Eschatological Banquet
Jack Earthman
Biblical Theology and Exegesis
Dr. Mark Brighton
April 26, 2020
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Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Review of Literature ....................................................................................................................... 3
Isaiah 25:1-12................................................................................................................................ 10
Biblical and Historical Setting .................................................................................................. 10
The Text and Translations ........................................................................................................ 12
Immediate Literary Context ...................................................................................................... 16
Immediate Historical and Cultural Context .............................................................................. 18
Word Studies............................................................................................................................. 20
Feast ‫ ִמ ְׁש ֵּ֥תה‬............................................................................................................................. 20
He Swallows ‫ בִּ לַּ֤ע‬................................................................................................................... 21
Theological Context .................................................................................................................. 21
Doctrines in the Text ................................................................................................................. 23
Parallel Passages ....................................................................................................................... 25
Connection to the Person and Work of Christ .......................................................................... 26
Law Applications ...................................................................................................................... 27
Gospel Applications .................................................................................................................. 27
Matthew 22:1-14 ........................................................................................................................... 29
The Parable of the Wedding Feast ............................................................................................ 29
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Biblical and Historical Setting .................................................................................................. 29
The Text and Translations ........................................................................................................ 30
Immediate Literary Context ...................................................................................................... 34
Immediate Historical and Cultural Context .............................................................................. 38
Word Studies............................................................................................................................. 39
Called Κλητός ....................................................................................................................... 39
Chosen Ἐκλεκτός .................................................................................................................. 39
Theological Context .................................................................................................................. 40
Doctrines in the Text ................................................................................................................. 41
Parallel Passages ....................................................................................................................... 43
Connection to the Person and Work of Christ .......................................................................... 44
Law Applications ...................................................................................................................... 45
Gospel Applications .................................................................................................................. 46
Critique of Scholarship ................................................................................................................. 47
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 49
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Introduction
This survey of the Eschatological Banquet as found in Biblical literature will focus on
two different pericopes that center around the imagery of Feasting as a metaphor for salvation
and eternal life. First, several sources that deal with both the symbolic and real implications of
the biblical feast will be reviewed as to express the current scholarly approach to the
Eschatological Banquet. In order to add to the contemporary discussion on the topic two
pericopes will be exegeted: Isaiah 25:1-12 and Matthew 22:1-14. Both these passages deal with
the Eschatological Banquet and offer an interesting insight into the intersection of Christological
parable and Prophetic symbolism. A formal pattern of exegesis will be followed in the case of
both passages in order to thoroughly understand the historical and theological significance.
These exegeses will represent Chapters 2 (Isaiah 25:1-12) and Chapter 3 (Matthew 22:1-14).
Finally, the final chapter of this work will readdress the contemporary scholarly discussion
considering the biblical insights gained.
Review of Literature
Despite having a chapter title that includes the word “feasting” Alexander does not
explicitly address the Eschatological Feast in his book From Eden to the New Jerusalem.
Feasting is still indirectly featured by way of the ritual feasts which begin appearing within
Genesis (Feast of the tree, Melchizedek, First Covenant with Animal bits Abram). The
eschatological feast rests upon the imagery developed in the first feast which God offers
humanity: the tree of life. As in Genesis, Revelation depicts the Tree of Life as the means by
which the body will be restored to its original state of fullness and vitality1. Unlike a normal tree
“Revelation 22 underlines the tree’s life-giving power by describing how it produces twelve
1
Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem, (Grand Rapids: Krigel Academic, 2008), 156.
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kinds of fruit every month”2. The typology of food as a divine supplement appears in every
biblical period and underlines God’s renewing powers throughout the biblical metastory.
To understand the Gospels, we must use the hermeneutic that the New Testament writers
offer for interpretation of their work, which depicts the Messiah carrying an exodus significance.
In Corinthians Paul combines two Exodus allusions into a formula that his contemporary readers
would understand considering their experiencing Passover as a symbolic Feast: “Cleans out the
old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover
lamb, has been sacrificed.”3 Alexander notes4 that this verse builds off Mark 10:45 that the
notion of Christ’s ransom is defined by the first Passover feast. The three-part Passover Feast
Ritual5 becomes the format by which Jesus’ Atoning actions are understood by his New
Testament followers. That is, first the slaying of the Lamb, secondly the smearing of its blood,
and the eating of its meat. This Feast is so important symbolically that God gives special
instructions including the manner in which the meat must be roasted6, eaten indoors and bones
left unbroken7. Like every Feast motif in the Bible, the Passover takes place in the “historical
context of the Israelites coming out of Egypt and becoming God’s people at Mount Sinai”8. Alex
views this Feast as central to the “larger paradigm or model of God’s activity”. Other approaches
to this Biblical motif agree. Alexander puts special emphasis on this feature of the Divine Feast
for two reasons. The Eschatological feast is demonstrative of God’s plan for the ultimate
paradisiacal end for Humanity but is not entirely necessary to developing the reclamation of
sovereignty that God works throughout Scripture. The Passover Feast however is not only a
2
Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem,156.
1 Cor 5:7 ESV (All following biblical verses cited from “The Holy Bible, English Standard Version” ()
4
Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem,126.
5
Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem,127.
6
Exodus 12:9
7
Exodus 12:46
8
Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem,129.
3
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typification of the Eschatological Feast but also a symbolic instrument9 of God’s purification and
redemption of his people, which Alexander addresses quite substantially. Obviously, the Bible
contains a story about which God advances his authority against the evil one, especially in the
lives of his people, but there is another emphasis on God’s sustenance (on which we are
dependent) which other authors address more fully.
The parables of Jesus are the most focused on aspects of the Eschatological Feast. The
parables found in Mathew 22:1-13 and Luke 14:16-24 of the Great Meal and Wedding Feast
respectively have oft been compared for the sake of Canonical criticism, but rarely have they
been contrasted to understand commonalities that could shed light on the intentional portrayals
of the Eschatological Feast that exist. For all the problems these passages present to critical
scholars, Lemcio clearly sees both as an allusion to the Kingdom of God. According to Lemcio
the Eschatological Feast allusions Jesus draws on in the Matthean Parables is taken from
Zephaniah 1:7-810. Here are the similarities that Lemcio posits:
“The setting is eschatological (Zeph 1:7; Matt 22:2, 13). (2) In Both, a meal of
salughtered animals is prepared (3) for invited guests (4) involving royalty (Zeph 1:7-8; Matt
22:2, 4). Each bears a reference to (5) military personnel and/or actions (Zeph 1:8; Matt 22:7).
(6) the King inspects/punishes the guest. (7) Inappropriate attire is singled out (Zeph 1:8, Matt
22:11-13).11
Lemcio sees this parable as evidence that the Gospel writer of Matthew “Anticipated the
temptation Gentile Christians to become chauvinistic because of an uncritical reading of the
preceding parable. [insert verse or parable name here]”12 As Lemcio later notes this presents the
Eschatological Feast and its symbolic representation as affecting its two core audiences
differently simultaneously. First the “members of the establishment (i.e., all who have already
9
Heb 10:4
Lemcio, Eugene E. “The Parables of the Great Supper and the Wedding Feast: History, Redaction and Canon.”
Horizons in Biblical Theology 8, no. 1 (1986): 16.
11
Lemcio, “The Parables of the Great Supper and the Wedding Feast,” 17.
12
Lemcio, “The Parables of the Great Supper and the Wedding Feast,” 18.
10
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been included in the community of faith because they responded to an historical call or invitation
to God’s end-time salvation)...At the opposite pole are those on the periphery of the community
who have become excluded..”13 This follows former patterns of Feast which include an episode
of divine protection or sustenance but also divine punishment (angel of death firstborn for
instance).
