In the previous blog, we saw that the man without a wedding garment is removed from the wedding hall. We compared this with other parables that speak of the inception of the Kingdom.
At the consummation of the eon, a separation takes place. It is not the believers who are taken away from the earth, but the unbelievers who are removed. Regarding the place where the man subsequently ends up, Jesus says:
Matthew 22 (based on ISA)
13 Then the king said to the servants: Bind him hand and foot and cast him out into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The outer darkness
The expression “the outer darkness” is often interpreted as a reference to hell. But that is not what the imagery in the parable conveys. The man is inside an illuminated wedding hall and is then cast outside. Outside the banquet hall, it is dark. Hence: “the outer darkness.”
It is, therefore, a matter of contrast. Inside, the wedding feast takes place, and people share in the joy and glory of the Kingdom. Whoever is cast outside has no part in that. We find the same expression earlier in Matthew:
Matthew 8 (based on ISA)
11 But I say to you that many will arrive from east and west and recline at the table with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of the heavens.
12 But the sons of the Kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The parallel with our parable is striking. Here, too, there is mention of reclining at the table in the Kingdom and of others being cast outside. The “outer darkness” stands in contrast to reclining with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom. It is not a matter of endless torment in hell, but of being excluded from the Kingdom.
gnashing of teeth
But what, then, is meant by “weeping and gnashing of teeth”? This is often interpreted as a description of intense pain. However, Scripture uses the gnashing of teeth in a different way.
We find a clear example in the case of Stephen. When he confronts the leaders of Israel with their unbelief, we read:
Acts 7 (based on ISA)
54 When they heard these things, it cut them to the heart,
and they gnashed their teeth at him
They did not gnash their teeth because they were in pain, but because they were furious with Stephen. Immediately afterwards, they stoned him. Gnashing of teeth here is an expression of anger and hostility. We find the same image in Job:
Job 16 (based on ISA)
9 His wrath tears me apart and He harbors hostility against me,
He gnashes His teeth at me.
And in Lamentations, too, it is said of Jerusalem’s enemies:
Lamentations 2 (based on ISA)
16 All your enemies open their mouths wide against you,
they hiss and gnash their teeth.
There, too, it is not a matter of pain, but of hostility and anger. This helps us understand the words of Jesus. Those who are placed outside the Kingdom see what they are missing. The weeping speaks of sorrow, and the gnashing of teeth of the anger and frustration that accompany it.
the wicked one sees it
We find a striking parallel in Psalm 112. This Psalm describes the blessing and glory of the righteous and then concludes with the reaction of the wicked:
Psalm 112 (based on ISA)
10 The wicked one will see it and become angry,
he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
the desire of the wicked will perish.
The wicked one sees the blessing of the righteous and becomes angry. Then he gnashes his teeth. That comes very close to the image Jesus uses. One person shares in the blessing and glory of the Kingdom, while the other stands outside it.
The gnashing of teeth is therefore not a description of the pain of eternal torment. It is the reaction of those who are placed outside the Kingdom and see its glory pass them by.
many called
This brings us to the final words of the parable:
Matthew 22 (based on ISA)
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
This verse is often quoted in isolation from the parable. It is then interpreted, for instance, to mean that while God calls many, He ultimately selects or saves only a few. However, the word that begins verse 14 indicates that we should not read this statement in isolation: *for*.
Verse 14 presents the conclusion to what Jesus has just recounted. To understand that conclusion, we must therefore go back to the beginning. That is where the king sent his servants:
“…to call those who were invited to the wedding feast” (:3).
Those who were called were the ones who had already been invited to the wedding: Israel. But they refused to come. Later, the king therefore says:
“The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy” (:8).
Subsequently, the servants are sent to the crossroads. They are no longer to call only the original invitees, but rather:
“…as many as you can find” (:9).
The call takes on a much wider scope.
the hall was full
And what is the result of this?
“And the wedding hall was filled with those reclining at the table” (:10).
That detail is important for interpreting verse 14. If “few are chosen” were to mean that, of the many who are called, only a small number actually participate in the wedding, that would be difficult to reconcile with what Jesus has just said. The hall was not nearly empty; on the contrary, the hall was filled. So, many were called, and many had heeded the call. The feast went ahead, and the hall was full. Who, then, are the “few chosen”?
the chosen
We must also understand the concept of being “chosen” within its context. Israel was God’s chosen people. Moses says:
Deuteronomy 7 (based on ISA)
6 For you are a holy people to YAHWEH, your God. YAHWEH, your God, has chosen you to be a people for His special possession, out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.
Israel was chosen from among all nations and thereby received a special position. The covenants and the promises were given to them. They were the ones originally invited to the wedding. Yet, they were the very ones who refused to come.
When the wedding finally takes place, the hall is therefore filled with many who were invited later. Among that multitude, there are only a few from the people who were originally chosen. This is how the words with which Jesus concludes the parable should be understood:
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
a reversal
In this way, this parable aligns with the parables that preceded it. Time and again, we saw the same remarkable reversal.
With the laborers in the vineyard, the last became first. With the two sons, tax collectors and prostitutes preceded the religious leaders into the Kingdom of God. With the wicked tenants, the Kingdom was taken away from the original caretakers and given to another nation. In this parable, those originally invited refuse to come; consequently, the call goes out to the highways, and the wedding hall is filled after all.
Israel had been called and chosen. Yet, among the people who held that privileged position, few believed in the Messiah when He came. Others — those not originally among the invited — will fill the hall.
God’s purpose is not thwarted by the unbelief of those originally invited. The wedding proceeds, and the hall is filled.