www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Scripture and Patristic Writings The Parable of the Wedding Feast

Matthew 22:1-14

This passage seemed to me to be so unfair when I heard it as a child. Put yourself in this place.

Here's a man probably sitting beside his home in the shade provided by the wall, perhaps after a day in the employ of a vineyard owner (the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard). Here he is, minding his own business, when along come the King's servants and order him to the palace. Since there is no democracy or the ability to say "no"--the King's word is law and by Divine right--he hurries down. He enters the palace, comes face to face with his king, and is bound and cast outside. Maybe he's poor; maybe he's got only one tunic and he's sweat all day in it.

Is this the God we know and love--the "accountant" who plays "gotcha"?

I have some thoughts from reading, praying, and meditating on and about this passage, but want to get somebody else's take on this one.

In Christ,

BOB

Well, after reading the parable I came to a different conclusion.

First of all it's a parable, ofcourse it is not ment to be taken literally.

But as I understood it, the focus of this parable should be "For many are invited, but few are chosen"

To me, I see the wedding as the Kingdom of heaven, as the parable says to when it starts off. Basically what its saying is, we are all called to love and serve God so that we may enter the kingdom, but still, some will refuse. For them, there is no reward, infact, there is punishment.

As for the guy that came unprepared .... The King had said gather all you can, for the servants it would not be a big deal if one refused, for they simply would go to the next peasent. I think you are focusing too much on the idea that this person had no other choice. That isn't directly implied.
All that parable is getting at is, if you are unprepared, or refuse the invitation (and we are all invited) for the Kingdom of heaven, you will not be rewarded but will infact be punished.

Again, focus on the last verse "for many are invited, but few are chosen".

Actually I was looking for a dialogue and didn't want to show immediately where I had moved to with this.

When I prayed for awhile it came to me that I had missed the point because I was looking at it with 20th century western eyes. So I took a look in light of a different culture and a different historical period.

At that time, it is true that there were two classes of people: the very rich (small number) and the rest. It is also true that oriental hospitality is lavish and the guest is placed on a pedestal. There is nothing that a host will not do to make his guest feel comfortable and welcome.

In palaces of the time--a little archeology and some pictures of ruins--there would have been a welcome place right inside the outer wall: men on one side and women on the other (something like the way people sit in Orthodox churches). When one entered, the servants would have taken the guest's clothes, placed him/her into a bath, and taken the clothes away to be cleaned. On exit from the bath, the guest would have been rubbed with oil--no deodorant, but perfumed oil would do just fine--and the guest would have been invited to choose from among garments provided for those who might not have a wedding garment or who had left theirs at home. Then the guest would have been escorted to the dining hall. The man who arrived and faced down the King would have been a person who would be guilty of one of two things: either absolutely ignorant of social custom (walked past the entry area) or absolutely arrogant to go into a man's wedding feast and face him down in his own house looking and stinking like the man must have.

Now Jesus didn't go around telling stories just to tell stories so here is the take I have after putting this together.

You and I are the man out in the world who are brought to the palace (the Church) by the King's servants--our godparents, parents, relatives, or others who are already committed Christians. We are placed into the bath of regeneration (Baptism) and anointed with oil (Chrism) on exiting it. We put on the royal wedding garment ("For as many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Allelulia.) and are escorted to the Table of the Wedding Feast (the Altar of Sacrifice) where we are given unearthly Bread to nourish us.

The man who arrives without a wedding garment is any one of us who thinks he is worthy to be there on his own efforts or his own merit--we are all there by invitation only and have to remember that this is the Lord's Wedding Feast, not something we have by some arrogant right; He paid our price of admission and set the terms by which the Church admits new members. Additionally this is one who thinks he can come to the Feast without examining himself or who looks down on others when they come. (We've all seen people like this and probably have the temptation to be this way ourselves: we forget that we come by invitation, need to be grateful, need to remember that everyone else is here by the Spirit's invitation, and that we are all equal brothers and sisters at the Lamb's Wedding Feast.)

Beyond all this, when we receive our invitation and come with the proper disposition, we become adopted into the King's family. This is no wedding feast where we go home at the end of the feast because this Feast has no end now or ever.

