1 And Jesus answering, spoke again in parables to them, saying: 2 The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king, who made a marriage for his son. 3 And he sent his servants, to call them that were invited to the marriage; and they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying: Tell them that were invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my calves and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come ye to the marriage. 5 But they neglected, and went their own ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise. 6 And the rest laid hands on his servants, and having treated them contumeliously, put them to death.
By “the kingdom of heaven”, Jesus is speaking of the Christian Church. The inauguration of the Church is like a royal wedding. One group of people was invited to the wedding, that is, the Jewish people, but they did not respond to the invitation and mistreated the messengers, the prophets.
But when the king had heard of it, he was angry, and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers, and burnt their city.
God punished the Jews for their rejection of the wedding invitation by sending the Romans to sack Jerusalem in 70AD.
8 Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready; but they that were invited were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways; and as many as you shall find, call to the marriage.
God then rejected those who ignored His invitation and send His servants, the preachers, to the outsiders, the Gentiles, and invited them to take the place of the Jews in the Church.
10 And his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good: and the marriage was filled with guests.
God generously called all the outsiders to the wedding — both bad and good — that His grace might be demonstrated to the shame of the Jews — and the Church was filled with men.
11 And the king went in to see the guests: and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment
God examined the guests and saw that a man was not baptized and clothed with the spirit proper for the inauguration of the Church.
12 And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? But he was silent. 13 Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Gentile allowed to enter the Church who was not properly disposed to the Church, was removed by the Lord despite having been invited. This leaves us with three classes of people:
- the Jews who rejected the invitation (left out)
- the Gentiles who accepted the invitation and came prepared to the Church,
- the Gentiles who accepted the invitation and came unprepared to the Church (thrown out).
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
Many are invited into the Church but few are chosen to remain.
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