The Wedding Feast

[AdHoc]

On 12/22/2022 at 8:34 PM, Starise said:

This parable reminds me of the parable of the vinyard in many ways. I also am pulling up memories of the 10 virgins and their lamps.

To get the best picture of this I might need to combine these ideas from these different parables on the kingdom of heaven.

If you notice, when Jesus taught in parables with His disciples present, he would often tell them what the parable meant afterwards to those close to Him. Same with those who were given visions from God. In Revelation and elsewhere the angel assists in an explantion as to what things mean to the recipient.

In this chapter Jesus does not further describe to them details of the meaning. If we go back to Matt chapter 21, we have the parable of the vinyard. I  get the picture  Jesus has a lot of people following him around asking questions. His popularity likely increased after the ride through the city on the Donkey. The most pressing questions were often asked by the religious Jews. As I see it, chapter 21 better augments chapter 22.

In a nutshell, if I look at both parables and who the Lord was speaking to at the time, my take away is those who didn't attend the wedding and were even violently antagonistic to the guests or workers were probably the religious Jews. The Jews were the first to be invited to the wedding, but they rejected the request. Those who were seen as lesser by that group of Jews were gentiles, so the invitation was extended to those men they seen as lower.

The wedding garment is another thing. I don't know what significance it had in weddings of that time. It must have been serious not to have the right attire.We could say that the man with no wedding garment wasn't covered by the garment of salvation. I am not seeing this as lack of actions but more similar to an apostate showing up. A tare. I was at a large wedding one time where these strangers showed up and noone knew who they were. Most assumed it was just bad memory, but it was later found out they snuck into the wedding celebrations. I don't know if they were ever caught or not as they ran off before anyone was onto them.

 

Hi Starise,

I was just pondering a few points you made. After some years one gets fixed and comfortable in one's understanding, so its good to have input to make one see that there could be another approach. You have alluded to one point that almost always comes up. That is, the man who was ejected - was he saved? In Isaiah 61:10 we definitely have a garment of salvation.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

There is, initially, a very good argument that this fellow snuck in. The king observes that he has NO garment. But on closer inspection, a number of factors make this scenario unlikely. I'll just throw them into the pot for consideration, hoping not to sound like a school teacher. Here is the crucial text.

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.

Verse 11 does not say that the man had NO garment. It says that he had NO WEDDING garment. Verse 12 confirms this. The wedding garment then seems to be an additional garment. But perhaps the first inkling of trouble is rather found in verse 10.

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.

That is, the issue of entry did not count WORKS. If it did, the "servants" who furnished the wedding feast would not have collected BOTH good and bad. Thus, the selection was not based on works. How then are we to fathom the criteria for entry. I believe we have the answer in verse 2. 

 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

In Matthew 6:10 the Lord Jesus prayed that His Father's Kingdom would come (to earth). The remainder of the verse tells what that would entail. If and when God's Kingdom came, we would have the rules of heaven applied on earth. So the KIngdom of God tells whose Kingdom it is, but this SAME Kingdom is when God's heavenly rules are enforced. That is, the Kingdom of heaven is the same as the kingdom of God, only, one tells whose it is and the other tells what rules will apply. So when the parable says; "The Kingdom of Heaven is LIKE ... ", it applies equally to, "The Kingdom of God". And to get into the Kingdom of God according to John 3:3-5 a man must be born again and baptized. There is no other way to enter the Kingdom of God/Heaven. Thus, the guest, irrespective of what he was wearing, must have been born again and baptized. That is FAITH played the major role in getting him in.

The next ominous point is from verse 14. The parable focuses on one man, but the closing verse puts him in a large company. "MANY" are called like him. "FEW" pass the king's choice. The parable ends with the indication that of say 300 guests, 280 are ejected. To expand this thought I revert to verse 12 again. The accused was "speechless"! I advance three possible reasons why the man was "speechless".

1. He was utterly surprised. He did no know that he was "bad" - very unlikely because the Holy Spirit convicts of sin and judgment
2. He was in no way able to defend himself - he came in knowing this was likely to happen
3. He really had nothing to say - unlikely because serious trouble awaited him

Now, remember, this event is not entering heaven. It is being part of a Kingdom ON EARTH in which you are either in favor with the judge, or, its jail-time. The consequences are dire. He is to be bound. Besides the restriction of being bound comes the ignominy. You are gravely degraded in front of all. Binding means that you are banned from the company of the Holy Spirit because scripture says that where the Spirit is is "liberty". It also means that the bound man will not be in the company of Jesus, for He is the new King of kings and will shine forth as the sun. "OUTER" means "away from" and "darkness" means absence of light. This is not hell (or more correctly Gehenna) for there in Gehenna, "their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched" - something totally different. In one the chastisement is on the outside (bound and darkness) and the other the agony is internal.