There are those who in the defense of Dispensational flavored doctrines like The Rapture
and a Premillennial eschatological timeline view the Marriage Supper of the Lamb through a
specific lens. While many of the assertions presented by Dr. T. D. Ice can be shown to be
patently misguided, the way he views these motifs is of some interest. Most importantly one
passage which demonstrates that Dr. Ice takes Jesus’ words literalistically that he “Shall never
again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” is an indication that his next meal will “be
the coming of the kingdom, which will start at the beginning of the thousands years of His reign
upon earth.”14 For the Premillennialist, the parables in Luke and Mathew are essential for
demonstrating the difference between the marriage of the Lamb and the Lamb’s subsequent
Wedding Feast.
Unbeknownst to most is the feasting that would take place in the Levitical sacrificial system of
the Old Testament. While the concepts of Manna, Eucharist, Wedding Feasts and Eschatological
Feasts are commonly pulled into discussion of Biblical Feasting, the Feast that was offered to the
Priests and others by the Levitical code is of equal importance. Roger T. Beckwith expands upon
this theme in his book Sacrifice In The Bible. A novel aspect of Feasting is the subject of the
eating, which in the sacrificial system can sometimes be said to be God. As Beckwith notes:
Lemcio, “The Parables of the Great Supper and the Wedding Feast,” 20.
Ice, Thomas D. “The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” Pre-Trib Research Center Scholar's Crossing Article
Archives 113 (n.d.) 17.
13
14
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“The fat which is burnt can even be called ‘food’ for God (Leviticus 3:11; cf 21:6)”15 This
extends the propitiatory image of Feasting, and others the analogy of eating now not only as
some means of God but an activity that an anthropomorphized (or Incarnate) God takes part in
literally. The sacrificial system as upheld by annual festivals could have been the only time
“when meat was eaten, and the importance of this opportunity to feast and rejoice in God’s
goodness is evident.”16. Beckwith proposes that “The Israelites were aware as anyone that God
did not physically eat food, but eating is a rich symbolic resource for theological reflection”.17
As the sacrificial system crudely typifies the later sacrifice of Christ as presented in Petrine
writing18, it also typifies the incarnational presence Jesus has at the Last Supper, as he feasts with
his disciples.
Brant Pitre addresses how “teachings about the messianic banquet of the
Kingdom…drew on the ancient Jewish expectation of the messianic banquet”19 noting there is a
tendency to study Jewish evidence for expectations of an eschatological (or messianic) banquet
quite superficially. In his work Jesus, The Messianic Banquet, and the Kingdom of God Pitre
makes a powerful argument that the Kingdom preaching of Jesus was heavily rooted in Jewish
hopes “of the coming age of salvation”20 noting that Isaiah 25:6-9 represents the “foundational
witness to the eschatological feast.”21 Pitre proposes that the feast imagery in this passage
pertains to the temple cult relating the “strange imagery” of fat things and wine to technical
terminology used in Deuteronomy for sacrifice22. Pitre uses this relation to claim that the feast in
15
Beckwith, Roger T., and Martin J. Selmen. Sacrifice in The Bible. N.p.: Wipf and Stock. (2004)
Beckwith, “Sacrifice in the Bible,” 31.
17
Beckwith, “Sacrifice in the Bible,” 31.
18
1 Peter 1:19
19
Brant Pitre, “Jesus, the Messianic Banquet, and the Kingdom of God,” Letter & Spirit 5 (2009):145-166
20
Pitre, “Jesus, the Messianic Banquet,” 135.
21
Pitre, “Jesus, the Messianic Banquet,” 135.
22
Deut 32:37-38
16
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Isaiah intends to portray a forgiveness of sins as elements of the temple cult are situated in a
Eschatological setting.
Pitre also makes a case for the Jewish tradition of an eschatological banquet by citing
apocryphal Greek Jewish writing from the intertestamental period. First, he cites 1 Enoch23:
“…with the Son of Man they will eat, and they will lie down and rise up forever and ever. And
the righteous and chosen will have arisen from the earth”24. Pitre then cites Testament of Levi25:
“And he [the priestly Messiah] shall open the gates of Paradise he shall remove the sword that
has threatened since Adam, and he will grant the saints to eat of the tree of life”26 and argues that
the “features we have seen before [in earlier Jewish literature, namely Isaiah] reemerge in these
texts.”27 Unlike other commentators on the theme of the Eschatological Banquet Pitre views the
themes of Tree of Life and the references to the Temple Cult as a combination of liturgical and
eschatological imagery.
In summary two important observations can be noted regarding the Eschatological Feast
according to contemporary scholarship: First, the historically Jewish nature of the Eschatological
Feast with God is well agreed upon. This Feast imagery draws from the Passover, Sinaitic and
Wilderness accounts in the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt and ancient Semitic cultural attitudes
towards the table meal as a social convention. Second, scholars seem to interpret the imagery
into the framework of Eschatology in several different ways. Pitre, Beckwith and Lemcio view
feasting as cultic, and interpret the person and parables of Jesus through this lens. Ice and
23
Citations from 1 Enoch are found in George W.E. Nickelsburg and James C. Vanderkam, 1 Enoch: A New
Translation (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2004)
24
1 Enoch 62:13-16
25
Citation of Testament of Levi are from Charlesworth, Old Testament Pseudepigrapha
26
Testament of Levi 18:10-11
27
Pitre, “Jesus, the Messianic Banquet”, 138
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Alexander take a wider view which is more concerned with the symbolism of feasting as a
language by which God continuously speaks in the Christian Canon.
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Isaiah 25:1-12
God Will Swallow Up Death Forever
O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done
wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. For you have made the city a heap, the
fortified city a ruin; the foreigners’ palace is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt. Therefore
strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. For you have been a
stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a
shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall, like heat in a dry
place. You subdue the noise of the foreigners; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the
ruthless is put down. On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of
rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And
he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is
spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away
tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, or the
LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him,
that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his
salvation.” For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled
down in his place, as straw is trampled down in a dunghill. And he will spread out his hands in
the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim, but the LORD will lay low his
pompous pride together with the skill of his hands. And the high fortifications of his walls he
will bring down, lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust.1
Biblical and Historical Setting
The first step of Exegesis must focus on the implied or historically reliable authorship and
historical setting of a given passage. This section aims to provide basic historical information
and address varying viewpoints in regard to authorship.2
Conservative Christian scholars seem to unanimously agree that the book of Isaiah was orally
dictated or written by the historical figure Isaiah ben Amoz, a Judean prophet whose ministry
likely lasted 40 years (740-701). The beginning of this ministry correlates with the vision of
Yahweh (Chapter 6 of the book) which is internally dated during the year that King Uzziah died
1
Isaiah 25:1-12
For further reading on the historical background of Isaiah, see William Sanford La Sor, David Allan Hubbard;
Frederic William Bush, “Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form and Background of the Old Testament,” 5 th
edition (Grand Rapids: Eerdmanns, 1982) 220.
2
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(740 B.C.). Internal biblical evidence (2 Chronicles 26:22) relates that Isaiah ben Amoz
catalogued the acts of King Uzziah, which indicates he could have been a scribe. Despite this
internal biblical agreement and testimony to the historical existence of Isaiah ben Amoz few
scholars today hold the that the book represents unified authorship.
There is also a theory that the authorship of Isaiah was separated in two or three distinct
periods. This theory is reliably accepted by any scholar who generally rejects inspired prophecy
as it hinges upon chapters 40-66 describing the Babylonian captivity, not the Assyrian captivity
contemporaneous to Isaiah ben Amoz himself. This suggests, at least superficially, that there are
some scholars who do believe that chapters 1-39 can be attributed to a single author in the 8th
century. There is also an academic opinion that a third author was responsible for chapters 56-66
due to theological differences in attitude. Scholars who hold there was a third author also point to
the fact the section of 56-66 mostly references chapters after 39 indicating a sort of evolution as
the second author draws from the first and the third from the second.
