1 Jesus answered and spoke again in parables to them, saying, 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast!”’ 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise, 6 and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. 9 Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.’ 10 Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ 14 For many are called, but few chosen.”

Matthew 22:1-14 - World English Bible

In this passage, Jesus told the parable of the Wedding Feast for the King's Son. In ancient culture, if the son of a king wed, tradition dictated a feast for the general populace given by the king. Like pagan feasts sponsored by the wealthy in a city, the wedding of a heir to the throne involved sacrifices to the deity (or deities) of the city-state and a communion feast with said god(s) as a blessing on the royal couple and the kingdom. If tradition demanded a feast, so it also required attendance by all. If the notice went out that all was ready, people made plans to attend.

In the honor-shame society of the ancient world, non-attendance was an insult to the ruler. Hazing, mugging and killing his messengers were acts of rebellion; honor (and the good of order in the realm) demanded retribution.

In the parable, with the revolt suppressed, the king sent his messengers outside the city to invite any traveler as a guest. The request went to any and all the messengers could find. This revealed the magnanimous character of the king.

Once the feast began, hospitality extended to dress; the king would provide appropriate clothing for the guests to wear. Again, the person who did not wear the clothes provided clearly insulted the honor of the host and would be ejected not only outside the hall, but outside the area controlled by the king.

As an allegory for the Kingdom, the King, the Father, prepared a wedding feast for his Son, where the feast represented the heavenly banquet. The many among the people of God, Israel, rejected the invitation, even killing his messengers, the prophets and the Baptist (later, Christian missionaries). In response, YHWH would condemn those responsible at the Final Judgment. The invitation became universal; the in-gathering of the end times included Jew and Gentile alike. All who joined would wear the white garment of baptism (the clothes of the Kingdom). If one, however, did not “put on the white tunic” (i.e., backslid), he would find himself ejected outside the realm of the Father, into the pit of suffering and darkness.

In the Kingdom, God calls many to join, but few trust to fully accept the invitation.

Christian life is a continual call by God. Have you said “yes” today to his invitation?