Matthew 22:1-14
1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
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.
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
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.
8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
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.
11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
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.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - Parable of the Wedding Feast, Matthew 22:1-14
(Salvation) Interpretation: The man at the wedding feast who had no proper garment is unsaved so he is thrown into hell, which is referred to as outer darkness.
(Discipleship) Interpretation: The man at the wedding feast who had no proper garment is saved but does not deserve special privileges in the kingdom.
This parable challenges our powers of observation and our theological traditions. It also challenges us to properly interpret parables.
When we interpret a parable, we should resist the temptation to make a point of every detail. Usually a parable has one or two main points which the details of the story support. In the case of this parable, what we need to know is simple and clear. There is a king who invites people to his son's wedding, but they refuse to attend. The king then invites others outside of that group and there is a great response. Many attend the wedding, but one man attends without proper dress. He is excluded from the banquet celebration.
For the sake of brevity and to get quickly to the controversial statement at the end of the parable, let's state what is obvious. The parable shows that Pharisees and Jewish leaders are invited to the kingdom first, but they reject the invitation and even murder the king's servants (Matt. 22:1-6). Jesus had just said the kingdom would be taken from the Jewish leaders and given to others (Matt. 21:43), so that thought sets up this parable. The king responds by killing the murderers and burning their city (Matt. 22:7), a probable prophetic reference to Jerusalem's destruction by the Romans in A.D. 70 (see Matt. 24:2).
The invitation then goes to those beyond Israel's corrupt leadership to anyone and everyone ("both bad and good"), and the response is great; the wedding hall is filled with these guests (Matt. 22:8-10). This pictures all who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior during the church age, a time predicted by Christ in Matthew 16:18. These enter the kingdom.
Now the focus turns to one guest among the many. Certainly in the story, he represents a certain kind of believer in the kingdom. The king notices this man and calls him into account for not having dressed properly for the wedding. This reminds us of the Judgment Seat of Christ where believers' works will be scrutinized and their preparation or lack of it is called into account. The man is then bound and cast into "outer darkness."
There are some who interpret the central point of this parable as who does and doesn't get into heaven. From this (Salvation) perspective, they claim the improperly dressed man does not have the imputed righteousness of Christ and is therefore cast into hell. Some would argue that salvation is not simply responding to the gospel invitation; good works must accompany true salvation. But this poses an enormous problem in the parable - How did an unsaved man get into the wedding, that is, the kingdom? And if he is saved, casting him out must mean that he loses his salvation. Both options are unacceptable.
Some other details make that interpretation untenable. First, the man did respond to the invitation, unlike the others who had rejected it. Second, there was also to be a wedding feast (Matt. 22:4) within the wedding, but he was excluded from only that. Third, the king calls him "friend," a term of endearment. From these details, we conclude that this man represents believers who, though saved and in the kingdom, do not participate in the full celebration with the King and His Son, Jesus Christ. Contrary to interpreting the wedding garment as Christ's imputed righteousness, it is better to view it as the garments described in Revelation 19:7-8 - the righteous acts of the saints. Notice that the host does not give out the wedding garments. They are the responsibility of each guest. However, this careless man neglected preparation for this important event. Notice also that this man is speechless with no defense (Matt. 22:12). He knew better; he did not prepare; he was guilty.
This accords perfectly with the expectation at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Though all believers will be in the kingdom, some will have prepared themselves with a life of good works while others will be found unprepared. Using the Judgment Seat imagery of 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, some will appear with apparel of gold, silver, and precious stones, while others will wear shabby garments of wood, hay, and straw. Believers have been warned (Rom. 14:10-12: 2 Cor. 5:10) and will be without excuse if they are not prepared.
What forces many to a (Salvation) interpretation is the imagery of this unprepared guest being bound and "cast" into "outer darkness" where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth." This is usually interpreted as a reference to hell. But we must admit the story is full of symbolism not to be taken literally. Certainly the food, the king's armies, the servants, the highways, the wedding garment, the imagery of a wedding itself, as well as the binding, are figurative expressions of spiritual, not physical, truths.
