What does Matthew 22:7 mean?

Jesus' current parable (Matthew 22:1–6) started out nicely. A king spared no expense, inviting those He had specially chosen to attend a great banquet for his son. When the time came, the king sent out messengers to let the people know the feast was ready. That's when the story got ugly. Not only did the people refuse to go, but some also simply ignored even the king's second round of messengers. Worse, another group abused and killed them.

Now the king is understandably angry with His subjects. He sends out His army to destroy the people who killed his messengers. He even burns their city. The king will not allow an uprising to form against him.

For those who understood the meaning behind Jesus' parable, He was delivering a warning. Israel's religious leaders were represented in the story by those who murdered the king's servants. Over Israel's history, they had both ignored and killed God's prophets or stood by while others did so (Acts 7:52). The same had happened even to the last prophet, John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1–12).

God would not bear with that rebellion forever. Judgment was coming from God for the refusal of the religious leaders to recognize and honor God's Son. Many commentators believe the destruction of Jerusalem and burning of the temple by the Romans in A.D. 70 to be at least a partial fulfillment of this warning. Prior to Christ's earthly ministry, God had used other nations in judgment against Israel's rebellion (2 Chronicles 36:22; Isaiah 10:5–11; Habakkuk 1:6).

And yet, this is not the end of the parable. The feast is still ready, so the king decides to find other guests to invite since the first guests have refused.