Matthew 22:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

NIV: He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

NASB: and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless.

CSB: So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.

NLT: ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply.

KJV: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

NKJV: So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

In a parable, a king has invited an unlikely collection of people to the wedding feast for his son. They have literally come from the roadways and street corners at the urging of the king's servants. The wedding hall is full of both bad and good people who have all said yes to the king after his first chosen guests said no (Matthew 22:1–11).

Now, though, the king has seen a man who is not wearing a wedding garment. The story does not explain whether the man refused to wear a garment provided by the king's servants or whether he simply came unprepared and in unclean clothes, hoping to be included in the feast anyway.

Though the king first addresses the man as friend, what comes next suggests this is a formality. As a parallel to how God interacts with sinners, this reflects how God demonstrates a level of love even to those who hate Him (Matthew 26:47–50).

The king asks how the man was able to get into the wedding hall without a wedding garment. The man has no answer to this. Either the servants failed to screen the guests carefully, or the man snuck into the hall in some way. In any case, the man will not be allowed to stay. His lack of a proper garment means he's not here to fully participate, or to cooperate—he's simply looking to gain benefit on his own terms (Matthew 7:21–23).

Matthew 22:1–14 contains Jesus' parable of the wedding feast. Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who threw a banquet for his son. The king's chosen guests refuse to come, to the point of violence against his messengers. So, the king fills the wedding hall with common people he finds out and about; some bad, some good. One guest is thrown out into the darkness, though, for trying to attend the feast without wearing a wedding garment. Jesus summarizes the message with the famous phrase, "Many are called, but few are chosen." This parable touches on Israel's rejection of the Messiah and salvation by grace. This touches on very similar themes to those of the parable of the great banquet (Luke 14:12–24), but with critical differences.

Continuing a dialogue with hostile religious leaders, Jesus tells a parable comparing the kingdom of heaven to a wedding feast which ends up being attended by those not initially invited. He answers trick questions about taxes, marriage, resurrection, and the Law of Moses. These responses are the source of common English idioms such as "render to Caesar…" and "many are called but few are chosen." Finally, Jesus asks how the Messiah can be both the son of David and the Lord of David. None can answer Him, so they stop challenging Him in public.

This chapter extends an exchange between Jesus and several groups of religious leaders in the temple. The previous chapter concluded with two parables about the failures of the religious leaders. This chapter begins with a third parable, about chosen guests who refuse to attend a wedding feast. Jesus then fields questions from several religious groups, who fail in their attempts to trip Him up. His wise and profound answers silence all of them. At this point, Jesus launches into a full-throated condemnation of the Pharisees in chapter 23.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.