Matthew
22:1-14
- Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary & sermons.
- Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- The Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto.
- At (Rutgers University Dept of Religion) Mahlon H. Smith's Into His Own: Perspective on the
World of Jesus companion to the historical study of Christian texts:
- From the Babylonian Talmud: Beggar At A Banquet (Berakoth 31b), Banquet Attire (Shabbath 513a), and Clean Clothes (Shabbath 152b).
- Primary comparative texts about Food & Fellowship (including "preparing for the real banquet").
- Chapter IV of the Epistle of Barnabas. (ca. 130)
- XXX.10, 12, 16-18, 20-21, 24, 26-30; Tatian's Diatessaron (c. 150-160).
- IV.XXXVI.5, IV.XXXVI.6, IV.XXXIX.3, V.XXXVI.2, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
- 1.10, Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- Chapter XXVII, Chapter XXXV, On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Tertullian (c. 211)
- Concerning Flight in Persecution (paragraph 14) Tertullian (c. 212)
- Chapter IX, On Modesty, Tertullian (c. 217)
- II.V.2, First Principles (De Principiis), Origen. (c.225)
- I.34, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Origen. (c.228)
- XII.12, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Origen. (c.247)
- V.1, Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius of Caesarea, (c. 320).
- Latin text of Augustine's Sermon 90 (Mt 22:1-14).
- Homily LXIX - Matthew 22:1-14, Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew, St. Chrysostom (c. 380)
- From the Catena Aurea, Patristic Commentary by St Thomas Aquinas.
- "Parable of the Marriage Feast," Matthew 22:1-14, Martin Luther, c. 1523.
- From the
Geneva Notes.
- "Not all of the whole company of those that are called by the voice of the gospel are the true Church before God: for the most part of them would rather follow the conveniences of this life: and some persecute very cruelly those that call them: but they are the true Church who obey when they are called, such as for the most part are those whom the world despises."
- From
Matthew
Henry's Commentary.
- "Our merciful God has not only provided food, but a royal feast, for the perishing souls of his rebellious creatures..." "...Our merciful God has not only provided food, but a royal feast, for the perishing souls of his rebellious creatures."
- From
Wesley's
Notes.
- "A king, who made a marriage feast for his son - So did God, when he brought his first-begotten into the world."
-
On the Wedding Garment
(Matt 22:12). Sermon by John Wesley.
- "It is true, indeed, that none ought to approach the Lord's table without habitual, at least, if not actual, preparation; that is, a firm purpose to keep all the commandments of God, and a sincere desire to receive all his promises. But that obligation cannot be inferred from this text, though it may from many other passages of Scripture."
- "Making
Light of Christ; Matthew 22:5," Charles H. Spurgeon, 1856.
- "...it is making light of the gospel and of the whole of God's glorious things, when men go to hear and yet do not attend. How many frequent churches and chapels to indulge in a comfortable nap!"
- From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
- "...which had not on a wedding garment--The language here is drawn from the following remarkable passage in Zep 1:7, 8."
- "The
Wedding Garment; Matthew 22:11-14," Charles H. Spurgeon, 1871.
- "Those who are permitted to see large additions to the church will find this parable of the wedding garment to be singularly appropriate and timely."
- From
The People's
New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
- "It was the custom among the ancients for the guests to be twice invited; or rather first invited, that they might prepare themselves, and then summoned a short time before the banquet, that they might be there at the proper time."
- Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
- Commentary,
Matthew 22:1-14, Sharon H. Ringe, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org,
2011.
- "I am drawn to understand this double parable through the lens of James 2, and the tension between his affirmation that one's faith can be seen in one's "works" (by which he means deeds, especially deeds of justice and compassion), and Paul's more famous affirmation (in Galatians and Romans) that our standing before God depends only on our acceptance of God's grace."
- "I am drawn to understand this double parable through the lens of James 2, and the tension between his affirmation that one's faith can be seen in one's "works" (by which he means deeds, especially deeds of justice and compassion), and Paul's more famous affirmation (in Galatians and Romans) that our standing before God depends only on our acceptance of God's grace."
- "A Biblical Case of Class Warfare," Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder, ON Scripture, 2011.
