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Matthew 22:1-14

1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:

2“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

4“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

5“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.

6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.

7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.

9So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’

10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.

12He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

13“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

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1) According to what Jesus said in verse 2 what is the kingdom of heaven like?

o The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son..

2) Whom does the king represent?

o He represents God.

3) Whom does the king’s son represent?

o He represents Jesus.

4) What is Jesus’ wedding banquet for, given Revelation 19:7-9?

o Jesus’ wedding banquet is the wedding supper of the Lamb that will take place at the end of the age.

· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read out loud Revelation 19:7-9 that says,

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7Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

8Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

9Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

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5) According to what Jesus said in verse 3 what happened when the king sent his servants to tell those to come who had been invited to the banquet?

o They refused to come.

6) According to what Jesus said in verse 4 how did the king keep trying to get those to come who had been invited to the banquet?

o He sent some more servants to tell those who had been invited:

§ The king has prepared his dinner.

§ His oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered.

§ Everything is ready.

§ Come to the wedding banquet.

7) According to what Jesus said in verses 5 and 6 what was the response of those who had been invited?

o They

§ Paid no attention.

§ And went off,

Ø One to his field.

Ø Another to his business.

o The rest

§ Seized the king’s servants.

§ Mistreated them.

§ And killed them.

8) According to what Jesus said in verse 7 how did the king deal with those who mistreated his servants?

o The king was enraged.

o He

§ Sent his army.

§ And destroyed those murderers.

§ And burned their city.

9) According to what Jesus said in verse 8 what was the king’s assessment of those who had been invited?

o The wedding banquet is ready.

o But those I invited did not deserve to come.

10) Whom do those that had been invited but did not deserve to come represent?

o They represent those who reject God’s offer of salvation through faith in Jesus.

11) According to what Jesus said in verse 9 what was the king’s instruction for his servants to invite guests to the banquet?

o He instructed his servants to

§ Go to the street corners.

§ And invite to the banquet anyone they found.

12) According to what Jesus said in verse 10 what was the outcome of the effort of the servants?

o They

§ Went out into the streets.

§ And gathered all the people they could find,

Ø The bad.

Ø As well as the good.

o And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

13) According to verse 11 what did the king notice when he came in to see the guests?

o He noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.

14) According to what Jesus said in verse 12 how did the man respond to the king’s question as to how he got into the wedding hall without wedding clothes?

o He was speechless.

15) What do wedding clothes represent, given Isaiah 61:10?

o Wedding clothes represent

§ Garments of salvation.

§ And robes of righteousness.

· The facilitator asks a specific participant to read out loud Isaiah 61:10 that says,

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10I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

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16) Does the man who was not wearing wedding clothes in the wedding hall have faith in Jesus?

o No.

17) Do those who were wearing wedding clothes in the wedding hall have faith in Jesus?

o Yes.

18) According to what Jesus said in verse 13 what did the king tell the attendants to do to the man who was not wearing wedding clothes?

o Tie him hand and foot.

o And throw him outside, into the darkness.

o Where

o There will be

§ Weeping.

§ And gnashing of teeth.

19) According to what Jesus said in verse 14 what conclusion did he reach for the parable?

o Many are invited.

o But few are chosen.

20) How do we apply the conclusion from the parable to those who are called to follow Jesus?