The Unworthy Guest at the Marriage

The Unworthy Guest at the Wedding ( a Parable told by the Lord Jesus)
Matthew 22

One day, the Lord Jesus was speaking to the chief priests and Pharisees in parables, (stories of real things that have a meaning for the people he is telling them to) and they realized that he was speaking to them and they wanted to stop him but they were afraid of the many people who thought that Jesus was a prophet. And here is another parable he told them:

The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king which made a marriage for his son. And he sent forth his servants to call them that were invited to the wedding, but they would not come. And so again he sent forth other servants saying "tell them that are invited, Look! I have prepared my dinner: my ox and my fatted animals are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage." But they didn't think highly of the invitation, and went their own way, one to his farm and another to his merchandise. And the rest of the people who were invited took the servants and treated them badly and killed them.

But when the king heard of this, he was very angry: and he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, "the wedding is ready but they which were invited were nor worthy. Therefore go into the highways and as many as you shall find, invite to come to the marriage." So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together everyone they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment. And he said to him "Friend, how did you come in when you are not wearing a wedding garment?" and the person was speechless. Then the king said to the servants "Tie him up hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and grinding of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen."

Memory Verse: Matthew 22:14: "For many are called, but few are chosen."

Questions:
1 Who was the Lord Jesus speaking to when he told this parable?
2 Why did they want to stop the Lord Jesus?
3 In the parable, what did the invited guests do wrong besides turn down the invitation?
4 who came to the wedding?

Answers:
1 The chief priests and Pharisees
2 Because they realized that his parables were speaking about them
3 They treated the servants badly and killed them
4 the people that the other servants found on the highways and brought to the wedding

Vicki Gross/Nov'04