There is a very serious and vital lesson taught here in Christ's parable of the marriage of a king's son. It is a parable that describes how God calls sinners to the only way of salvation and how the only way of salvation is revealed in the Gospel which is God's promise of eternal salvation and final glory based on the righteousness (the entire merit of the obedience and death) of the Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of God's elect. As you know, in the Scriptures, Christ is identified by many names, all which describe some aspect of His Person as Godman and His mediatorial work as the Substitute and Surety for His sheep. Here in this parable, Christ is the king's son, the Bridegroom, and the marriage feast is given by God the Father for God the Son incarnate. Just as a bride's physical well-being and happiness is the responsibility of the bridegroom, the elect's (the bride) eternal well-being and happiness is the responsibility of Christ (the Bridegroom). As the Bible says, all who believe in Christ, all who trust Him and are united to Him by faith, are married to Him (Rom. 7:4). Consider this parable:
(VS. 2) The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, The kingdom of heaven here is the day of the Gospel Economy, the New Covenant. This is the day when the Gospel is preached freely throughout the world without any barriers or hindrances of the Mosaic Economy. The Gospel Economy refers to the time after Christ's ascension. After Christ became incarnate, obeyed the law, and suffered on behalf of His sheep, after He had satisfied law and justice for them by paying their debt in full, He arose from the grave and ascended to His Father. He sat down at the right hand of God to make intercession for His people. All of this was based upon the fact that He had worked out and established a righteousness for His people based upon which God could be just to justify them. The king here is God the Father, and He gives a marriage supper in honor of His son who is Christ. The marriage feast is where believers are met together to worship God as He is revealed in the preaching of the Gospel His promise of eternal salvation and final glory based on the blood and the righteousness of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We must always remember that whenever God's people are met to worship in hearing the Gospel, they are met in honor of the Son, the Bridegroom, not the bride.
(VS. 3) And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. His servants are His witnesses, His preachers who are called, equipped and qualified by God to preach His Gospel. The first bidding here refers to the Gospel preached to the Jews by the apostles and evangelists. The Jews were the first to be called as Christ came to this earth as a Jew. He came unto His own people (John 1:11a), but His own (nation) received Him not (John 1:11b). The Jews as a whole rejected Christ and His message of grace. They were so proud of their own righteousness that they saw no need of His righteousness (Rom. (9:31--10:4). The fact that they refused to come to Christ for salvation is no testimony to the freedom of the will. In fact, it is a testimony to the bondage of the will to sin, self-love, self-righteousness, and religious pride. Why won't sinners come to Christ for salvation? It is because by nature we think nothing of Christ's blood and righteousness, we have no fear of God before our eyes, and we think too highly of ourselves (John 3:19-20). This is why God must by His power make us willing in the day of His power.
(VS. 4) Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. Here is a testimony to God's longsuffering towards the Jews. Not only did Christ Himself preach the Gospel to the Jews, after He arose and ascended on high, He sent His disciples to preach to them. Notice what these servants were to tell those invited. The king had already prepared the dinner and ALL THINGS WERE READY. This is a beautiful illustration of salvation. The Gospel does not bid sinners to make themselves ready or prepare themselves for the feast. It does not command sinners to get busy trying to establish their own righteousness and earn salvation and rewards from God. In fact, the Gospel forbids this. It tells sinners that salvation and everything that comes with it is already prepared and ready because Christ has done it all. He met every condition for the salvation of His sheep. His righteousness alone demands the salvation and final glory of every sinner whom He represented. All we have to do is but receive by God-given faith.
(VS. 5) But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: (VS. 6) And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. The preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Cor. 1:18). They see it as foolish to think that a person is lost just because they are ignorant of Christ's righteousness. They think it is foolish to call any moral, dedicated, religionist lost and say that his deeds are evil just because He is ignorant of this one ground of salvation. By nature men are simply not concerned about the glory of God in salvation. Therefore, they go their merry way and reject the Gospel. Some of them, probably because they were so steeped in false religion, became so angry and offended, when God's preachers will not speak peace to them and when God's preachers tell them they are lost and their deeds are evil, that they killed God's preachers (John 15:18--16:3).
(VS. 7) But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. This refers to the destruction of Jerusalem as it was God's providential and just judgment against this nation over their rejection of Christ and His Gospel. Sinners need to understand that even though God's judgment may not be immediate, it is certain for all who continue to reject His Christ and His Gospel (Mark 16:15-16).