- "Political pundits and powerbrokers insist on arguing over terminology—whether it is “class warfare” or “socialism.” On the contrary, people at the bottom of the social ladder cannot afford to banter over such nomenclature."
- Parable of the Wedding Banquet, audio telling, story in episodes, graphic, audio and written commentaries. Go Tell Communications, Biblical Storytelling for the Global Village, 2011.
- Holy
Textures, Understanding the Bible in its own time and in ours, Matthew 22:1-14, David Ewart, 2011.
- "How is this a parable teaching about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like? What sort of behaviours and attitudes does it call for now? At a minimum it means: expect to have to hang out with non-elites - good and bad all together; take seriously the honour of the invitation and do it right."
- "An Epic Party,"Fr. Rick Morley, a garden path, 2011.
- "Murder and Mayhem," Debbie Blue, The Hardest Question, 2011.
- "Why does the image of God as a sadistic brutal violent tyrant persist even in the face of Jesus? Does it say something about us?"
- Comentario del Evangelio por Dyanna Castillo Portugal, San Mateo 22:1-14, Working Preacher, 2011.
- Commentary, Matthew 22:1-14, Ira Brent Driggers, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2008.
- Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
-
"Excuses to Avoid a Wedding," Gospel Analysis, Sermons from
Seattle,
Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle,
Washington. Detailed background and exegesis.
- "People always have excuses why they don?t have time for God and the ways of God."
-
"A Parable for Today, If Not Tomorrow - The Parable of the King's Banquet,"
Daniel Berrigan, National Catholic Reporter, 2001.
- "The parables of Christ, even the innocent, pastoral, tender, innocuous-seeming ones, conceal just below the surface a whiplash, a shock, a charge of dynamite. The stories set conventional expectations, whether concerning God, religion, politics, vocation, status and class, utterly off kilter."
- Exegetical
Notes by Brian P. Stoffregen at CrossMarks.
- "This text confronts us with the paradox of God's free invitation to the banquet with no strings attached and God's requirement of "putting on" something appropriate to that calling. As with all paradoxes, both are true, and concentrating only on one extreme is unhealthy. The trick is learning to manage the two extremes -- knowing when to appropriate apply each one."
- "First Thoughts on Year A Gospel Passages in the Lectionary: Pentecost 17," William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
- "The challenge of the story lies both in the warning about refusals and in the richness of the image of salvation as a feast...Beyond the strategy to save the party at the story level is the much richer notion of God's generosity, not as an afterthought, but as God's enthusiastic being and delight in all people and pain at their refusal to share the life freely offered."
-
Progress and
Poverty, William Loader.
- "A reflection on poverty and the 'march of progress', connected to the vision and reality of the feast."
- Dylan's Lectionary Blog, Proper 23. Biblical Scholar Sarah Dylan Breuer looks at readings for the coming Sunday in the lectionary of the Episcopal Church.
- Matthew in the Margins, by Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in Western Australia.
- "Matthew 22:1-14, Pentecost 21," Perspectives on the Parables -- Glimpses on the Kingdom of God, Robert H. Albers, Word & World: Theology for Christian Ministry, Luther Northwestern Theological School, 1984.
-
"An
Invitation," Judith Johnson-Siebold, The Christian Century,
2005.
- "When we are Christian in name only, or when we adopt a stance we call Christian that overlooks justice and hospitality toward others, we are depriving the world of Christ?s influence through us."
-
"Dress Code," Gracia Grindal, The Christian Century, 2002.
- "We are naked, both literally and metaphorically, before the living God. We need to be dressed, not with the sartorial choices of our own will, but with the grace of God."
-
"For
Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen,"
Jerry Goebel, One
Family Outreach. "Focus on scripture from a justice perspective." Exegesis, study, and teen study
and activities.
- "One might think that we are to be like the grateful guests sitting at the feast of splendor. Yet, the overlooked role is that of the servants who go out to the streets to extend the King?s invitation. That is the role that Christ calls his disciples to fulfill."
- Wellspring of the Gospel, Ordinary 28A, Catherine McElhinney and Kathryn Turner, Weekly Wellsprings.