We leave the Liturgy, but the earthly Divine Liturgy that we serve is a participation in the one Last Supper, the one Perfect Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, the Glorious Resurrection, the Ascension, and the anticipation of the Lord's Glorious Second Coming. The Liturgy is a door that allows us to enter eternity where all of recorded history is but a single glance in the Father's Sight and we are there with Christ. We have one foot in time and the other in eternity because of our initiation into the Church.

That's what I came to after a lot of time and study and prayer--finally resigning myself and asking the Lord to show me what this could possibly mean. The end result is that when I read this portion of Scripture I am profoundly grateful that the Lord would have extended me an invitation and included me in His family. Made me do a complete 180 in my attitude to this passage.

In Christ,

BOB

Bob-

Well said!!!

Most of the NT does not stand isolated. If we consider one parable in isolation - we can risk misunderstanding it. And that has certainly been done with parables. Misunderstanding have often been codified just because one or some of the early fathers gave his own opinion and that opinion is them mistaken for an infallable pronouncement of the church or a revelation by the Holy Spirit. Most of these misunderstandings arise from lack of knowing Jewish traditions or through translator's assumptions.

In the parable just before �the marriage feast�� we have Jesus speaking about himself as the keystone. While most translations use the tern �corner stone� our modern mind thinks of a corner stone as part of the foundation of a building. The corner stone placed at ground level and may have an inscription with the name of the building and a date.

However the stone Jesus is talking about is a keystone. It is the central stone - put into place last - at the top of a stone archway (a gateway). All - were very familiar with the structue of a stone archway as they all passed over and under dozens of stone archways all day long throughout the city.

The archway itself rises on each side of the opening in stacked wedge shaped blocks. But when the eye follows these blocks up to the very top - there is one center stone (wedge shaped) which is larger than the others - and it is placed at the very top of the arch. And this keystone - actually takes all the pressure of the archway. Such pressure being so great - that no mortar need be used between the stones.

http://www.keystoneitc.com/why.shtml

All the pressure around the archway - is pressing in upon that keystone. Therefore the keystone must have no flaws (cracks / chips / etc�). It must be - the strongest stone of the archway.

Since this is a parable - Jesus is not saying that the builders rejected the stone when building the physical gateway because it is to be the last stone put in place (this is often the explanation when some have mistaken the images to be the cap-stone of a pyramid) � Jesus is saying that those in charge of building the religious life of the Jews (the Pharisees sect had that power and authority at the time) � rejected ... Him. They have reject Jesus as a rabbi ... and they will soon do the ultimate rejestion by killing him.

Yet it is the keystone which makes the entire vault-way (archway) stand. It is the most important stone. The pressure against its sides is tremendous. It must be perfect without cracks.

Now if someone falls FROM a keystone � he has fallen off from the top - of the archway. He has fallen from the roadway above to the roadway below. Since these archways were one-two stories high there is no doubt he will break some bones when he hit�s the lower roadway. Most translators saw this as tripping over the stone as one walks - but what you would get is bruises - not broken bones. And so what Jesus is saying here is if one falls from the keystone (the top of the archway).

But - if the keystone falls ON him - then what has happened is that he was walking under the archway at the moments that the keystone shatters (from all the pressure on it) and the entire archway now falls on that man - no doubt crushing him - to death.

So what is the theme of this parable?

It is that the Jewish leaders (the Pharisees of the time) have rejected Jesus - but God himself has selected Jesus as the keystone of the entire gateway. He - himself - is the perfect stone which will withstand all the pressure - and make the archway (vault) stated to be a gateway (into heaven).

Now the very next parable - the connection with what has been rejected - is the same as the son whom the King (God) has arranged to be wedded. And we are reminded of how many times the prophets compared union with God - as a wedding and wedding feats - and wedding nuptials (the Song of Song).

Right away we see that Jesus (the keystone selected by God) is the same as the King�s (God�s) � son � whom the king has invited many to share in the wedding feast.

The servants (prophets) go out and call in invitation (the Jewish nation) but - all are busy and not interested to attend. This is the dispensation of Moses. The servants are sent out again (Jesus and the apostles) to make the call again - and these second wave of servants are - treated badly. Keep in mind that the task of the apostles began as a call to the Jews - and only later - turned to a call for the gentiles.

And so twice now - the call to the Jewish nation - goes unheeded.

With this - the servants are to go out to the cross-roads (and that means to just take anyone regardless of being of the same tribe as the king and his son. Just take - anyone who comes along the roadway.

