Study Guide
Parable of the Wedding Banquet
Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to the ultimate banquet! This is a party in which everyone is invited, but the invitation must be responded to with urgency and on the sendee's terms. In this message you’ll hear from Pastor Brooks Fuller as he walks us through the Parable of the Wedding Banquet and challenges us to be generous in how we see God's gospel invitation go out into the world, and thoughtful in how we personally respond.
In this message you will be:
- Encouraged to see how willing people are to discover Jesus
- Challenged to see the ways we try to make our faith conform to our own terms
Newbreak’s Sermon Study Guide is an in-house resource that serves sermon-based Life Groups and/or individuals who want to reflect further on how the message contributes to their spiritual formation.
Icebreakers for Life Groups
- If you could invite any three people (living or dead) to a dinner party, who would they be and why?
- What’s the most memorable wedding you’ve ever been to? What made it memorable?
- Have you ever shown up for an event wearing the wrong kind of clothes? Share the story!
Read Matthew 22:1-10 (CSB)
POINT 1 - God invites everyone into the Kingdom of Heaven.
In Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus shares a parable about a gracious King who throws a wedding feast for his son. A wedding feast is an exciting event that usually lasts several days. Delicious food is shared, memories are had, and celebration fills the air. To be invited to a wedding feast would be an honor. To be invited to a royal wedding feast would be the honor of a lifetime.
The King sent out the first invites to the feast, and for some reason, the first group of invited guests didn’t want to come. Some seemed disinterested, others seemed preoccupied with life, and some were downright hostile to the King’s servants (22:3-6). They missed the opportunity to feast with the King and His son.
Since the King wanted people to share in His son’s celebration, he sent his servants to the city's edge to find anyone that would come (22:8 10). These people, both good and evil, were grateful for the invite and took the King up on his offer.
In many ways, we are a lot like the servants of the King. Followers of Jesus have been sent out to tell the whole world about Jesus. We deliver the invitation of the King to those that haven’t met the King or His Son yet. What an honor to be at the feast! What an honor to play a small part in helping others join the feast too!
Discussion Questions
- When was the last time that you “invited” someone to meet Jesus? What keeps us from sharing our faith with others?
- Based on what you know about the book of Matthew, who do you think Jesus was referring to in verses 3-6? Why do you think religious rulers of the time rejected Jesus?
- What did you learn about God and His heart for the world in this parable? How does this parable impact the way that you view your purpose in this world?
Let's continue reading Matthew 22:11-14 (CSB)
POINT 2 - Come to Jesus on His terms.
One man at the wedding banquet showed up to the party without the right clothes on (vs.11) and it truly upset the King. When the King confronted his guest, the man was speechless (v.12). He was speechless because he had no excuse for not dressing appropriately for the occasion.
All the guests except one responded appropriately. They all knew that the invitation required them to wear the right clothes. Each wedding guest found a way to change into their wedding clothes. Whether they went home to change, borrowed clothes from another, or relied on the kindness of the King to help, they came dressed on the King’s terms.
Jesus wanted people to know that everyone was invited to the feast but that they needed to come dressed and ready for the party. Like the people in the parable, their invite didn't come because they were worthy. Their invite was due to the King’s kindness. It's the same with us as followers of Jesus. Our “worthiness” to have a relationship with God isn't related to our good deeds but the King’s graciousness towards us. We are not accepted to the feast because of our self righteousness but because God gave us His righteousness through Jesus Christ.
Discussion Questions
- This story illustrates that God invites everyone into His kingdom, but they must come dressed and ready for the party. What does that mean? How does it challenge you?
- How does Isaiah 61:10 speak to our new clothes in Christ? What do you think Isaiah meant when he said that God would “wrap me in a robe of righteousness?”
- Jesus concludes his story by saying, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” How is this true in the story? What do you think Jesus intended this statement to mean regarding the kingdom of heaven?
The Kingdom of Heaven is God’s rule in our hearts & lives.
The parables are the secrets of what the kingdom is and how it operates. The teachings of living in the Kingdom of God seem completely opposite from how we have learned to live in our society. The Kingdom of God is right-side-up living! It’s the world that is upside down! No wonder so many people are tired and weary; they have spent their whole lives living upside down. Here, we journey through Matthew’s Gospel using the parables to explain the Kingdom of Heaven to our upside-down world!