Thematic and stylistic evidence for authorship in this case is weak and speculative. Evidence
that suggests that Isaiah was writing during the Babylonian exile should be considered however
as it presents some legitimate issues with the single authorship theory. Namely that it would be
presumed that the works of Isaiah should be relevant first to his own context. Still, discussion of
these theories must consider that the Prophet Isaiah simply had disciples who catalogued his
prophecies after his death. Due to this possibility authorship claims of either sort are not entirely
useful to the context.
The book of Isaiah is primarily addressing if the promises previously made by God were
impacted by the subjugation by Assyria and Babylon. Like other prophetic works the book
speaks harshly of Israel and Judea, at one point Yahweh tells Isaiah the Judeans are unable even
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to repent (6:10). These harsh words also come with good news, advancements on the Davidic
promises and promises especially that in the future God will triumph of Israel’s enemies. In this
sense the book establishes a trend with Jeremiah of working a logical connection between the
exodus and the exile.
The Text and Translations
This section will review a number of translations and the original Greek into to
understand variation in available versions.
Verse 1
BHS is my translation from the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia as cited.
ESV: O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done
wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
KJV: O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done
wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
NASB: Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have
worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
MSSG: God, you are my God. I celebrate you. I praise you. You’ve done your share of miraclewonders, well-thought-out plans, solid and sure.
BHS: Lord, You are my God, I will exalt you, I will praise your name, for you do miracles. Your
counsels of old are faithful and true
Notes: Perfect Faithfulness is not faithfulness and truth. The sense conveyed is the same but not
exacting. KJV and ESV use wonderful things instead of the most certain gloss: miracle.
Verse 2
ESV: For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the foreigners' palace is a city
no more;it will never be rebuilt.
KJV: For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be
no city; it shall never be built.
NASB: For You have turned a city into a heap, A fortified city into a ruin; A palace of strangers
is no longer a city, It will never be rebuilt.
MSSG: Here you’ve reduced the city to rubble, the strong city to a pile of stones. The enemy Big
City is a non-city, never to be a city again.
BHS: For you have made a city a ruin, a fortified city a ruin, a citadel of foreigners is no longer a
city. It will never, ever be built up [again].
Notes: KJV does not include re prefix on built. This has a different potential prophetic meaning.
Given the actions, was previously to destroy a built place, the translators likely apply the banah
verb to mean rebuilt.
Verse 3
ESV: Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
KJV: Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
NASB: Therefore a strong people will glorify You; Cities of ruthless nations will revere You.
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MSSG: Superpowers will see it and honor you, brutal oppressors bow in worshipful reverence.
BHS: Upon this the strong peoples, and the city of the ruthless nations will fear you.
Notes: Not uncommon differences in the use of fear and revere.
Verse 4
ESV: For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a
shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm
against a wall,
KJV: For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a
shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm
against a wall,
NASB: For You have been a stronghold for the helpless, A stronghold for the poor in his
distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a
rainstorm against a wall.
MSSG: They’ll see that you take care of the poor, that you take care of poor people in trouble,
Provide a warm, dry place in bad weather, provide a cool place when it’s hot. Brutal oppressors
are like a winter blizzard and vicious foreigners like high noon in the desert.
BHS: For you have been a safe place to the weak, a safe place to the poor in distress, to him a
refuge from the storm, a shade from heat, for the wind of the terrible ones is a storm against the
wall.
Notes: Very poetic contrasting language surprisingly shows very little differences besides the
very last phrase of The Message.
Verse 5
ESV: like heat in a dry place. You subdue the noise of the foreigners; as heat by the shade of a
cloud, so the song of the ruthless is put down.
KJV: Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with
the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.
NASB: Like heat in a dry land, You subdue the uproar of foreigners; Like heat by the shadow of
a cloud, the song of the ruthless is silenced.
MSSG: Brutal oppressors are like a winter blizzard and vicious foreigners like high noon in the
desert. But you, shelter from the storm and shade from the sun, shut the mouths of the bigmouthed bullies.
BHS: like heat in the desert, you will humble the uproar of foreigners. Heat in the shadow of a
cloud, the song of the terrible ones will be answered.
Notes: The Message combined verses 4-5. Poetic parallelism in the verbs Canah and A’nah.
Canah is being translated three different ways: subdue, bring down and humble. A’nah is being
translated four different ways: answered, shut, silenced, brought low and put down. ESV may
have the best translation of A’nah here due to put down capturing both the literal sense and likely
intended sense of the word.
Verse 6
ESV: On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of
well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
KJV: And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a
feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
NASB: Now the Lord of armies will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A
banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine.
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MSSG: But here on this mountain, God-of-the-Angel-Armies will throw a feast for all the people
of the world, A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines, a feast of seven courses, a
feast lavish with gourmet desserts.
BHS: And Yehwah of Armies will make for all people in this mountain a feast of wines, fat
things full of marrow, wine well-refined.
Notes: It is bizarre that translations do not use the name of God. Unclear what a wine of the lees
is.
Verse 7
ESV: And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil
that is spread over all nations.
KJV: And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the
vail that is spread over all nations.
NASB: And on this mountain He will destroy the covering which is over all peoples,
The veil which is stretched over all nations.
MSSG: And here on this mountain, God will banish the pall of doom hanging over all peoples,
BHS: And he will swallow on this mountain the face of the covering cast upon all the people,
and the veil that is spread upon all nations.
Notes: Differences between bil’la in all five verses, swallow up is literal but the presumption
made is by swallowing destruction will happen. Another example of idiomatic language as a
cause for translational differences.
Verse 8
ESV: He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
KJV: He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all
faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath
spoken it.
NASB: He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all
faces, And He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth; For the Lord has
spoken.
MSSG: Yes, he’ll banish death forever. And God will wipe the tears from every face. He’ll
remove every sign of disgrace From his people, wherever they are. Yes! God says so!
BHS: He will swallow death forever and The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from upon all
faces, and the rebuke of his people he will turn aside from all the Earth, for Yahweh has spoken.
Notes: KJV uses victory instead of forever, this must be textual due to the enormous difference.
Rebuke in BDB may be an older gloss, given the similarity with the KJV. ESV uses reproach
and NASB disgrace.
Verse 9
ESV: It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might
save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
KJV: And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will
save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
NASB: And it will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that
He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; Let’s rejoice and be glad in His
salvation.”
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MSSG: Also at that time, people will say, “Look at what’s happened! This is our God! We
waited for him and he showed up and saved us! This God, the one we waited for! Let’s celebrate,
sing the joys of his salvation.
BHS: It will be said on that day: “Behold this is our God we have waited for him and he will
save us, This is Yahweh, we have waited for him and we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Notes: NASB shows a weird construction alone in the “that he might save us”. This seems to
indicate a sense of chance that is not clear in the hebrew. Could be the older edition only that
offers this translation
Verse 10
ESV: For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled down in
his place, as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.[a]
KJV: For in this mountain shall the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under
him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.
NASB: For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain, And Moab will be trampled down in
his place As straw is trampled down in the water of a manure pile.
MSSG: God’s hand rests on this mountain!” As for the Moabites, they’ll be treated like trash,
waste shoveled into a cesspool.
BHS: For the hand of Yahweh will rest on this mountain and Moab will be trampled down under
him as straw is trampled.
Notes: The paraphrase translation style really shines here. The Message version is not only lively
but embraces a much darker tone than other literal translations.
Verse 11
ESV: And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands out to
swim, but the Lord will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands.
KJV: And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth
forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their
hands.
NASB: And he will spread out his hands in the middle of it As a swimmer spreads out his hands
to swim, But the Lord will lay low his pride together with the trickery of his hands.
MSSG: Thrash away as they will, like swimmers trying to stay afloat, They’ll sink in the sewage.
