Yet Another Parable of Warning

Jesus has been in the temple of Jerusalem, and his opponents there–the chief priests, elders, and Pharisees–have challenged his authority. Jesus responds with parables that reveal the evil of these leading authorities. These leaders have begun to perceive that the parables were about them, and they plot how to arrest Jesus (Matthew 21).

But Jesus is not done; he begins to tell them yet another parable that will again reveal their evil–and warn them of their coming judgment from God. He says the kingdom of heaven is like a king who gives a wedding celebration for his son. The king sends out servants (of the king and son) to confirm their previous invitations to the celebration; but those invited do not want to come. So the king again sends other servants to tell those invited that the feast is prepared. But those invited prefer to go about their business interests; others go to their fields (Mat. 22:1-5).

So again Jesus is revealing the disregard rich business leaders (like the chief priests who sell animals to sacrifice in the temple) and rich landlords (like the elders) show to the king (God) and his son (Jesus). Moreover, the rest of those invited by the king grab his servants and arrogantly insult and mistreat them, and kill them. This angered the king, so he sends his soldiers to destroy the murderers and burn their city (22:6-7).

The persecuted servants here are different from the servants in the previous parable (who are sent to the wicked tenants in the Lord’s vineyard). Those servants preceded the coming of the son; they were the Old Testament prophets. Now, the king and son are present, and their servants would be disciples of Jesus–who will also be persecuted by the ruling authorities; and now the focus is on Jerusalem, and those leaders Jesus is addressing in the temple. The king’s soldiers that will destroy the city (its ruling fathers and their loyal children) would be the (evil) Roman soldiers–who did in fact overthrow the city less than 40 years later and burn the temple and other buildings around it. Just as God used evil foreign empires (like Assyria and Babylon) to punish Israel in the past, soon the Romans would come and punish Israel–especially Jerusalem and its rulers–for their rejection of Jesus and then his disciples in the early churches of Jerusalem.

As the angry ruling fathers conspire against Jesus in the temple, he continues to warn them through this parable that the king’s wrath will come against them and their city in the future.