Matthew 22:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.

NIV: But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.

NASB: But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,

CSB: When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed for a wedding.

NLT: But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding.

KJV: And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

NKJV: “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.

Jesus' parable of the king and the wedding feast (Matthew 22:1–10) takes some surprising twists and turns at the end. First, the king directs his messengers to invite all the common people they find in the streets to come to the feast. This is because the chosen guests have refused to come. Those who arrive are welcomed as they fill the wedding hall, including both the bad and the good people.

Now, though, the king finds someone who has been invited, and has attended, but is not welcome. He asks the man how he was able to enter the feast without a wedding garment. The man has no answer for this. It's not clear if the wedding garment is meant to be an explicit reference to something, or simply a representation of the man's shallowness. In the parable, all are welcome, good or bad, to come to the king in honor of his son. But going through the motions is not the same as deeply embracing the full meaning of the event (Matthew 7:21–23). This connects to similar messages Christ has offered in recent parables (Matthew 21:28–31).

Some commentators suggest that it was traditional for a king or lord to provide clean wedding garments for his guests. If so, this man has likely refused to wear it and cast it aside. If that is the understanding, it could be that the wedding garment represents being covered by the righteousness of Jesus (Romans 3:21–31). This would make the man representative of those who want the benefits of a relationship with God but refuse to submit to Him or obey His teachings (John 14:15).

Others see the garment as representing a person's willingness to set aside one's former "dirtiness" before entering the king's presence. This seems unlikely, as the man is about to be completely rejected for his choice, which would suggest merit-based salvation: the exact opposite of biblical teaching (Titus 3:5; Romans 11:5–6).

Still another idea, based on Matthew 22:14, suggests the man was not given wedding clothes because he was never chosen to attend the feast. He was called, by some of the servants, but not actually chosen by the master. Whatever is meant by the wedding clothes, the man who does not have them will pay a high price.

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.