Their pride will pull them under.
BHS: He will spread his hands in the midst as a swimmer spreads out to swim. He will bring
down their pride together with the (trickery, spoils) of their hands.
Notes: KJV implies the first 3rd person masculine suffix is in reference to God and not the
swimming Moabite. A comma is required in that translation for coherency. KJV marked in
orange and other agreeing translations in yellow. His’phil seems to be unclear, trickery, spoils
and skill all have reasonable reasons for being the correct translations. BDB offered both.
Verse 12
ESV: And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down, lay low, and cast to the ground,
to the dust.
KJV: And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the
ground, even to the dust.
NASB: The unassailable fortifications of your walls He will bring down, Lay low, and throw to
the ground, to the dust.
MSSG: Their famous fortifications will crumble to nothing, those mighty walls reduced to dust.
Earthman 16
BHS: And the fortress of the high fort of your walls he will bring down, laying them low and
bring them to the Earth, down to the dust.
Notes: Fame doesn’t appear in the text as the Message uses it. Perhaps the doubling of
fortifications indicates a specific fort? The sense in all is the same.
Questions to be investigated:
1. Is there any way to reduce pronoun confusion in Verse 11.
2. Does the word being translated as feast have the same connotations as the word “feast” in
modern English. Does its root “to drink” have any special meaning in other passages. Is
Mi’satah simply a less common binyan participle?
3. What is the poetic meaning of “heat by a cloud”?
4. What special meaning does “fortified Moabite transgressors” have to the author Isaiah?
5. What features of the text exactly place in within first Isaiah and Duetero Isaiah in the
minds of some scholars.
Immediate Literary Context
Outline3
I. God's Threatened Court Case against His People (1:1-31)
II. Depending on Human Resources or Trusting God (2:1-12:6)
III. God's Sovereign Plan for the Nations (13:1-23:18)
IV. God Will Reign over All, so Trust His Rule Now (24:1-27:13)
V. God Will Defeat Your Enemies, So Do Not Trust Them (28:135:10)
VI. Hezekiah's Challenge to Trust God (36:1-39:9)
3
Gary V. Smith, “Isaiah 1-39,” in The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman,
2007), 149.
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This outline does not offer a strong contextual explanation for the pericope. Regardless,
the book does pertain primarily to God’s actions among the nations, especially his indictment
against his chosen people, and his following actions. This passage seems to look beyond to a
future consolation, which the outline seems to suggest. The eschatological promises made in the
pericope suggest the immediate context (and perhaps even the entire work) could be centered
around this passage.
The purpose of the book has traditionally been viewed as a prophetic work regarding
world history as the Israelites saw it. The genre of Prophetic literature limits and defines the
thanksgiving song of the first five verses and adds a theological context to “God’s feast” in the
next seven4.
A concise summary of the immediate literary context (Beginning at Chapter 13) is as
follows: God judges Babylon. Jacob will be restored, and Israel’s remnant will taunt Babylon.
Isaiah prophecies against Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Cush, Egypt on account of their idolatry
and sin. Egypt, Assyria and Israel will swear fealty to God and subsequently be blessed. Isaiah
gos about naked and barefoot as a sign against Egypt and Cush. Babylon will fall and come to
end by the hand of the Lord of Israel. Jerusalem will lament, but then become a throne of honor.
Tarshish, Sidon and the Whole World are to be judged. Isaiah gives thanks to the Lord. The Lord
will prepare a great feast upon Zion for his people. God will preserve and redeem Israel.
Logical Outline of the Immediate Context
(Beginning at Chapter 13)
I.
God is Sovereign over All Nations
A. Oracles against the Nations
4
Smith, “Isaiah 1-39,” 645
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B. Babylon will fall/Israel will lament
C. God will make Zion his throne and judge’s bench
II.
God Will Prepare a Great Feast for His People
A. Everlasting peace
Purpose
The purpose of this pericope in the given context is complicated due to the nature of
prophetic literature. Isaiah has an anthological quality that gives chronological or organizational
decisions more convoluted. With a wide enough lens (which considers chapter eight prior to be
immediate context) a purpose arises that shows God’s sovereignty over world history, which he
is shaping towards his ultimate end of his feast, and everlasting peace. Smith views Chapters 2427 as highlighting God’s rule (based on the outline above), but this theme seems to be generally
applicable over a much broader section of the book.
Immediate Historical and Cultural Context
This pericope uses specific historical peoples and circumstance to visualize Eschatology.
Strangely, the text uses Moab to typify Israel’s enemies, during a time in which the Northern
Kingdom had completely collapsed and Assyria had sway over the entire Judean region. This
adds an emphasis to the creative choice of Moab as the vanquished enemy during the final four
verses of the pericope. Similarly, the concept of a table feast with God himself appears earlier in
Scripture and had special meaning to Semitic peoples. These two concepts will here be
investigated more fully in order to contextualize the cultural and political subtleties of the text.
The Biblical narrative of Moab follows closely with recorded history regarding HebrewMoabite relations. Moab5 appears for the first time in the biblical narrative as the son of Lot’s
David Noel Freedman, “Anchor Bible Dictionary,” (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 5480. Pagination according to
Electronic Edition
5
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seduction by his two daughters6 who bear two sons Moab and Ben-Ammi7. This narrative
beginning underlines the incestuous view Israelites would continuously have of the Moabite
nation. Historians view this account as having a folkloristic and derogatory slant, yet the
opinions of modern scholars was not taken into account by the 7th century Hebrews. In this way
the Moabites are cast from the very beginning as not being God’s covenant people- in a contrast
to the Hebrews. In addition, the Moabite people are featured in Biblical narrative as representing
symbolic evil especially interested in drawing Israeli men into religious apostasy8. An example
of this is in the biblical tradition regarding Balaam9 the prophet and his place of origin: the
Moabite worship site at Beth-Peor. Overall, the choice of the author to use Moab as an
overarching cosmic evil is in keeping with their characterization as outside God’s covenant and
intend on destroying Hebrew religious purity.
The historical context of the table feast is overwhelming. The Jewish Sacred Year10
featured nine major feasts. These feasts had a range of significance, and some were not practiced
at the time of Isaiah (Especially not Purim which celebrates the acts of Esther who lived later).
Calendar Feasts had both a theological and practical function. The Feast of Pentecost for
example, celebrated the completion of the wheat harvest. During this feast offerings of the first
fruits were made to the Lord though “the amount of the offering was not designated”11. In that
sense the theological purpose of this Feast seems to be thanksgiving while the practical function
is to mark a seasonal event. Other Feasts like the Feast of Atonement meant to “bring the
6
Genesis 19:30-38
Genesis 36:31-39
8
Freedman, “Anchor Bible Dictionary,” 5480
9
Numbers 22-24
10
J.D. Douglas, Merrill C. Tenney, and Moises Silva, “Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary,” (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2011) 1000. Pagination according to the Electronic Edition
11
J.D. Douglas, “Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary,” 1003.
7
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collective sin of the whole year to remembrance so that it might …be dealt with”12. Like the feast
of Passover this Feast is a theological event signifying the covering of sin or mercy with animal
Blood.
Like these calendar feasts the weekly Sabbath was a theological and practical event that
brough together God and the Hebrew people in a state of rest. There is “little known”13 about
sabbath activities before the exile besides the Levitical instruction for the Sabbath in Leviticus
23:3. After the captivity of the Hebrew people historical evidence shows they met in synagogues
and were led in worship by local teachers. It is unclear what practical significance this day may
have had to the 7th century in which Isaiah ben Amoz lived besides the obvious elements of
agricultural work being halted.
