1Und Jesus antwortete und redete wiederum zu ihnen in Gleichnissen und sprach: 2Das Reich der Himmel ist verglichen einem Könige, der seinem Sohne Hochzeit machte. 3Und er sandte seine Knechte aus, um die Geladenen zur Hochzeit zu rufen, und sie wollten nicht kommen. 4Wiederum sandte er andere Knechte aus und sprach: Saget den Geladenen: siehe, mein Mahl habe ich zugerichtet, meine Ochsen und mein Mastvieh sind geschlachtet, und alles ist bereit; kommt zur Hochzeit. 5Sie aber achteten es nicht und gingen hin, der eine auf seinen Acker, der andere an seinen Handel. 6Die übrigen aber griffen seine Knechte, beschimpften und tödteten sie. 7Aber der König ward zornig und sandte seine Heere aus, brachte jene Mörder um und steckte ihre Stadt in Brand. 8Dann sagt er zu seinen Knechten: Die Hochzeit ist zwar bereit, aber die Geladenen waren nicht würdig; 9so gehet nun hin auf die Kreuzwege der Landstraßen, und so viele ihr immer findet, ladet zur Hochzeit. 10Und jene Knechte gingen aus auf die Landstraßen und brachten zusammen alle, so viele sie fanden, sowol Böse als Gute. Und die Hochzeit war mit Tischgästen gefüllt. 11Als aber der König herein kam, die Tischgäste zu besehen, sah er daselbst einen Menschen, der nicht bekleidet war mit einem Hochzeitskleide. 12Und er spricht zu ihm: Freund, wie bist du hier hereingekommen, da du doch kein Hochzeitskleid hast? Er aber verstummte. 13Da sprach der König zu den Dienern: Bindet seine Füße und Hände, nehmt ihn und werft ihn in die äußere Finsterniß: da wird sein das Weinen und das Zähneknirschen. 14Denn viele sind Berufene, wenige aber Auserwählte. 15Dann gingen die Pharisäer hin und hielten Rath, wie sie ihn in der Rede in eine Falle lockten. 16Und sie senden ihre Jünger mit den Herodianern zu ihm, sagend: Lehrer, wir wissen, daß du wahrhaftig bist und den Weg Gottes in Wahrheit lehrest, und dich um niemanden kümmerst, denn du achtest nicht das Ansehen der Menschen; 17sage uns nun, was denkest du: Ist es erlaubt, dem Kaiser Steuer zu geben, oder nicht? 18Jesus aber, ihre Bosheit kennend, sprach: Was versuchet ihr mich, Heuchler? 19Zeiget mir die Münze der Steuer. Sie aber brachten ihm einen Denar. 20Und er spricht zu ihnen: Wessen ist dies Bild und die Ueberschrift? 21Sie sagen zu ihm: Des Kaisers. Da spricht er zu ihnen: So gebet denn dem Kaiser, was des Kaisers ist, und Gott, was Gottes ist. 22Und als sie das hörten, verwunderten sie sich, und verließen ihn und gingen hinweg. 23An jenem Tage traten Sadducäer zu ihm, welche sagen, es sei keine Auferstehung, und fragten ihn 24und sprachen: Lehrer, Moses hat gesagt: Wenn jemand stirbt und keine Kinder hat, so soll sein Bruder sein Weib heirathen und soll seinem Bruder Samen erwecken. 25Es waren aber bei uns sieben Brüder. Und der erste verheirathete sich und starb. Und weil er keinen Samen hatte, hinterließ er sein Weib seinem Bruder. 26Desgleichen auch der zweite und der dritte, bis auf den siebenten. 27Am letzten aber von allen starb auch das Weib. 28In der Auferstehung nun, wessen Weib unter den sieben wird sie sein? denn alle hatten sie. 29Jesus aber antwortete und sprach zu ihnen: Ihr irret, indem ihr die Schriften nicht kennet, noch die Kraft Gottes; 30denn in der Auferstehung heirathen sie nicht, noch werden sie verheirathet, sondern sie sind wie Engel Gottes im Himmel. 31Was aber die Auferstehung der Todten betrifft – habt ihr nicht gelesen, was zu euch geredet ist von Gott, der da spricht: 32„Ich bin der Gott Abrahams und der Gott Isaaks und der Gott Jakobs“? Gott ist nicht Gott der Todten, sondern der Lebendigen. 33Und als die Volksmenge es hörte, erstaunte sie über seine Lehre. 34Als aber die Pharisäer hörten, daß er die Sadducäer zum Schweigen gebracht hatte, versammelten sie sich mit einander. 35Und einer aus ihnen, ein Gesetzgelehrter, fragte, ihn versuchend, und sprach: 36Lehrer, welches ist das große Gebot in dem Gesetz? 37Er aber sprach zu ihm: „Du sollst den Herrn, deinen Gott, lieben mit deinem ganzen Herzen und mit deiner ganzen Seele und mit deinem ganzen Verstande“. 38Dieses ist das große und erste Gebot. 39Das zweite aber, ihm gleich, ist: „Du sollst deinen Nächsten lieben wie dich selbst“. 40An diesen zwei Geboten hänget das ganze Gesetz und die Propheten. 41Als aber die Pharisäer versammelt waren, fragte sie Jesus, 42sagend: Was dünket euch um den Christus? wessen Sohn ist er? Sie sagen zu ihm: Davids. 43Spricht er zu ihnen: Wie nennt David ihn denn im Geiste Herr, indem er sagt: 44„Der Herr sprach zu meinem Herrn: Setze dich zu meiner Rechten, bis ich deine Feinde lege unter deine Füße“? 45Wenn nun David ihn Herr nennt, wie ist er sein Sohn? 46Und niemand konnte ihm ein Wort antworten, noch wagte jemand von jenem Tage an, ihn ferner zu fragen.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 2 PARABLE OF THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING'S SON. (
Matt 22:1-
Matt 22:14)
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son--"In this parable," as TRENCH admirably remarks, "we see how the Lord is revealing Himself in ever clearer light as the central Person of the kingdom, giving here a far plainer hint than in the last parable of the nobility of His descent. There He was indeed the Son, the only and beloved one (
Mark 12:6), of the Householder; but here His race is royal, and He appears as Himself at once the King and the King's Son (
Ps 72:1). The last was a parable of the Old Testament history; and Christ is rather the last and greatest of the line of its prophets and teachers than the founder of a new kingdom. In that, God appears demanding something from men; in this, a parable of grace, God appears more as giving something to them. Thus, as often, the two complete each other: this taking up the matter where the other left it." The "marriage" of Jehovah to His people Israel was familiar to Jewish ears; and in Psa. 45:1-17 this marriage is seen consummated in the Person of Messiah "THE KING," Himself addressed as "GOD" and yet as anointed by "HIS GOD" with the oil of gladness above His fellows. These apparent contradictions (see on
