Matthew 22:3-5
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The text highlights a subtle but crucial second invitation: the "calling" wasn't just about extending the initial invitation, but a specific follow-up to notify those already invited that the feast was ready. This emphasizes God's persistent, practical outreach, responding to our potential forgetfulness or procrastination by sending messengers again.
and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is telling a parable about a king who is throwing a wedding feast for his son. The king had previously sent out invitations to his esteemed guests, but when the feast is finally ready, he sends his servants to let them know and summon them.
Ever felt like you received a reminder for an event you already said 'yes' to? In Jesus' time, this was a crucial part of hosting.
This parable uses a vivid cultural practice to highlight a spiritual truth.
The King's Preparations
The king in the parable has prepared a magnificent wedding feast for his son. This isn't a casual get-together; it's a royal celebration!
The First Invitation vs. The Second Call
Originally, guests were invited well in advance. This allowed them time to prepare. However, in Jesus' day (and in many Eastern cultures), it was customary to send servants again, closer to the event, to specifically call those who had already accepted the invitation. This second call was a final notification: 'Everything is ready, come now!'
This detail emphasizes that the initial invitation wasn't forgotten. The guests had already agreed to come. This makes their eventual refusal even more stark and deliberate.
Why would anyone turn down a royal wedding feast? Jesus reveals the surprising reasons behind such a blatant rejection.
The core of this parable lies in the guests' response: 'they would not come.' This isn't about inability; it's about deliberate refusal.
More Than Just Busy
The guests weren't simply preoccupied; they actively chose not to come. Their excuses, detailed in later verses of this parable (like tending to farms or businesses), reveal that their earthly priorities had completely overshadowed the king's generous invitation.
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The Will of the Heart
Jesus often pointed to the human will as the ultimate barrier to God's kingdom. It's not that people don't hear God's call or understand the offer of salvation; it's that they fundamentally choose not to accept it. This parable shows that making 'light of' salvation (as Henry puts it) is a serious offense.
This stubborn refusal is the direct opposite of embracing God's grace. It's a powerful illustration of how our own desires can lead us to reject even the most magnificent of invitations.
Understand the original words
doulos · Greek Noun
Individuals commissioned by a master to perform specific tasks or deliver messages on his behalf. In this context, it refers to those sent by God—prophets, apostles, and gospel messengers—to announce the invitation of salvation.
kaleō · Greek Verb
To summon or invite someone with authority; in the New Testament, it often refers to God’s gracious call for individuals to participate in His redemptive plan or enter into a relationship with Him.
The parable reflects the persistent invitations God extended to Israel through various messengers, culminating in the ministry of Jesus and His apostles, only to be met with a stubborn refusal by many who were already considered 'invited.'
c. 2000 BC - 586 BC
Jewish People Invited to God's Kingdom
Through patriarchs, prophets, and the Law, God repeatedly invited the people of Israel to enter into covenant relationship and anticipate the Messiah's arrival.
c. AD 28 - 30
John the Baptist's Ministry
John the Baptist calls people to repentance, announcing the imminent arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is the first explicit 'calling' of the wedding guests.
c. AD 28 - 30
Jesus' Public Ministry
Jesus continues the invitation, calling people to believe in Him as the Messiah and enter the Kingdom, but faces widespread rejection.
c. AD 30— this verse
Second Invitation to the Wedding
Jesus, the King's Son, sends His disciples (the 'servants') after His resurrection to formally announce that the 'wedding feast' is ready and to urge the invited guests (primarily the Jews) to come.
c. AD 40s - 60s
Apostolic Ministry to Gentiles
Following the continued rejection by many Jews, the Apostles are sent to invite people from all nations (the Gentiles) to the wedding feast.
This parable also depicts a great feast where those invited make excuses and are ultimately replaced by others, highlighting God's persistent invitation and the rejection it often faces.
Matthew 21:33-41In this parable, tenants misuse and reject the servants sent by the owner, and ultimately the vineyard is given to others, paralleling the rejection of God's messengers and the changing of His intended recipients.
Isaiah 5:1-7This prophecy describes God's vineyard (Israel) which produced wild grapes instead of good fruit, mirroring the rejection of His invitations and the judgment that followed.
John 1:11This verse states that Jesus came to His own people, but they did not receive Him, directly reflecting the theme of rejection found in the parable's invited guests.
Proverbs 9:1-6This passage parallels the invitation to a feast, where Wisdom has sent out her invitations and prepared her food, calling people to come and eat, but here the invitation is accepted by many.
vincentMatthew 22:3: "And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come."
To call them that were bidden (καλέσαι τοὺς κεκλημένους)Perhaps an unconscious play on the words, lost in both A. V. and Rev., to call the called. This was according to the Oriental custom of sending a messenger, after the invitations have been issued, to notify the invited guests that the entertainment is prepared. Thus Esther invites Haman to a banquet on the morrow, and, at t…
barnesMatthew 22:3: "And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come."
And sent forth his servants - These represent the messengers that God has sent to invite people to his kingdom. To call them that were bidden - That is, to give notice to those who had before been invited that the feast was ready. It appears that there were two invitations - one considerably previous to the time of the feast, that they might have opportunity to prepare for it, and…
The text highlights a subtle but crucial second invitation: the "calling" wasn't just about extending the initial invitation, but a specific follow-up to notify those already invited that the feast was ready. This emphasizes God's persistent, practical outreach, responding to our potential forgetfulness or procrastination by sending messengers again.
Jesus is telling a parable about a king who is throwing a wedding feast for his son. The king had previously sent out invitations to his esteemed guests, but when the feast is finally ready, he sends his servants to let them know and summon them.
Jesus is telling a parable about a king who is throwing a wedding feast for his son. The king had previously sent out invitations to his esteemed guests, but when the feast is finally ready, he sends his servants to let them know and summon them.
"and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been sla…" — The text highlights a subtle but crucial second invitation: the "calling" wasn't just about extending the initial invitation, but a specific follow-up to notify those already invited that the feast…
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Last reviewed October 2026