Word Studies
Feast ‫ִמ ְׁש ֵּ֥תה‬
Gloss: a feast, drink14
This noun appears to be a participle of Sha-tah (to drink). The pointing suggests a non-Qal or
Niphal usage. The first two vowels follow a Hithpael participle verb pattern. This word occurs
forty-nine times in Scripture. Overwhelmingly it is used in a context that suggests feast was a
more common usage than simply a passive participle of Sha-tah (that which is drunk). The
NASB only translates this word as a literal participle form of Sha-tah four times all of which
were in Daniel. The context of this word in the second temple period seems to indicate its
cemented usage as a noun.
J.D. Douglas, “Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary,” 1004.
J.D. Douglas, “Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary,” 1005.
14
Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, Charles A. Briggs, “The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English lexicon: with and
appendix containing the Biblical Aramaic: coded with the numbering system from Strong’s Exhaustive concordance
of the Bible.,” (Peabody, Hendrickson Publishers, 1996), 607.
12
13
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He Swallows ‫בִּ לַּ֤ע‬
Gloss: to swallow up, engulf15
This word is from a primitive root. It also occurs forty-nine times in Scripture. It is particularly
interesting, especially figuratively. Only in books that are thought to be very early in authorship
(Genesis and Job) does this word seem to even relate to consumption, food or the mouth (Job
7:19, Genesis 41:7). This word appears most commonly in the Qal but also has many Pi’el uses.
This sense of the word seems to suggest hiddenness. The instance of the word featured in Isaiah
25:8 is a Pi’el. Given the pointing is not divinely inspired this should not be considered to impact
meaning. Swallow or cover-up in this context would have similar implications. Though two or
three roots are speculatively attached to this word the most certain connection is that of
swallowing, especially in such a way as if it were scarce16 (Hos 8:7, Gen 41:7:24, Exodus 7:12).
Later theological significance seems to suggest helplessness on the part of the figuratively
swallowed17. The Pi’el instance of the word here and the imagery of God’s right hand seems to
relate his swallowing of sin to his destruction of the Egyptians in the Exodus account.18
Theological Context
There are no direct Scriptural References in this passage.
2 Kings 19:25
God hears the prayers against Sennacherib in 2 Kgs 19:2. He responds by indicating he will turn
the kingdom of the Assyrians into a ruin. Isaiah uses the same Hebrew construction in 37:26. In
Brown, “The Brown-Driver-Briggs”, 118.
G Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren, Heinz-Josef Fabry, “Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament,”
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974) 136.
17
Botterweck, “Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament”, 138.
18
Botterweck, “Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament”, 139.
15
16
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Is 25:2,11, the author uses similar but not identical constructions to depict foreigners’ cities and
later the Moabites.
Exodus 15:11
The author is mirroring Moses’ deliverance song here. This allusion frames God’s acts within his
redemption work in the Exodus. The author intends this imagery to apply to the Exile and not the
Eschatological sense that Christians use.
Deuteronomy 13:16
‫לא תבנה עוד‬
An identical consonantal construction is used in this passage and Is 25:2. The town of foreigners
(‫“ ז ִָּרים‬strange ones”) carries a meaning that emphasizes the religious quality of these alien
people—an adjective used in Leviticus 10:1 to describe pagan sacrifice. Taken together, the
author intends to introduce this passage not only as a glorification of God’s gracious work but
the finality of his punishment of “going after other gods.” By creating a refuse heap out of cities
of the enemies God protects his people in a long term manner.
Genesis 7:2, 8:11
God’s drowning justice is an apparent illusion to the deluge and perhaps also to the swallowing
of the Pharaoh in the Red Sea. The author frames the Babylonians and Assyrians as types of
Pharaoh and even pre-deluge humanity.
C. Contemporary Religious Background
Isaiah 25 is alluding to three events specifically: the Exodus, The Flood, and the Exile.
The flood is portrayed as an act of positive divine Justice. Exiled Judeans would have welcomed
divine justice against their captors. Similarly, God’s Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt is
means of inspiring a people currently ruled by outsiders. God, in his final judgment (which the
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author likely believed would have occurred after the Hebrews were saved from Exile),
administers an ultimate judgment upon the cities of his enemies. The subtle depiction of
foreigners as being “strange” depicts the Exile’s central issue as the pagan nature of the
Assyrians and Babylonians.
Isaiah also views this Eschatological Banquet as having a finality characterized by the
Flood account. God’s just acts will have a finality, universality and awesomeness that only the
Flood could compare to. In this passage Moab becomes the swimmer, skillful yet facing ultimate
destruction. As an archetype of the pagan enemies of God this would have represented the
Assyrians to contemporary readers. Without question the author of Isaiah was aware of the Flood
account and the minutia of the Pentateuch.
Doctrines in the Text
This section will focus on the doctrinal teachings of the text at face value and attempt to
organize these doctrines into a logical relationship. These foundational ideas are essential to
understand actual meaning versus a more literal superficial reading. As an individual who was
likely a scribe it cannot be questioned the Author was aware of how to convey a theological
message via imagery and poetry.
Doctrines Contained in the Text:
I.
Death itself will be destroyed: God is prophesied to swallow up death forever and wipe
away tears forever in verse 8. The Hebrew verb used to swallow in this context means
overwhelming and complete destruction.
II.
Salvation is caused by trust in God: Verse 9 outlines this doctrine quite simply: “Surely
this is our God, we trusted in him, and he saved us.
Earthman 24
III.
God’s plans of salvation include all people groups: Verse 6 & 7 are very clear that the
banquet prepared on Zion and the destruction of the shroud are actions taken on behalf of
all people. Contextually this is important- the prophet who has many temporal enemies
sees beyond his own time to a time when God will call even the captors of Israel to his
Eschatological Banquet.
IV.
The fortifications and pride of Moab will be destroyed: In this passage, Moab typifies the
enemy of God, trumped up by their pride. The mention of Moab in Isaiah 15 makes this
allusion somewhat convoluted. In that chapter the prophet predicts the people of Moab
will also be overrun in the coming Assyrian invasion. The meaning is revealed in the
cause of their downfall: their God Chemosh and his Temple are unable to provide
deliverance for his people. Thus, this second mentioning must underline that God will
“lay waste” to those who trust in false gods and even in their own pride. The manner in
which God brings down the swimmers in verse 11 also invokes the imagery of the flood.
Here the author makes a link between the Pre-Diluvian humanity, Moab and those who
do not trust solely in him.
A. Doctrines Implied in the Text
B. Relation of Doctrines
I.
Death itself will be destroyed
A. Salvation is caused by trust in God
B. God’s plan of salvation includes all people groups
1. The fortifications and pride of Moab will be destroyed.
Summary
Earthman 25
The typification of Moab as God’s enemy combined with the lofty assertions that God
would “swallow up death” and destroy Moab imply a finality to God’s work in this passage.
Isaiah is establishing a relationship between the Eschatological Feast and a permanent state of
peace. These doctrines obviously fuel the later Christian genre of apocalyptic literature in
foundational ways.
Parallel Passages
Verse 1:
Exodus 15:2: The LORD is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Verse 2:
Isaiah 17:1: An oracle concerning Damascus.
Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city
and will become a heap of ruins.
Jeremiah 51:37: and Babylon shall become a heap of ruins,
the haunt of jackals,
a horror and a hissing,
without inhabitant.
Verse 3:
Isaiah 18:7: At that time tribute will be brought to the LORD of hosts
from a people tall and smooth,
from a people feared near and far,
a nation mighty and conquering,
whose land the rivers divide,
to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the LORD of hosts.
Verse 4:
Isaiah 20:4: so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the Cushite exiles,
both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of
Egypt.