Luke 20:41-
Luke 20:44) are resolved in this parable; and Jesus, in claiming to be this King's Son, serves Himself Heir to all that the prophets and sweet singers of Israel held forth as to Jehovah' s ineffably near and endearing union to His people. But observe carefully, that THE BRIDE does not come into view in this parable; its design being to teach certain truths under the figure of guests at a wedding feast, and the want of a wedding garment, which would not have harmonized with the introduction of the Bride.
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 thereafter, too sadly showed.
4 my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage--This points to those Gospel calls after Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and effusion of the Spirit, to which the parable could not directly allude, but when only it could be said, with strict propriety, "that all things were ready." Compare
1Cor 5:7-8, "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; therefore, let us keep the feast"; also
John 6:51, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully--insulted them.
and slew them--These are two different classes of unbelievers: the one simply indifferent; the other absolutely hostile--the one, contemptuous scorners; the other, bitter persecutors.
7 But when the king--the Great God, who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
heard thereof, he was wroth--at the affront put both on His Son, and on Himself who had deigned to invite them.
and he sent forth his armies--The Romans are here styled God's armies, just as the Assyrian is styled "the rod of His anger" (
Isa 10:5), as being the executors of His judicial vengeance.
and destroyed those murderers--and in what vast numbers did they do it!
and burned up their city--Ah! Jerusalem, once "the city of the Great King" (
Ps 48:2), and even up almost to this time (
Matt 5:35); but now it is "their city"--just as our Lord, a day or two after this, said of the temple, where God had so long dwelt, "Behold your house is left unto you desolate" (
Matt 23:38)! Compare
Luke 19:43-
Luke 19:44.
8 The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy--for how should those be deemed worthy to sit down at His table who had affronted Him by their treatment of His gracious invitation?
9 Go ye therefore into the highways--the great outlets and thoroughfares, whether of town or country, where human beings are to be found.
and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage--that is, just as they are.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good--that is, without making any distinction between open sinners and the morally correct. The Gospel call fetched in Jews, Samaritans, and outlying heathen alike. Thus far the parable answers to that of "the Great Supper" (
Luke 14:16, &c.). But the distinguishing feature of our parable is what follows:
11 And when the king came in to see the guests--Solemn expression this, of that omniscient inspection of every professed disciple of the Lord Jesus from age to age, in virtue of which his true character will hereafter be judicially proclaimed!
he saw there a man--This shows that it is the judgment of individuals which is intended in this latter part of the parable: the first part represents rather national judgment.
which had not on a wedding garment--The language here is drawn from the following remarkable passage in
Zeph 1:7-
Zeph 1:8 : --"Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God; for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, He hath bid His guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel." The custom in the East of presenting festival garments (see
Gen 45:22;
2Kgs 5:22), even though nor clearly proved, Is certainly presupposed here. It undoubtedly means something which they bring not of their own--for how could they have any such dress who were gathered in from the highways indiscriminately?--but which they receive as their appropriate dress. And what can that be but what is meant by "putting on the Lord Jesus," as "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS?" (See
Ps 45:13-
Ps 45:14). Nor could such language be strange to those in whose ears had so long resounded those words of prophetic joy: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels" (
Isa 61:10).
12 Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless--being self-condemned.
13 Then said the king to the servants--the angelic ministers of divine vengeance (as in
Matt 13:41).
Bind him hand and foot--putting it out of his power to resist.
and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness--So
Matt 8:12;
Matt 25:30. The expression is emphatic--"the darkness which is outside." To be "outside" at all--or, in the language of
Rev 22:15, to be "without" the heavenly city, excluded from its joyous nuptials and gladsome festivities--is sad enough of itself, without anything else. But to find themselves not only excluded from the brightness and glory and joy and felicity of the kingdom above, but thrust into a region of "darkness," with all its horrors, this is the dismal retribution here announced, that awaits the unworthy at the great day.
there--in that region and condition.
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. See on
Matt 13:42.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen--So
Matt 19:30. See on
Matt 20:16.