With all this information, we could, if it is correct, summarize like this. Israel were initially invited to the Wedding Feast and refuse. Their portion then is the loss of the Kingdom (Matt.21:43). The servants are Christ's men and women who are evangelists. They compel men and women to be born again and baptized. Because they are to be a Bride for Christ, they should undergo a sanctification process which will make them a people of "good" works - a Wedding Garment (remember, this garment is the same one s Revelation 19:7-8 - "the righteousness of the saints"). But the majority of Christians have little interest in transformation. It is too costly. They arrive at the judgment seat of the great King and are banned from (i) the Wedding Feast, (ii) the Kingdom, (iii) Christ's presence, (iv) their fellow Christians (v) and are an open show in disgrace before the Gentiles who populate the earth during the Millennium. They do not go to hell (Gehenna) but suffer as if they were there. They are resurrected, in their glorified bodies (for this is a work achieved by Christ) and on earth. But they are in disgrace, accused, banned fro anything that gives "joy".

Weeping is caused by pain. Gnashing of teeth is because of regret.

 

[AdHoc]

1 hour ago, Alive said:

If I may--a couple years ago or so a member 'OldCoot', who has passed on discussed the Wedding and the types within the old Jewish wedding. I was so impressed that I saved it and integrated into my bible software.

If its too much, it can be deleted.

Thanks for sharing that. For sure there are points to contend about, but there is a lot that one can profit from. I've also just posted my reasoning, so I'm initially keeping my capacity for objections to it. But, the Lord willing, I will address some of your points later.

Go well.

[Alive]

15 minutes ago, AdHoc said:

Thanks for sharing that. For sure there are points to contend about, but there is a lot that one can profit from. I've also just posted my reasoning, so I'm initially keeping my capacity for objections to it. But, the Lord willing, I will address some of your points later.

Go well.

To be clear, I am not indicating I agree with all in that, but I was impressed.

[AdHoc]

Just now, Alive said:

To be clear, I am not indicating I agree with all in that, but I was impressed.

Yes. I understood that. Sorry for not making that clear. Any objection I have/had would address the text and not you.

[Alive]

20 minutes ago, AdHoc said:

Yes. I understood that. Sorry for not making that clear. Any objection I have/had would address the text and not you.

No worries. Just communicating is all.

[George]

13 hours ago, AdHoc said:

67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; (Ge 24:67)

We should talk about this aspect of the marriage because within the passage is the picture of the bride of Christ.

If you look at the symbolic pictures of Abraham (God the Father), Eliazar (the Servant or Helper aka a type of the Holy Spirit), Issac (God the Son) and Rebekah (the Bride of Christ) it unveils a whole new aspect of the wedding!

First, Abraham tells Eliazar to go to Mesopotamia (aka Babylon) to get a bride.  Hence, the Bride of Christ is called to come out of Babylon and its system.  And only take a bride that willing to leave Babylon!

The bride draw from the well ... hence, we are called to draw from the wells of Yeshua (Isaiah 12) ... out of our bellies shall flow rivers of living water (John 6).  The bride was a virgin ... prepared for marriage in the midst of Babylon! 

Rebekah shoulders the water ... hence, a picture of the government shall be upon His shoulders, and the Bride of Christ will assist co-reigning with Christ as Kings and Priests of the Most High God.

There's such deepness to this ... but the Bride must come out of Babylon!   There's more to the study, but that's just off the top of my head.  I should do a series of devotions on this! 

 

 

[George]

I was also pondering the 10 virgins and the door being shut ... on my 12 hour drive today ...

In Joel 2 it says this ...

Joe 2:16  Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, gather the elders, gather the children and those who suck the breasts. Let the bridegroom go forth out of his chamber, and the bride out of her room. 

The chamber is the word one would use in Hebrew as the room set apart for consummating the marriage it's the inner room or the hidden room.  The room is really a bad translation ... it's the word Chuppah and it really should be thought of as a canopy of sorts.