Verse 5:
Matthew 3:12: His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather
his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Verse 6: Not referenced in contemporary or later passages
Verse 7:
2 Corinthians 3:5: Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us,
but our sufficiency is from God,
Verse 8:
Earthman 26
1 Corinthians 15:54: When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on
immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
Revelation 7:17: For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Verse 9: Not referenced in contemporary or later passages
Verse 10: Not referenced in contemporary or later passages
Verse 11: Not referenced in contemporary or later passages
Verse 12: Not referenced in contemporary or later passages
Connection to the Person and Work of Christ
This passage is a depiction in the imagery of the Mission of God and the groups to which
that mission applies. God intends to “swallow up death”19 and invite “all peoples”20 to his
banquet on Zion. In the person of Christ, we can see how the Mission God outlined in this
passage is fulfilled. Christ comes to take death upon himself, utterly taking into himself all its
power. His propitiatory sacrifice, resurrection and sending of his apostles is the fulfillment of
Isaiah vision that “all peoples'' would worship the lord at Zion, partaking in his eschatological
banquet. A careful study: “And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast
over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.”21 suggests the veil prophesied in this
passage is the same veil or which tore in Matthew 27:51: “And behold, the curtain of the temple
was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.”. These
passages highlight that the presence of God, formerly thought to reside in the innermost
chambers of the Temple has now been opened to all the world- literally and figuratively as
Christ’s Mission to the Gentiles and the whole world begins to unfold. Thus, the teaching of
God’s calling of all people and his swallowing of Death come together in this passage.
19
Isaiah 25:8
Isaiah 25:7
21
Isaiah 25:7
20
Earthman 27
Law Applications
The following two passages will address the Pastoral application of this passage as
categorized by “Law” and “Gospel”. Verses two, five, and ten through thirteen directly reference
God’s justice coming down upon those who resist him or his people. Contextually this must be a
reference by Isaiah to foreigners that were currently ruling over Israel. Verse 5 establishes that
God in his justice will “silence the uproar of foreigners”22 which connects the particular
reference of foreigners in Isaiah’s own day to the more archetypal depiction of God’s enemies in
verse 10. This later passage makes Moab a type of the enemies of the people of the Lord. Like
the haughty uproar of verse five, God will “bring down their pride”. Doctrinally, God is
prophesied to administer eschatological justice in these passages.
The characteristics of those who God brings eschatological justice against are typified in the
character of Moab as a divine enemy. Moab is only featured in previous Scripture as an
idolatrous nation. More specifically the passage depicts Moab as prideful, yet skillful. I see these
passages as a reflection on pride, and those who trust in the “cleverness of their hands” to cause
their own salvation.
These law statements apply to believers and nonbelievers in a straightforward way: those
who rely upon the skill of their own hands will be brought down to ruin by God. No matter the
fortifications that one can build God’s eminent justice will succeed to punishing the haughty.
Gospel Applications
God is inviting his people to his eschatological banquet. He will himself consume death
and his hand will come to rest. In non-metaphorical terms: God invites us to heaven, in doing so
he will destroy death’s hold and establish a lasting peace (his hand will come to rest). The gospel
22
Isaiah 25:5, ESV
Earthman 28
implied is how God will procure these things he brings to humanity. To Christians, this is the
work of Jesus Christ.
This prophetic vision must have been comforting to contemporary readers who likely
understood this banquet (and also the destruction of their foes) as a political or military victory.
Though there is a sense by which God fulfills this passage by allowing his people to return to
Canaan under Cyrus, the ultimate fulfillment comes in the person of Jesus Christ. A focus should
be on swallowing death, fine wines and food, and the Lord coming to rest or Sabbath with his
people. A time is coming and is already well underway in which the Lord will wipe all tears
away, protecting his people from even death in such a definitive way his hand will come to rest.
Like the contemporary readers of this text modern Christians should be equaled
comforted. An Eschatological Banquet has been prepared, and “all peoples” are invited. Death
will be finally swallowed up, allowing us to live eternally. The table feast does not include the
fruit of the Sin of Adam but rather the symbols of forgiveness of Sins in the temple period.
God’s faithfulness through the entirety of Salvation history, from the First Temple to the last
Temple in the New Jerusalem.
Earthman 29
Matthew 22:1-14
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to
a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 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, while the rest seized his servants, treated
them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed
those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready,
but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast
as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they
found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding
garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And
he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him
into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are
called, but few are chosen.”1
Biblical and Historical Setting
There is no internal evidence that testifies to authorship of the Gospel of Matthew2. The
gospel however was always circulated with the “appropriate designation (kata Matthaion,
“according to Matthew”) or the like.” Critical scholarship holds that these designations became
associated with the Gospel long after their creation in 125 A.D. This theory is disputed by
Hengel3 who sees the designations given to the Gospels as practical ways of identifying the
similar yet different accounts of Jesus that circulated in the 1st century. The early church assumed
this Gospel was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic, yet this claim is objected to by
contemporary scholarship that suggest the work does not read like translation Greek and the
author’s heavy reliance on Mark.
1
Matthew 22:1-14
For further discussion of authorship and setting, see D. A Carson, Douglass J Moo, “An Introduction to the New
Testament,” (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), 140-164.
3
This theory and objections are expanded upon in, Martin Hengel, “Studies in the Gospel of Mark,” (Philadelphia:
Fortress Press, 1985) 170-172.
2
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The style of this work, literary style and apparent purpose are usually used to make
certain assumptions regarding the historical author. First, that the five-fold organization of the
work (which is reflective of the Pentateuch) suggests Jewish, not Greek, authorship. This is
compounded by the focus on Hebrew patterns of lineage and a focus on Jesus as Davidic King.
There is a suggestion that Matthew’s dedication to long Old Testament quotations could indicate
an attempt to familiarize Gentile audiences with Hebrew Scripture. All these facts point to a
Jewish author. The author seems more concerned with the Jewishness of Jesus as compared to
other gospel writers. His Christology is heavily linked to Suffering Servant and Son of Man
motifs found in Isaiah and Daniel respectively. The inclusion of the Sermon on the Mount could
have rested on defending against gnostic variations on Jewish Tradition.
Historically, this work is likely dated to A.D. 80-100 for several reasons. Ignatius of
Antioch treats passages that are only found in Matthew. The early church unanimously suggests
that Matthew had an earlier date of authorship than Mark, but the contemporary theory held
today that Matthew borrowed heavily from Mark clashes with this suggestion. This work
frequently also references the “church” (Matt. 16:18; 18:17-18) so is concerned with Church
order however does not reference the stations as clearly as Philemon which was certainly written
in A.D. 70, this points towards authorship even earlier than the A.D. 80 range. These are among
the most popular dating considerations, but none are conclusive.
The Text and TranslationsThis section will review a number of translations and the
original Greek into to understand variation in available versions.
Verse 1
ESV: And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,
KJV: And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
NASB: Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying,
MSSG: Jesus responded by telling still more stories.
GREEK: And again, Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying:
Earthman 31
Notes: There aren’t any significant differences in this verse due to its length.
Verse 2
ESV: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,
KJV: The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
NASB: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who held a wedding feast for his son.
MSSG: “God’s kingdom,” he said, “is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son.
GREEK: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king that prepared a wedding feast for his son”
Notes: Gamos is translated as a wedding feast or simply as a wedding. The KJV removes the
entire notion of an Eschatological Feast. John 2:1 and Revelation 19 suggest a centrality to the
feasting in the wedding ceremony. Wedding Feast probably the best gloss here.
Verse 3
ESV: and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would
not come
KJV: And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would
not come.
NASB: And he sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they
were unwilling to come.
MSSG: He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests. And they wouldn’t come!
GREEK: And he sent those of him to call those invited to the feast but they would not come.
Notes: Servants here is suggested due to a genitive autos. It is not clear to me at this point why
this would make sense so I simply translated with the absolute literal connotation. Given the
agreement across versions, there must be a lot of evidence for this approach. There is no
difference in the sense of the verse here
Verse 4
ESV: 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.”’
KJV: Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have
prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the
marriage.
