of entering, but a problem of persevering and maturing in it.
- 1. The wedding garment can also refer to the baptismal robe. In the rite for infant baptism, the following is said by the priest upon investiture:
Dear children you have become a new creation and have clothed yourselves in Christ (cf. Rom. 13:13). See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity. Whith your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.