-
"Equal Dignity
for All,"
Larry Broding's
Word-Sunday.Com: A
Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's
Story, Family Activity, Support Materials.
- "Have you ever helped someone get ahead in life? How has the experience improve that person's dignity?"
-
"Party
Time," Susan Pendleton Jones. Commentary from The Christian
Century, September, 1999. At Religion Online.
- "We are called to repent in preparation or the party, not because we have to but because we know we are entering into the presence of a gracious, forgiving God."
-
"The
'Outer Darkness': Heaven's Suburb or Hell?" by Hampton Keathley IV at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
- "...this parable is correctly identified as a salvation parable—about getting into the kingdom—not about the works one does as a Christian. This parable cannot be used to teach perseverance of the saints or loss of salvation."
- Commentary,
Matthew 22:1-14, Sharon H. Ringe, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org,
2011.
- Articles & Background:
- "Parable of the Wedding Feast," wikipedia.
-
"The Contexts of Jesus' Parables," David B. Gowler, (other resources
at)
"Parables," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2006.
- "Jesus? parables were created and preserved in conversation with both Jewish and Greco-Roman cultural environments. As we become aware of these diverse webs of meaning, we can respond more fully to the message of our Lord who spoke these parables with one ear already listening for our responses."
-
"Matthew's Nonviolent Jesus and Violent Parables," Barbara E. Reid,
O.P., (other resources at)
"Parables," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2006.
- "Jesus' Sermon on the Mount instructs us to not return violence for violence; instead we should be like God, who offers boundless, gratuitous love to all. But in the same Gospel Jesus tells eight parables in which God deals violently with evildoers. Which of the divine ways are we to imitate?"
-
"The Kingdom of Heaven Suffers Violence: Discerning the Suffering Servant in
the Parable of the Wedding Banquet," W. Martin Aiken, 2003. At Paul
Nuechterlein's Girardian Reflections on the Lectionary. (.doc file)
- "The servant figure in the parable with whom Jesus identifies is the man without the wedding garment who suffers expulsion, and worse, at the hand of the king."
-
"Invitation
to a Simple Feast," Diane M. Komp. Theology Today, 1993.
- "The banquet I long for most has nothing to do with cholesterolburdened beef and fries. For the past twenty-flve years, I have had the privilege of working with children with cancer and of sharing in their lives. When you witness many soul-fortifying lives, your standards for a feast become more regal. May I invite you to a simple gospel feast?"
-
"Jesus,
Apocalyptic, and World Transformation," David B. Batstone. Theology
Today, 1993.
- "It is often overlooked how ideologically explosive the notion of the kingdom of God was within Jesus' own social milieu. In first-century Palestine, it did not have the same metaphorical and strictly religious connotation that makes the term so safe within our own theological world. In fact, it evoked the memory and visionary impulse of Yahweh who acts to deliver Yahweh's 'chosen ones' from occupation and oppression at the hands of alien nations. Intrinsic to that symbolic universe is the conviction that the chosen suffer and the unjust prosper in the present day only because history stands at the brink of a great reversal."
- Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices. Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
- Albers, Robert H., "Perspectives on
the Parables - Glimpses of the Kingdom of God," Word & World,
1984. (Section on this text begins on page 450.)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Batstone, David B., "Jesus,
Apocalyptic, and World Transformation," Theology Today, 1993.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Bauckham, Richard, "The Parable of the Royal Wedding
Feast (Matthew 22:1-14) and the Parable of the Lame Man and the Blind
Man (Apocryphon of Ezekial)," Journal of Biblical Literature,
1996.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Bridges, Linda McKinnish, "Preaching
the Parables in Matthew's Gospel in Ordinary Time: The Extraordinary
Tales of God's World," Review & Expositor, 2007. (Section on this
text begins on p.352, but is best read in context of entire article.)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Carter, Warren,
"Resisting and Imitating the Empire: Imperial Paradigms in Two Matthean
Parables," Interpretation, 2002. (See also,
"Parables," issue focus of Interpretation 56.3 (2002).)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Grindal, Gracia, "Dress Code," The
Christian Century, 2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - "Homiletical Helps on LSB Series A," Concordia Journal, 2005. (Section on this text begins on page 244)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerial - Johnson-Siebold, Judith, "An
Invitation," The Christian Century, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Jones, Susan Pendleton, "Party Time,"
The Christian Century, 1999.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Lester, Carter, "Matthew 22:1-14,"
Interpretation, 2008.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Komp, Diane M., "Invitation to a
Simple Feast," Theology Today, 1993.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Krentz, Edgar, "Risky Business,"
The Christian Century, 1996.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Musurillo, Herbert, "'Many Are
Called, But Few Are Chosen': Matthew 22:14," Theological Studies,
1946.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Olson, Daniel C.,
"Mathew 22:1-14 as Midrash,"
The Catholic Biblical Quarterly,
2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Palmer, Humphrey, "Just Married,
Cannot Come," Novum Testamentum, 1976.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Reid, Barbara E., O.P., "Violent Endings in Matthew's Parables and Christian Nonviolence,"
The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2004.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Sim, David C., "Matthew 22:13a and 1 Enoch 10:4a: A
Case of Literary Dependence?" Journal for the Study of the New
Testament, 1992.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Story, J Lyle, "All Is Now Ready," American Theological Inquiry, 2009.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Via, Dan Otto, Jr., "Relationship of Form to Content
in the Parables: The Wedding Feast," Interpretation, 1971.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wainwright, Elaine Mary, "God Wills To Invite All to
the Banquet, Matthew 22:1-10," International Review of Mission,
1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Albers, Robert H., "Perspectives on
the Parables - Glimpses of the Kingdom of God," Word & World,
1984. (Section on this text begins on page 450.)
- Reviews:
- Welsey G. Olmstead, Matthew's Trilogy of Parables: The Nation, the Nations and the Reader in Matthew 21:28-22:14. Cambridge University Press, 2004. Review by Garwood Anderson in SBL's Review of Biblical Literature.
- Wilson, Alistair I., When Will These Things Happen?: A Study of Jesus as Judge in Matthew 21-25. PaterNoster Press, 2005. Review by Samuel Subramanian, Review of Biblical Literature, 2006.
- Sermons:
- Supper's Ready! -- sermon for Proper 23 | OT 28 based on Matthew 22:1-14 by George L. Murphy from SermonStudio.
- "Ready for the Feast?" 21 Pentecost - 9 October 2005, Samuel Zumwalt, Göttinger Predigten im Internet: Every Sunday Sermons based on the RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors.
- "Excuses to Avoid a Wedding," Sermons from Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington.
- "Wanted: Entrepreneurs," the Rev. Dr. Samuel Massey, Day 1, 2002.
- "Anatomy of a Spiritual Disaster - Insulting God," John Jewell, 1999.
- "Sorry, I'm Busy," the Rev. Dr. Elton Richards, Day 1, 1996.
- Father Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist," Commentary and Homily:
- With Children:
- Worshiping with Children, Proper 23, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2011.
- "Children's Literature: A Resource for Ministry," October 9, 2011, Union Presbyterian Seminary. Connections: Matthew 22:1-14 and The Berenstain Bears and the In-Crowd by Stan and Jan Berenstain.
- Amanda's Special Party -- Children's story based on Matthew 22:1-14 by Janice B. Scott from The Village Shepherd
- "You Are Invited," Charles Kirkpatrick, Sermons4kids.com.
- "A King Gives a Wedding Banquet," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
- Drama:
- "The King's Invitation," Warren Judkins, dramatix.
- "Let's Have a Party," Edgar Mayer, dramatix.
- "The Banquet Guests," from A Certain Jesus by Jose Ignacio and Maria Lopez Vigil. Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today's gospel. Claretian Publications.
- Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Clip Art, Matthew 22:9, Matthew 22:12, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
- Clip Art Images: Matthew 22:1-14, Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú.
- Matthew 22:1-14, Liturgical Drawing, Maria d.c. Zamora, Claretian Resources, Philippines. ("Download and use these for free.")
- Matthew 22:1-14, at Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration. Liberation emphasis.
- Hymns and Music:
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
- Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
- Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Matthew 22:4, 9. The Cyber Hymnal.
- Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Study Links and Resources for the Book of Matthew