NASB: Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have
prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened cattle are all butchered and everything is ready.
Come to the wedding feast!”’
MSSG: “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!’
GREEK: Then he sent others saying tell those who were invited “Behold, I prepared my banquet,
my oxen and fattened calves have been slaughtered and all is ready, Come to the wedding feast”
Notes: Nothing very significant besides the archaic language of the KJV, fatling is an appetizing
word.
Verse 5
ESV: But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,
KJV: But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
NASB: But they paid no attention and went their separate ways, one to his own farm, another to
his business,
MSSG: They only shrugged their shoulders and went off, one to weed his garden, another to
work in his shop.
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GREEK: But they did not pay attention on their way, one to his farm, another to his business.
Notes: KJV using the phrase “making light” where the NASB and ESV use “pay no attention”
gives the impression the KJV intends to suggest a mockery was made of the messengers. Perhaps
this is a textual difference represented in the KJV.
Verse 6
ESV: while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.
KJV: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
NASB: and the rest seized his slaves and treated them abusively, and then killed them.
MSSG: The rest, with nothing better to do, beat up on the messengers and then killed them.
GREEK: The rest took the servants and treated them poorly and killed them.
Notes: The KJV adds a spin none of the other translations contain suggesting a sense of revenge
in the poor treatment.
Verse 7
ESV: The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their
city.
KJV: But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed
those murderers, and burned up their city.
NASB: Now the king was angry, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set
their city on fire.
MSSG: The king was outraged and sent his soldiers to destroy those thugs and level their city.
GREEK: And the king was angry, He sent his army and destroyed the killers and burned their
city to the ground.
Notes: Not even The Message disagrees here.
Verse 8
ESV: Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not
worthy.
KJV: Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not
worthy.
NASB: Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were
not worthy.
MSSG: “Then he told his servants, ‘We have a wedding banquet all prepared but no guests. The
ones I invited weren’t up to it.
GREEK: Then he said to those of him “The feast I made ready, but the invited were not worthy.”
Notes: Same discrepancy on gamos in the KJV. ESV, KJV, NASB all showing agreement on
keyword worthy words. NASB’s use of “slave” likely avoided in more modern translations due
to conflation with slavery in the sense of chattel slavery.
Verse 9
ESV: Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’
KJV: Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
NASB: So go to the main roads, and invite whomever you find there to the wedding feast.’
MSSG: Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.’
GREEK: Go therefore upon the busy roads and invite all you can find to the wedding feast”
Notes: As many as, whomever, anyone all have slightly different senses. The ESV used “as
many as” instead of the literal “all” for the greek “pas”, still a possible translation but edging out
of consistent literalism.
Verse 10
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ESV: And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad
and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.
KJV: So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they
found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
NASB: Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all whom they found, both
bad and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.
MSSG: 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.
GREEK: So they went out into the streets and gathered together all those they found, criminals
and the good and the wedding hall was filled with guests
Notes: The greek word translated as “bad” throughout all versions seems to have criminal
connotations. This would add a sense that relates this passage to forensic justification if
translated as criminals, or rogues.
Verse 11
ESV: “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding
garment.
KJV: And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a
wedding garment:
NASB: “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was
not dressed in wedding clothes,
MSSG: When the king entered and looked over the scene, he spotted a man who wasn’t properly
dressed.
GREEK: But when the King came to see the guests, there was a man not wearing wedding
garments.
Notes: The Message does not make the king’s coming as a purpose clause of seeing the guests.
Verse 12
ESV: And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he
was speechless.
KJV: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?
And he was speechless.
NASB: and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ And the
man was speechless.
MSSG: He said to him, ‘Friend, how dare you come in here looking like that!’ The man was
speechless.
GREEK: And he said to him “Friend, how did you come in here without wedding garments?”
and he (the man) was speechless.
Notes: Virtually the same in every translation. Friend and speechless being meaning key words.
Verse 13
ESV: Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer
darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
KJV: Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast
him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
NASB: Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie his hands and feet, and throw him into the outer
darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in that place.’
MSSG: 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.’
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GREEK: Then the king said to his advisors “Bind him foot and hand and throw him into the
outer darkness, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”
Notes: All translations follow the KJV in switching the order of “foot and hand”. Another
strange example of the KJV affecting language.
Verse 14
ESV: For many are called, but few are chosen.”
KJV: For many are called, but few are chosen.
NASB: For many are called, but few are chosen.”
MSSG: “That’s what I mean when I say, ‘Many get invited; only a few make it.’
GREEK: For many are called, but few are chosen.
Notes: Exactly the same in all cases though the Message sounds Pelagian.
Questions to be investigated:
1. Main characters in the story do not appear as a noun word but potentially a form of
autous. Why is the word “servants” used in translations so consistently?
2. Is this the only place outer darkness is used to describe “hell”, is it describing Hell?
3. By what method do the searching servants find people, is the invitation universal or
whomever they see on the way?
4. Does Gamos refer more to the ceremony of marriage or the celebration of marriage.
Would such a distinction have mattered to 1st century Palestinians?
Immediate Literary Context
Step Three: Matthew 22:1-14 (Narrative)
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Outline (ESV Study Bible):
The Arrival in History of Jesus The Messiah
A. The genealogy of Jesus the Messiah
B. The angelic announcement of the conception of Jesus the Messiah
C. Magi report the star sign of the birth of the “King of the Jews”
D. OT prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah
John the Baptist Prepares for the Appearance of the Messianic Kingdom
Jesus the Messiah Begins to Advance the Messianic Kingdom
A. Temptations of the Messiah
B. Jesus the Messiah begins his Galilean ministry
The Authoritative Message of the Messiah: Kingdom Life for His Disciples
A. Settings, Beatitudes and witness of the kingdom of heaven
B. The messianic kingdom in relation to the law
C. The development of kingdom life in the real world
D. Warning! With Jesus or against him?
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V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
The Authoritative Power of the Messiah: Kingdom Power Demonstrated
A. Healings, discipleship, and overpowering Satan’s strongholds
B. Unexpected discipleship, miracles, and worker
The Authoritative Mission of the Messiah’s Messengers
A. Commissioning and instructions for the short-term mission to Israel
B. Instructions for the long-term mission to the world
C. Characteristics of missionary disciples
Opposition to the Messiah Emerges
A. Jesus, John the Baptist, and ministry in Galilee
B. Confrontations with the Pharisees
C. Jesus’ disciples are his true family
Mysteries of the Messianic Kingdom revealed in Parables (Third Discourse
A. The opening of the Parabolic Discourse
B. Further parables told the crowds
C. Explanations and parables told to the disciples
The Identity of the Messiah Revealed
A. Prophet without honor
B. Compassionate healer and supplier for Israel
C. The Son of God worshipped
D. Teacher of the Word of God and compassionate healer
E. Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God
The Suffering of the Messiah Revealed
A. The Suffering sacrifice
B. The beloved, transfigured son
C. Sons of the kingdom
The Community of the Messiah Revealed
A. Characteristics of life in the kingdom community
B. Valuing the kingdom community
The Messiah Asserts His Authority of Jerusalem
A. The triumphal entry into Jerusalem: Jesus’ authority as Messiah
B. The temple actions: Jesus’ pronouncement on the temple establishment
C. Cursing the fig tree: Jesus’ Judgement of the nation
D. Controversies in the temple court over Jesus’ authority
E. Warnings against the teachers of the law and the Pharisees
F. Lament over Jerusalem
The Delay, Return and Judgement of the Messiah
A. The beginning of birth pains
B. “Great tribulation” and the coming of the Son of Man
C. The nearness and time of Jesus’ coming
D. Parabolic exhortations to watch and be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man
E. Judgement at the end
The Crucified Messiah
A. Plot, anointing, and betrayal to the religious leaders
B. The Passover the Lord’s Supper
C. Gethsemane: Jesus’ agonizing prayers
D. Jesus arrested
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E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
The Jewish trial of Jesus
The Roman trial of Jesus
Jesus the Messiah crucified
The death of Jesus the Messiah
Testimonies, women followers, and burial
Questions for Further Study:
Within the book, according to this outline, the parables serve as an elaboration of the
theme of “kingdom life”. The Study Bible views the salvific analogy of the Parable as most
pertinent to Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom on Earth4. In this outline, Jesus is presented as
the forest witness of the Messianic Kingdom, which furthers the natural analogy the Parable of
the Wedding Feast to God, who will be saved, and the nature of the afterlife for the saved.