So what if the 10 virgins are a picture of the entire body of Christ that is saved ... the door shut is the "bride" that was ready to be consummated ... the others missed out because they weren't ready.  

In the Song of Solomon, if you understand that it's a picture of God whooing His bride ... and the Bride many times is not ready ... 

Son 5:2  I sleep, but my heart is awake. It is the sound of my Beloved that knocks, saying, Open to Me, My sister, My love, My dove, My undefiled; for My head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.  [imagine this as the Lord trying to get His bride to come out and enjoy the rain]

She then says ... I don't have a coat ... I just washed my feet, I don't want to get them dirty ...

Son 5:3  I have put off My coat; How shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? 

The Lord is at the door ... and the Bride was moved ... 

Son 5:4  My Beloved put in His hand by the hole of the door, and my heart was moved for Him. 

But by the time she arose with the anointing oil ... with her finally ready to see him ...

Son 5:5  I rose up to open to my Beloved; and my hands dripped with myrrh, and my fingers flowing with myrrh on the handles of the bolt. 

He's already LEFT!  He's gone!

Son 5:6  I opened to my Beloved, but my Beloved had left. He passed on. My soul went out when He spoke; I sought Him, but I could not find Him. I called Him, but He did not answer me. 

So this is in the context of the passage in Luke ...

Luk 12:36  And you yourselves be like men who wait for their lord, whenever he shall return from the wedding, so that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. 

Luk 12:37  Blessed are those servants whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Truly I say to you that he shall gird himself and make them recline; and coming up he will serve them. 

Luk 12:38  And if he comes in the second watch, or comes in the third watch, and find it so, blessed are those servants.

I think these passages in Song of Solomon, Luke, and the 10 virgins are interconnected in a way.  

[Starise]

17 hours ago, AdHoc said:

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.

Verse 11 does not say that the man had NO garment. It says that he had NO WEDDING garment. Verse 12 confirms this. The wedding garment then seems to be an additional garment. But perhaps the first inkling of trouble is rather found in verse 10.

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.

That is, the issue of entry did not count WORKS. If it did, the "servants" who furnished the wedding feast would not have collected BOTH good and bad. Thus, the selection was not based on works. How then are we to fathom the criteria for entry. I believe we have the answer in verse 2. 

@AdHoc thanks for your reply.

 I just wanted to clarify that I typically pick apart scriptures and am not attacking anyone's views, but doing my best to see a meaning as I am sure you also are. 

The implications of this parable to me at least, maybe as a part of my western thinking, are in the way it takes a common thing, such as a Jewish marriage and escalates it to severe implications. It "runs off the rails" from reality if comparing it to most real marriage feasts or weddings. Typically most imposters or those who are not following protocol at a wedding are simply led away. If they were not invited, then the results are more severe. There could be legal implications for someone who shows up uninvited. 

"If" the person was invited, but showed up with the wrong garb, after the initial shock and realization loving family would help the man find a garment so he could enter. This is why I fall more along the idea the man is an imposter, due to the extreme measures taken.

Most will associate "weeping and knashing of teeth" to other texts which  are clear references to eternal punishment elsewhere almost word for word.

Matthew being a book directed at the Jews, might be seeing good .vs bad as Jew and Gentile if Jesus audience was the Jews. This falls in line with other similar parables. Jews first who rejected>God calls anyone who will enter to come. These would have been seen as the dregs of society to practicing religious Jews. Since noone is really 'good'. Weddings usually only invite known friends and relatives. The wedding garment seems to have been the way they were identified to the master of ceremonies.

17 hours ago, AdHoc said:

2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

In Matthew 6:10 the Lord Jesus prayed that His Father's Kingdom would come (to earth). The remainder of the verse tells what that would entail. If and when God's Kingdom came, we would have the rules of heaven applied on earth. So the KIngdom of God tells whose Kingdom it is, but this SAME Kingdom is when God's heavenly rules are enforced. That is, the Kingdom of heaven is the same as the kingdom of God, only, one tells whose it is and the other tells what rules will apply. So when the parable says; "The Kingdom of Heaven is LIKE ... ", it applies equally to, "The Kingdom of God". And to get into the Kingdom of God according to John 3:3-5 a man must be born again and baptized. There is no other way to enter the Kingdom of God/Heaven. Thus, the guest, irrespective of what he was wearing, must have been born again and baptized. That is FAITH played the major role in getting him in.

