Jesus again in reply spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. 3 He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. 4 A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ 5 Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. 9 Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ 10 The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. 12 He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. 13 Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ 14 Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
The parable begins with a royal wedding. In the Bible, a wedding feast is a picture of life with God: He takes us as His own and wants us to share His joy (Is. 25:6; Hos. 2:16; Rev. 19:7-9). The king keeps sending invitations to show His persistent mercy: first to Israel—the people already joined to Him by covenant (His binding promise)—and, when many refuse, then to everyone (Mt. 22:8-10; Rom. 1:16; Acts 13:46). The table is already set; our place is given, not earned. Matthew 20:1-16 underscores the same generosity at work here: God’s grace is free and sovereign (the equal wage), first offered within Israel and then extended to all; this parable adds that those who accept must also be clothed in the new life that grace provides. Yet the first invitees turn away, preferring their fields and businesses to the King’s Son. Some even attack the servants—God’s messengers—repeating the pattern of rejecting the prophets (cf. Mt. 21:33-39). Matthew adds that the king ‘burned their city’ (v. 7). Many readers see here a warning that refusal has real consequences in history (as with Jerusalem’s fall in A.D. 70), but the deeper point is spiritual: God is patient, yet willfully refusing His grace—choosing to keep turning away—ultimately leads to judgment (Dt. 30:19; Heb. 2:3; Rom. 2:4-6; 2 Pet. 3:9-10; cf. Heb. 10:26)
The invitation then goes out to “whomever you find”—a widening circle that anticipates the mission to the nations (Is. 49:6; Mt. 28:19). “Bad and good alike” fill the hall, reminding us that entry begins with God’s call, not human merit (Rom. 5:6-8; Eph. 2:8-9). Yet the story turns on the man without a wedding garment. Ancient custom expected festive dress at a royal banquet. Scripture uses ‘clothing’ to describe the new life God gives: ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ’ (Rom. 13:14), be ‘clothed with Christ’ (Gal. 3:27), and ‘put on’ compassion, kindness, and love (Col. 3:12-14). The early Church often read the wedding garment as the holiness grace gives—above all, the love (charity) that shows faith is alive (Rev. 19:8). St. John Chrysostom (c. 349-407) notes that the King doesn’t fault the guest for being gathered from the streets, but for refusing the change of life fitting to the feast; and Augustine (354-430) adds that the garment is charity—the love that makes our faith real.
The parable, then, unites two truths that belong together. First, God’s call is magnanimous and universal: the doors stand open, the table groans with abundance, and servants search the highways for any who will come. Second, that call is not morally indifferent: the King’s feast requires the garment of repentance and a life conformed to the Son. Grace welcomes; grace also changes. The silence of the unrobed guest warns against presumption—a faith that wants entrance without conversion (Jas. 2:14-17). The final saying, “Many are invited, but few are chosen,” cautions not that God’s heart is narrow, but that discipleship is more than RSVP; it is remaining, being clothed, and persevering in love (Mt. 24:12-13; Rev. 3:4-5).
For today’s culture, the parable reads with unsettling clarity. We are busy—farms and businesses have modern names: calendars, screens, portfolios. Many treat the Gospel invitation as optional background noise; some react with hostility when the Gospel challenges attachments to money, status, relationships, or other loyalties. At the same time, our age celebrates ‘everyone is welcome,’ yet many of us hesitate when Jesus asks for practical change: turning from sin, forgiving enemies, sexual faithfulness, truthful dealing, and generous love for the poor. Jesus offers both: a radically open invitation and a real expectation. The Church must echo both notes—going to the roads to invite all, and teaching that to “come as you are” is the beginning, not the end, of life in Christ. The garment is not status or perfection; it is the daily decision to be clothed with Christ by faith expressed in love, reconciliation, and concrete works of mercy (Rom. 13:14; Col. 3:12-14; Mt. 25:31-40). The King still sends servants; the feast is still ready.
Almighty God, You have prepared a wedding feast for Your Son and invited us out of Your infinite mercy. Give us ready hearts to come when You call, and clothe us in Christ by a living faith that works through love. Keep us steadfast to the end, that we may rejoice at Your table forever. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Sources and References (short form)
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011), Mt. 22:1-14; cross-references: Is. 25:6; Hos. 2:16; Rev. 19:7-9; Mt. 21:33-39; 22:8-10; Mt. 20:1-16; Rom. 1:16; Acts 13:46; Dt. 30:19; Heb. 2:3; Rom. 2:4-6; 2 Pet. 3:9-10; Rom. 13:14; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:12-14; Mt. 7:21-23; 13:47-50; 24:12-13; 25:31-40; Rev. 3:4-5.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al., eds. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (1953).
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition (2008).
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018).
- Brown, Raymond E., et al., eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990).
- Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Sermons on the Gospel invitations (wedding garment as charity).
- John Chrysostom (c. 349-407), Homilies on Matthew (on the demand for a transformed life).
- Gregory the Great (c. 540-604), Homilies on the Gospels (mixed net of the Church and final judgment).
- McKenzie, John. Dictionary of the Bible (1965), s.v. “Kingdom of God,” “Parable.”
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