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Saturday, July 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Matthew 22:8

"Then he told his servants, ‘We have a wedding banquet all prepared but no guests. The ones I invited weren't up to it. Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.' The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, good and bad, regardless. And so the banquet was on—every place filled.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Covetousness;   Feasts;   Hospitality;   Jesus, the Christ;   Jesus Continued;   Kingdom of Heaven;   Wicked (People);   Thompson Chain Reference - Unworthiness;   The Topic Concordance - Kingdom of God;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Parables;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Feasts;   Parable;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Parables;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Christ, Christology;   Church, the;   Lord's Supper, the;   Mission;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hutchinsonians;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Marriage;   Paul;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Call, Calling;   Election;   Hour;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Kingdom of God;   Marriage;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Circumstantiality in the Parables;   Doctrines;   Dropsy;   Invitation;   Lazarus;   Luke, Gospel According to;   Marriage;   Matthew, Gospel According to;   Sacraments;   Service;   Wealth (2);   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Marriage;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Marriage;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Calling;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bid;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Banquets;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Marriage;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Then he told his servants, ‘The banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
King James Version (1611)
Then saith hee to his seruants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden, were not worthy.
King James Version
Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
English Standard Version
Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.
New American Standard Bible
"Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
New Century Version
"After that, the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready. I invited those people, but they were not worthy to come.
Amplified Bible
"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding [feast] is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were called were not worthy.
Berean Standard Bible
Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy.
Contemporary English Version
Then he said to the servants, "It is time for the wedding banquet, and the invited guests don't deserve to come.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Then he said to his slaves, ‘Well, the wedding feast is ready; but the ones who were invited didn't deserve it.
Darby Translation
Then he says to his bondmen, The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy;
Easy-to-Read Version
"After that the king said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready. I invited those people, but they were not good enough to come to my feast.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then saide hee to his seruants, Truely the wedding is prepared: but they which were bidden, were not worthy.
George Lamsa Translation
Then he said to his servants, Now the marriage-feast is ready, and those who were invited were unworthy.
Good News Translation
Then he called his servants and said to them, ‘My wedding feast is ready, but the people I invited did not deserve it.
Lexham English Bible
Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding celebration is ready, but those who had been invited were not worthy.
Literal Translation
Then he said to his slaves, Indeed, the wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.
American Standard Version
Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy.
Bible in Basic English
Then he said to his servants, The feast is ready but the guests were not good enough.
Hebrew Names Version
"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren't worthy.
International Standard Version
"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.Matthew 10:11,13; Acts 13:46;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
Then said he to his servants, The feast is prepared, and those who were invited were not worthy.
Murdock Translation
Then said he to his servants, The feast is prepared, but they who were invited were unworthy.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayde he to his seruauntes, the mariage in dede is prepared: But they which were bidden, were not worthy.
English Revised Version
Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy.
World English Bible
Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but they who were invited were not worthy.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then saith he to his servants, The marriage-feast is prepared, but they who were invited were not worthy.
Weymouth's New Testament
Then he said to his servants, "`The wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited were unworthy of it.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne he seide to hise seruauntis, The weddyngis ben redi, but thei that weren clepid to the feeste, weren not worthi.
Update Bible Version
Then he says to his slaves, The wedding is ready, but those that were bidden were not worthy.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then he saith to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they who were invited were not worthy.
New English Translation
Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy.
New King James Version
Then he said to his servants, "The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.
New Living Translation
And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren't worthy of the honor.
New Life Bible
Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding supper is ready. Those who were asked to come to the supper were not good enough.
New Revised Standard
Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then, saith he unto his servants - The marriage, indeed, is ready, - but, the invited, were not, worthy;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready; but they that were invited were not worthy.
Revised Standard Version
Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then sayde he to his servauutes: the weddinge was prepared. But they which were bydden were not worthy.
Young's Literal Translation
then saith he to his servants, The marriage-feast indeed is ready, and those called were not worthy,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde he vnto his seruauntes: The mariage in dede is prepared, but the gestes were not worthy.
Mace New Testament (1729)
then he said to his servants, the feast is ready, but they who were invited were very unworthy.
Simplified Cowboy Version
"Then he said to his cowboys, 'The wedding BBQ is ready, but no cowboys wanted to come.