King makes a marriage for His son> The Father>Plans for the Son Jesus>Marriage denoting the union of saved to the kingdom.

This seens to come down to the view that if the man wasn't saved he would not be there. I think this raises issues about where the kingdom is or where these people are when this happens. Where is the wedding? Do our actions here determine our destiny or our actions there? I believe they needed a wedding garment to ENTER, so I'm seeing this as the ticket line and we have a ticket taker who when he gets to this person, tells him he can't enter. 

This would be the person who at judgement says, " Lord Lord, haven't I cast out demons in your name, given to the poor ?". And the Lord send him away saying I never know you..... incidentally, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

[Alive]

10 hours ago, George said:

I was also pondering the 10 virgins and the door being shut ... on my 12 hour drive today ...

In Joel 2 it says this ...

Joe 2:16  Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, gather the elders, gather the children and those who suck the breasts. Let the bridegroom go forth out of his chamber, and the bride out of her room. 

The chamber is the word one would use in Hebrew as the room set apart for consummating the marriage it's the inner room or the hidden room.  The room is really a bad translation ... it's the word Chuppah and it really should be thought of as a canopy of sorts.

So what if the 10 virgins are a picture of the entire body of Christ that is saved ... the door shut is the "bride" that was ready to be consummated ... the others missed out because they weren't ready.  

In the Song of Solomon, if you understand that it's a picture of God whooing His bride ... and the Bride many times is not ready ... 

Son 5:2  I sleep, but my heart is awake. It is the sound of my Beloved that knocks, saying, Open to Me, My sister, My love, My dove, My undefiled; for My head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.  [imagine this as the Lord trying to get His bride to come out and enjoy the rain]

She then says ... I don't have a coat ... I just washed my feet, I don't want to get them dirty ...

Son 5:3  I have put off My coat; How shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? 

The Lord is at the door ... and the Bride was moved ... 

Son 5:4  My Beloved put in His hand by the hole of the door, and my heart was moved for Him. 

But by the time she arose with the anointing oil ... with her finally ready to see him ...

Son 5:5  I rose up to open to my Beloved; and my hands dripped with myrrh, and my fingers flowing with myrrh on the handles of the bolt. 

He's already LEFT!  He's gone!

Son 5:6  I opened to my Beloved, but my Beloved had left. He passed on. My soul went out when He spoke; I sought Him, but I could not find Him. I called Him, but He did not answer me. 

So this is in the context of the passage in Luke ...

Luk 12:36  And you yourselves be like men who wait for their lord, whenever he shall return from the wedding, so that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. 

Luk 12:37  Blessed are those servants whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Truly I say to you that he shall gird himself and make them recline; and coming up he will serve them. 

Luk 12:38  And if he comes in the second watch, or comes in the third watch, and find it so, blessed are those servants.

I think these passages in Song of Solomon, Luke, and the 10 virgins are interconnected in a way.  

I would like to briefly respond to some of this thinking and these verses as they are made to suggest that some 'Christians' will lose out, somehow.

I suggest that these verses are to be taken in the context of Jesus speaking to the Jews of the day. To the natural seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--rather than His Body as a Whole.

In the same way that Jesus was speaking to the Jewish people when He said:

Luke 13:34 (ESVS) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

I do agree that those verses mentioned are connected.

For myself, what I am suggesting is informed primarily on what the Lord has taught me (my broken record time), regarding the vital importance of fully embracing the Cross, Resurrection and Ascension and what those real events mean for those who are 'In Christ of the Father'.

 And why I consistently harp on, the fact that understanding just what the Lord accomplished--will absolutely prevent doctrinal error and more.

It is laid out in 'Salvation is Relocation'.

The only difference between 'sons of the Living God' who have all sin forgiven and gifted with His Righteousness--is the 'works' prepared for each-- and some that build with wood hay and stubble or better materials--and even in this, much has to do with where, when and who were the teachers for each 'son' over the centuries.

[George]

@Alive The question being pondered is the 10 virgins ... 5 of them did miss out ... the question then has to be asked, what did they miss out on?  Are the 5 foolish virgins those who have a head knowledge of the Lord and not a heart knowledge of the Lord?  Or are they those who believe and have missed an event?  If so, what event?  These are the deeper things I'm pondering.  So much of the body doesn't comprehend that we are to prepare in every way for His coming.  Quite frankly, the more I study and ponder this the more questions I have.  I'm still working this out in my mind as to how all of this fits together.  😀