The Parable of the Wedding Feast
Matthew 22: 1-10 ESV
22 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants[a] to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
I have been thinking about God The Father a lot this Advent season. Christmas draws you in to think about Jesus as a sweet baby, the manger, angels and shepherds. The lights and trees, the music and food. The coziness. All of it celebrating the joyous birth of our Savior. The one thing I guess I have never really thought of is God the Father’s feelings. We know He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. He sent angels to speak with Mary and Zechariah and to announce the great news to the shepherds. Miracles were abounding. But, I have never thought about the preparation He was doing for His Son.
As a mother, I hate it when my children are rejected. If I could take that pain from them, I would. I would swallow it whole. My heart aches for them until they feel better. When I think of God sending His holy, perfect Son into this world, knowing the difficult life He would have to live and the even more horrifying death He would have to endure and still He chose to send Him, my mind is blown. The Father preparing everything for His Son’s birth, knowing He would also have to prepare everything for His Son’s life and death.
Jesus tells the parable of The Wedding Banquet to express His Father’s heart. Jesus is the bridegroom and His Father is the King, lovingly setting up a feast to celebrate His Son’s wedding. Every single person who believes in Jesus as their Savior is the bride. The King has created a lavish feast, the fattened calves, the servants sent out to personally invite everyone. Everything was ready. The King had done His part. He wanted everyone to celebrate His Son. When people did not respond He sent His servants again. Then the excuses started coming in, they ignored Him and went off to their daily lives. So the King pivots and says invite anyone you can find. The desperation of a perfect Father wanting to spare His Son from empty seats and tables, from rejection. The perfect Parent wanting to rejoice with and over His Son. This is the reality that God faced when sending Jesus to be born here. He knew His perfect Son, the Son He was so excited for us to know would be rejected. God had done all of the work, Jesus would do all of the suffering, miracles and teaching and there would still be so many who would not be bothered to even show up. God also knew that Jesus would be the most misunderstood and loneliest person to have ever been born.
Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected[a] by men,
a man of sorrows[b] and acquainted with[c] grief;[d]
and as one from whom men hide their faces[e]
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
John 15:25b “They hated me without cause”
His life began in a manger. Born to a woman who didn’t fully understand who He was. Born into a family who would reject Him before they believed in Him (Mark 3:21). Though His birth was prophesied for hundreds of years, as John Piper points out in his Advent book, when the wise men came to seek him all of Jerusalem was in an uproar but the scribes and pharisees did not even bother to go and look for Him. This Jesus, Son of God and God Himself, born to live in a body that would now experience pain, and suffering beyond any human experience before or after. Jesus who had not one person fully understand Him or what He was to do until after His death, Jesus who left perfect Heaven and came to this corrupted earth. Jesus who was worshiped and glorified constantly, night and day, living in a world that questioned who He even was. He was hungry and tired and slept on the ground. He was mocked and doubted by the very people who should have recognized Him. His family turned against Him, His friends all left Him, denied Him and betrayed Him and He still took on all of the sins of the world. The sins of the doubters, the haters, the mockers, the indifferent and the ones who not only wouldn’t show up to His wedding feast but would lie to get out of it. The King of heaven, the Lord of lords rejected every single day of His life. And God the Father watching it happen. Feeling the rejection that as a Father ached His heart but still He invited us all. Come to the banquet, I’ve prepared everything. It’s perfect, come celebrate my only Son. Take part in this joyous occasion with me. All powerful, all knowing, infinite, eternal God, desperate for us to know His Son, to celebrate with Him. He has sent out His servants, the prophets, pastors and teachers to issue the most holy of invitations. Come honor my Son, come and partake in my joy. This banquet has cost both of us everything, this banquet is for you.
Oh that we would fill the seats and sit expectantly at the table, ready for the party to begin. We are the servants and the bride who need to go out to the highways and street corners, the work places and prisons, the social media spaces and our own families and say “Come! The King has invited you! You are welcomed with Jesus’ whole heart and life. Come!”
©Bobbi Adams 2025
An Imperfect Christian 