Contextual Overview

1Jesus responded by telling still more stories. "God's kingdom," he said, "is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son. He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests. And they wouldn't come! 4 "He sent out another round of servants, instructing them to tell the guests, ‘Look, everything is on the table, the prime rib is ready for carving. Come to the feast!' 5"They only shrugged their shoulders and went off, one to weed his garden, another to work in his shop. The rest, with nothing better to do, beat up on the messengers and then killed them. The king was outraged and sent his soldiers to destroy those thugs and level their city. 8"Then he told his servants, ‘We have a wedding banquet all prepared but no guests. The ones I invited weren't up to it. Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.' The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, good and bad, regardless. And so the banquet was on—every place filled. 11"When the king entered and looked over the scene, he spotted a man who wasn't properly dressed. He said to him, ‘Friend, how dare you come in here looking like that!' The man was speechless. Then the king told his servants, ‘Get him out of here—fast. Tie him up and ship him to hell. And make sure he doesn't get back in.' 14 "That's what I mean when I say, ‘Many get invited; only a few make it.'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

The wedding: Matthew 22:4

but: Matthew 10:11-13, Matthew 10:37, Matthew 10:38, Luke 20:35, Luke 21:36, Acts 13:46, 2 Thessalonians 1:5, Revelation 3:4, Revelation 22:14

Reciprocal: Luke 14:21 - being Luke 14:24 - General Ephesians 6:9 - knowing

Cross-References

Genesis 22:19
Then Abraham went back to his young servants. They got things together and returned to Beersheba. Abraham settled down in Beersheba.
Genesis 22:20
After all this, Abraham got the news: "Your brother Nahor is a father! Milcah has given him children: Uz, his firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (he was the father of Aram), Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel." (Bethuel was the father of Rebekah.) Milcah gave these eight sons to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
2 Chronicles 25:9
But Amaziah said to the holy man, "But what about all this money—these tons of silver I have already paid out to hire these men?" " God 's help is worth far more to you than that," said the holy man.
Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked hard at them and said, "No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it."
John 1:29
The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, "Here he is, God's Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I've been talking about, ‘the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.' I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God."
Revelation 5:6
So I looked, and there, surrounded by Throne, Animals, and Elders, was a Lamb, slaughtered but standing tall. Seven horns he had, and seven eyes, the Seven Spirits of God sent into all the earth. He came to the One Seated on the Throne and took the scroll from his right hand. The moment he took the scroll, the Four Animals and Twenty-four Elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb. Each had a harp and each had a bowl, a gold bowl filled with incense, the prayers of God's holy people. And they sang a new song: Worthy! Take the scroll, open its seals. Slain! Paying in blood, you bought men and women, Bought them back from all over the earth, Bought them back for God. Then you made them a Kingdom, Priests for our God, Priest-kings to rule over the earth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then saith he to his servants,.... That were preserved from their rage and malice, and outlived their implacable enemies, and saw their utter ruin and destruction:

the wedding is ready; meaning not the marriage contract, which was secretly performed in eternity; or the calling of God's elect among the Jews, and their open espousal to Christ, which for the present was now over; but the marriage feast, or the Gospel dispensation, which was ushered in, and the ministry of it, to which nothing was wanting; all the promises, prophecies, types, and shadows, of the former dispensation, were now accomplished; the Lamb of God was slain, and all things to be done by him, were now finished; the ministers of the Gospel, the apostles, were called, their commission enlarged, and they qualified with a greater measure of the Spirit, and were sent to preach both to Jews and Gentiles:

but they which were bidden were not worthy; that is, the Jews, who had notice of this dispensation by the prophets, were told by John the Baptist, that it was at hand; were once, and again externally called unto it by the ministry of the apostles; but they were not only unworthy in themselves, as all men are, of such a blessing and privilege, but they behaved towards it in a very unworthy manner; they were so far from attending on it in a diligent and peaceable way, as becomes all such persons that are blessed with the external ministry of it; who when they do so, may be said to behave worthily, and, in some sense, to be worthy of such a privilege being continued with them; see Matthew 10:13 compared with Luke 10:6 that they contradicted and blasphemed it, and by their own outrageous carriage, showed plainly that they were unworthy of it; and were so judged by Christ and his apostles, who ordered them to turn from them, and go to the Gentiles, and which may be intended in the following words.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 22:8. Were not worthy. — Because they made light of it, and would not come; preferring earthly things to heavenly blessings. Among the Mohammedans, refusal to come to a marriage feast, when invited, is considered a breach of the law of God. HEDAYAH, vol. iv. p. 91. Any one that shall be invited to a dinner, and does not accept the invitation, disobeys God, and his messenger: and any one who comes uninvited, you may say is a thief, and returns a plunderer.-Mischat ul Mesabih. It was probably considered in this light among all the oriental nations. This observation is necessary, in order to point out more forcibly the iniquity of the refusal mentioned in the text. A man may be said to be worthy of, or fit for, this marriage feast, when, feeling his wretchedness and misery, he comes to God in the way appointed, to get an entrance into the holiest, by the blood of Jesus.


 
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