A (Salvation) conclusion comes from imposing one's theology on the story and reaching beyond the limits of the terms themselves. For example, the verb for "cast" (ekballō) in Matt. 22:13 does not necessarily represent a violent rejection, but can mean simply to send or lead (see Mark 1:12, 4:38). Also, if the interpreter's theology has no category for the judgment of a believer's works at the Judgment Seat of Christ, then hell is the only option. Then the outer darkness becomes hell and the weeping and gnashing of teeth the torment of those in hell. But the torment, fire, and worms of hell are not mentioned in this friend's fate, though he has severe regret.
If we allow for the biblical teaching about the Judgment Seat of Christ, then we know that all believers will be in the kingdom, but not all will enjoy the same privileges. We also know that there will be experiences and expressions of regret (1 John 2:28), because the believer's bad deeds will be judged along with the good (2 Cor. 5:10), and there will be loss of rewards (1 Cor. 3:15). We are not told how long the regret endures, but it is likely very brief.
The imagery of this wedding parable agrees with the (Discipleship truth) of the believer's accountability at the future Judgment Seat of Christ. The binding probably speaks of an inability to participate in the activity of the King, Jesus Christ. The outer darkness speaks of exclusion from the festive banquet at the wedding. Hebrew weddings usually extended into the night, so the central banquet celebration would be well lit. To be in the darkness outside of that light does not exclude the believer from the wedding (the kingdom), but from participation in the central festivities. Outer darkness does not mean outermost darkness. Besides, this experience is probably best understood not in spatial terms, but in terms of spiritual experience as the loss of participation in some benefits of Christ's rule. Matthew uses the phrase "outer darkness" two other times. It can be argued that both instances apply to believers, or at least those who were the legal heirs of the kingdom (called "sons of the kingdom" in Matt. 8:12; cf. Matt. 13:38; and a "servant" of the master in Matt. 25:30). All believers will be in the kingdom, but faithful ones will have central roles such as ruling with Jesus Christ.
Likewise, weeping and gnashing of teeth is traditionally over-interpreted as the torment of hell when it is simply a figure of speech meaning deep regret. Unlike the western world, it is common for people of the Middle East (both then and now) to show great emotion and weeping when grieved. We see this throughout the book of Lamentations. It is true that those in hell experience suffering, but it is usually associated with fire and destruction (e.g., Luke 16:22-24: 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 20:14). The association of regret and intense emotion with weeping and gnashing of teeth does not in itself make this phrase a technical term for eternal torment. The cause of this response is determined by the context where it occurs.
The central lesson of the parable is stated at the end: "For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:14). Of the many people "invited" to the kingdom of God, some will accept the invitation and believe in Christ as Savior, but fewer of those will prove faithful enough to be awarded ruling privileges with Christ in His kingdom. This teaching is similar to Jesus' teaching about rewards in Matthew 20:16 (according to the Majority Text of the NKJV). It is also reflected in 2 Peter 1:1-11 where the readers are told to add various virtues (2 Pet. 1:5-10) to their faith that saved them (2 Pet. 1:1-4) so that they do not just enter the kingdom, but have an abundant entrance (2 Pet. 1:11). Peter refers to "call" before "election" just as Jesus does, tying the idea of choosing ("election") to rewards not salvation (2 Pet. 1:10-11). We should not equate Jesus and Peter's teachings about rewards with Paul's teaching about the order of predestination before calling for salvation (Rom. 8:30).
You have believed in Christ - welcome to the wedding in the future kingdom! But are you clothed in the garments of a righteous life so that you can also sit with Christ in His kingdom banquet? Entering the kingdom is a free gift, but ruling with Christ in His kingdom as a close companion is a privilege earned by faithfulness and righteous deeds. This (Discipleship message) is a wonderful prospect for believers.
Ruckman Reference Bible - Matthew 22:12-14
22:12 The "Friend" is connected with the Devil, for "the son of perdition" is the Devil incarnate (2 Thess. 2:3-8). In the Gospels, "the son of perdition" was Judas Iscariot (John 17:12), who was "a devil" (John 6:70-71). Christ addressed him as "Friend" (Matt. 26:50), and Psalm 41:9 called him a "familiar friend."
22:14 "Few are chosen" because very few are willing to take the wedding garment in the context (Matt. 22:12-13). From the standpoint of New Testament salvation, election is dependent on a sinner accepting God's righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:1-4).