You can see the comparison here with the history of Israel. As a whole - the nation way not too interested in the spiritual union that Moses offered. Note that in Jesus� mind - anyone who became a saint under Moses - was entering the same feast that we catholic�s are offered. There is no difference. It is the same marriage the same feast - the same wedding.

But with the final refusal of the Jewish peoples (at the coming of the son himself) the feast is now thrown wide open. Anyone whom the servants tap on the shoulder - may attend.

But the invitation (which remains for the Jews as well as now extended to the gentile) is not enough. Id we do not attend to conscience (which cultivate the virtues in us) then we are not dressed properly for the feast - and we will be tossed out. And the description of darkness and weeping and gnashing of teeth - is a well known description of Hades.

Gnashing of teeth - is what we today call - gritting your teeth. A thing we do (subconsciously) when under tension - anger - turmoil - etc� it is a definite sign of - lack - of peace. A struggle with internal demons.

Bind his hands and feet - is pretty clear. It means a lost of liberty. One can not escape from it by running away nor by manufacturing anything. A completions of personal liberty.

Now the Pharisees understood very plainly what Jesus meant by these two parables. We who are not Jews at the time of Jesus � have to work a bit to understand it. But they - were Jews - and they immediately knew the meaning of the parables - and that they were the brunt - of the parables. And it was this public affront to their self-dignity - which was the last straw for them - and so they (Matt 22:15-22) decided at that point that they must figure out ways to trap Jesus - trip him up - so that Jesus look foolish and they look very wise.

And they come back and lay - the trap - but using mis-direction. �We know that you are truthful. And that you teach the way of God - in truth�� and they think that by setting up the stage in this way � they are leading Jesus into a corner� and they ask him �Is it lawful to pay tribute taxes - to Caesar?� and one must keep in mind that Cesar claims to be a god - so the question really is �Is it lawful to worship - another god?�

If Jesus were to answer �Yes. It is lawful to pay tribute to Caesar.� .. then it is that Jesus has gone against �You shall have no other gods - besides me.�

And if Jesus answers �No.. it is not lawful to pay tribute to Caesar.� then anyone withholding taxes would find himself cast into prison and perhaps even death for revolt against Rome. And it is tantamount to sedition against Rome (any Roman soldiers listening in the crowd would be forced to immediately arrest Jesus.

A well devised - public - trap.

(story is continued in the NT)

Common to both the keystone parable and the wedding parable is - the rejection of Jesus. Forced to show up at the wedding feast (as we all shall be forced) the man not dressed for it (with virture) hhas rejected the son and the wedding even if he looks forward to the feast.

-ray

Wow, i've stumbled on to a gold mine with this forum. There are a couple of geniuses posting in this thread.

I've heard these passages before, and have even heard priests and teachers discuss the meaning of these parables. Still, I have never really appreciated those passages until I read these posts. Thank you.

Beautiful Bob. Simply beautiful.

-ray

Ray:

I'm sure you aren't surprised--probably done the same thing yourself--when you get to a place that you can't make sense of and open yourself to the Holy Spirit that suddenly things become simple, clear, and profound.

Sometimes it comes in solitude; sometimes when we seek out others. But it happens to me when I simply put it into the Lord's Hands and ask for help: "Lord, I don't understand this at all. Help me out here, please." Sometimes I get a jolt--like the flat of someone's hand hitting me upside the head and a "duh" settles in; sometimes I get the thought that I should seek out someone and usually that someone is specific--like go ask the people at byzcath.org or go ask your confessor.

There is a story in the Desert Fathers that has a similar lesson. A man struggled with a passage of Scripture but couldn't for the life of him make any sense of it. So he finally decided to go ask another brother. When he reached the door of his cell--it is reported--an angel was sent to reveal to him the meaning of the passage he had been studying. He was told that it was when he humbled himself by deciding to obtain the answer from another that the Lord had sent the answer.

So with us. I thank God for you and then thank you for the contribution you made to this thread. You threw more light on this area for me, too.

In Christ,

BOB

Yes... but .. if there are no items scattered about in the room... then throwing a light into the room makes nothing visible (it being an empty room). So it seems to me that you have done a good bit of study for the good Lord to have something in your head to enlighten.

Peace to your and your church.
-ray