Matthew 22:7, The King’s Wedding

Posted on Wednesday, September 3, 2014 in Bible Commentary | 0 comments

But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

//One day, Jesus told a parable about a king who planned a wedding feast for his son. He sent his servants to gather those who had been invited. But nobody wanted to come; they made light of the wedding and continued on with their lives.

So, says Jesus, the king sent his armies and destroyed the “murderers” (why were they called murderers?) and burned up their city. Then, the king told his servants to go out into the highways and find other people to be the guests.

What is this story about? I don’t mean to harp so much on this theme, but once again, it’s about what happened to Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The gospels must be read in a first-century context to be understood. God (the king in this story) sent his armies (in this case, the Roman troops) to destroy Jerusalem, and gather instead the Gentiles out in the “highways.”

This verse in the next chapter will make it clear why those who rejected God are called murderers:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! –Matthew 23:37