(VS. 8) Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. They were not worthy because they rejected Christ and the only righteousness that makes sinners worthy. In ourselves, none of us are worthy. If God were to judge the most accomplished, most mature saint according to his character and conduct, his best, that person would be judged unworthy and be deserving of Hell. Our only worthiness for God's blessings and favor is the imputed righteousness of Christ revealed in the Gospel. Therefore, all who reject the Gospel are unworthy. All who receive it are worthy, not because they received it, but because of the righteousness revealed in it. These were unworthy because of their treatment of the messengers who had the only remedy for sin.
(VS. 9) Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. (VS. 10) So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. This refers to the Gospel going out to the Gentiles. This was the direct result of the Jews rejecting the Gospel, although it was God's purpose from the beginning. God has a people out of every tribe, kindred, tongue, and nation. He will call them by His Gospel. But here it says that they gathered together as many as they found both bad and good. What do you suppose this means? The Bible tells us that among men there are none righteous and none good (Rom. 3:10-12), that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). In fact, the Gospel addresses all men and women without exception as ungodly sinners who are in need of a righteousness they cannot produce.
I believe Christ is speaking of the church here on earth which consists of both true believers and unbelievers (those who merely claim to believe the Gospel but who in reality do not). Christ spoke of this kind of situation in other parables (ex. "wheat and tares - Matt. 13:25ff.). This is why we must be careful not to try to separate the wheat from the tares. That is not our job. Now this does not mean we are to hold back the truth and speak peace where there is no peace. We are to preach the Gospel clearly and without compromise, but as long as we are here on earth, in the church, there will be both true believers and false professors.
(VS. 11) And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: This part of the parable refers to Final Judgment when God will separate the wheat from the tares, the sheep from the goats. Here He saw a man who did not have a wedding garment on.
(VS. 12) And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. (VS. 13) Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The consequences of not having the proper wedding garment was eternal punishment. Now the important matter is this WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS WEDDING GARMENT? A well-known preacher, Pat Robertson, told a lady on his program that this wedding garment is "the righteous works of the saints here on earth." Another well-know preacher, John Hagee, told his audience that the spotless robe in which Christ's Bride will appear, which is the same as this wedding garment, is the saints' "right living, right thinking, and right doing." But consider the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:8-9.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Paul says that he had no desire to appear before God in his own works of righteousness. His desire was to appear before God wearing the robe of Christ making, His righteousness imputed. The works of saints are merely evidences of the fact that we are saved, kept, blessed, and qualified for Heaven based on the righteousness of Christ. God says that we must have a righteousness that we cannot produce. He tells us that our works are not good enough to save us, keep us, make us holy, or earn His favor. We need Christ! We need grace. As sad as it is, what Mr. Robertson and Mr. Hagee said shows that they do not know the Gospel, and they place no real value upon the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their message is plainly, "You had better get busy establishing a righteousness of your own whereby you can appear before God." This message is opposed to the Gospel, opposed to grace (Gal. 2:21).
This also shows us the value of the merits of Christ's obedience unto death on behalf of God's people. The ground of our salvation and final glory is not a garment of our own making. It is a garment of Christ's making. His merits are what we must plead at the Judgment or we will perish like this guest who did have on the wedding garment. You may give mental agreement to it, but how much do you value it? Think about this Judgment. We must see that Christ's righteousness alone demands our salvation unto final glory.
(VS. 14) For many are called, but few are chosen. Christ ends this parable by showing how many are called. This is the general call of the Gospel which addressed to all who hear it. When men and women here the Gospel, they are fully responsible and fully warranted to come to God pleading the righteousness of Christ alone. All who refuse shall perish, and they will have no one to blame but themselves. Again, the reason sinners refuse to believe and repent is because they think too highly of themselves and too little of Christ. But few are chosen. Out of this mass of fallen humanity, who by nature want no part of God's grace, God has sovereignly and graciously chosen a people. He sent Christ to die for them and secure their salvation. He sends His Holy Spirit to give them spiritual life and bring them, by the preaching of the Gospel, to saving faith and repentance of dead works. All who receive this message and flee to Christ do so because God has sovereignly called them and given them life. Now the Gospel, when preached to the unsaved, does not address any one sinner as being elect or non-elect. The Gospel addresses all unsaved people without exception as sinners in need of Christ, sinners in need of His righteousness. The Gospel commands all of these to receive Christ and reject their own way and their own works. The Gospel promises these that all who do SHALL BE SAVED. All who do not SHALL PERISH. It is only after a sinner comes to saving faith and true repentance that the Gospel addresses that sinner as elect of God.