The purpose of the book (which is framed here primarily of Jesus witnessing the
Kingdom of Heaven) limits the parable substantially. Given the Kingdom is such a strong theme
in the earlier sections of this work, the various groups that appear in the book previously
(Pharisees, Disciples, God, Jews) limit the application of the Parable to these groups. Besides
this, the definition of the Kingdom, and its divine nature is seated within the manner in which
Jesus’ has been preaching on the subject. Various trinitarian applications are probably not
immediately intended by the author.
Summarize Preceding Paragraphs
Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem riding a colt. Refers to himself as “The Lord” (Mt
21:3) directly to his disciples. The Crowds cheer “Hosanna son of David!” as he rides through
the city towards the temple mount. Jesus drives out all who sold and bought in the temple and
heals all the blind and lame that came to him in the temple.
4
This outline found in, English Standard Version: Study Bible (Wheaton, Crossway: 2016) 1818.
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Because of these actions the Scribes and Pharisees grow indignant. Jesus leaves
Jerusalem to the town of Bethany and lodges there. Jesus demonstrates his power of nature by
cursing a fig tree and instructs his disciples on the power of faith. The Chief Priests challenge
Jesus’ authority to teach, to which Jesus does not give a direct answer. Jesus delivers the Parable
of the Two Sons5 which illustrates the failure of the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus delivers the
parable of the tenants6 which is meant to illustrate that God is removing the Kingdom from
Israel.
Jesus delivers the parable of the wedding feast which describes the consequences which
will befall the derelict religious leaders7. The Pharisees plot to entangle Jesus in treason against
Caesar. Jesus’ response creates a separation in the Kingdom of Caesar and the Kingdom of God.
The Sadducees ask Jesus if there will be marital confusion in the Resurrection, to which Jesus
rebukes them and cites Scripture in illuminating them that none will be given in marriage after
the Resurrection. Jesus then asks the Pharisees how the son of King David could be his Lord,
they are confused.
I.
II.
Logical outline of the Immediate Context
Jesus Enters Jerusalem as Davidic King
A. Jesus Fulfills the Prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 and Names himself Lord, and King
B. Jesus cleanses his Temple and heals his People
C. Jesus instructs the disciples regarding the power of faith
D. The Parable of the Two Sons
E. The Parable of the Tenants
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
A. Caesar or God, who is your king?
B. The sadducees asks about the Resurrection
C. Jesus initiates his new kingdom by proclaiming The Greatest Commandment
D. Jesus explains his Davidic Lordship
5
ESV Study Bible, 1867
ESV Study Bible, 1867
7
ESV Study Bible, 1868
6
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Purpose of the Passage
Within the context of the new outline certain Messianic themes are more accentuated.
The Kingdom life theme presented previously is overshadowed by the notion of Jesus’ Davidic
Kingship, and authority over Israel. This particular emphasis also brings Jesus’ opposition to the
false leaders of Israel, who have led them astray. Jesus then becomes a King and Prophet
simultaneously, who comes to preach against the corrupt authorities and to supplant their power
with his own8. Now the Wedding Feast Parable becomes essential to the Davidic sequence and
Jesus’ discourses regarding Caesar and love of God and Neighbor. In this new light, the
Pharisees and Scribes seem more aloof as Jesus confounds them with scriptural questioning
regarding his and King David’s relationship to each other.
Immediate Historical and Cultural Context
This pericope uses the Greek word gamos which specifically is a great feast related to a
wedding. The pericope does not reference any specific cultural event as it is a parable. Like other
parables presented in the New Testament the situation seems allegorical or hypothetical in some
regards. Still, the inclusion of the “wedding” notion would have specific meaning to people the
work was originally read by. This notion was primarily subversive9 in two central ways.
Canaanite and Greek religion both prominently featured wedding celebrations in their
mythology. Yet, in these celebrations the guests are not people but other deities. Similarly,
deities would marry each other. In the scope of these religions which emphasized the
unimportance of humanity in the face of the divine these illustrations of religion make sense. In
this parable however Jesus not only implies humans will be invited to this wedding but, not only
8
R.T. France, “The New International Commentary on The New Testament: The Gospel of Matthew,” (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007) 782.
9
David Noel Freedman, “Anchor Bible Dictionary,” (New York: Doubleday, 1992) 300, 1271.
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the good but also the bad. Less certain is the implication of who the son of the King would be
marrying. Later New Testament writers would advance this wedding theme to specifically
identify Christ and his bride the Church but at this point to read such an implication into the
passage would be hasty.
Word Studies
Called Κλητός10
Gloss: called, invited, summoned by God to an office or to salvation.
From the verb Kaleo, “I call”.
This word derived from called is being used as an adjective. As such it translates well into
English literally. As a noun or adjective, the word only appears 11 times. Matthew uses the word
in the same construction in Mt 20:16 “κλητοί, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί”. Except for word order both
uses are identical. All occurrences feature a divine calling to ministry or to an appointed place (in
this case being chosen for salvation presumably). Pre-Biblical Greek did not feature a biblical
concept of calling. This noun maps onto the Hebrew verb ‫קָ ָרא‬, at least in verbal form.
Theologically this word fits into the doctrine of “election” similar to the following word
Ἐκλεκτός.
Chosen Ἐκλεκτός
Gloss: chosen out, elect, choice, select, sometimes as subst: of those chosen out by God for the
rendering of special service to Him (of the Hebrew race, particular Hebrews, the Messiah, and
the Christians).
From the verb Eklegomai, “I pick out”.
An in-depth study of usage and form for both Κλητός and Ἐκλεκτός can be found in Colin Brown, “The New
International dictionary of New Testament Theology,” (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975-1978) vol.1, 533.
10
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In the LXX the verb eklego (or ekloge) is completely lacking as a noun, due to the lack of
abstract non-verbs. ‫ בָ חר‬seems to have a similar connotation but is not used in such a way as
election but rather preference. This word occurs 22 times. Verses concerned predestination such
as Ephesians 1:4 and Corinthians rely on this word to depict God’s election. Similarly, to the
other word this word also appears in passages regarding church offices. It is deponent as a verb
but appears as an adjective here.
This word originated in the Greek military vocabulary but “by the time of Plato
eklegomai is already in use in a political sense (referring to democratic election)”11. Every case
of this word being used indicates selection to a particular office or position. Verbal forms in
LXX are used to translate the Hebrew word Bahar, indicating a Jewish Greek understanding of
the word as having cultic, as well as political potential use.
Theological Context
Isaiah 25:1-12
Here God makes his redemptive promise of laying a feast out for his people on Zion. This
passage cements imagery of the Feast with salvific matters as the author promises that God will
“swallow up death”.
Proverbs 9:3-5,6
This passage provides context for the imagery of a Feast. Here wisdom, symbolically connected
to Christ, sets a feast. Verse 6 gives the feast imagery a similar appeal as the Matthean parable:
“walk in the way of insight.”
Exodus 5:1
11
Brown, “Dictionary of New Testament”, 537.
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Moses requests Pharaoh release the Hebrews et al. so they can “hold a feast to [yahweh] in the
Wilderness”. In a certain way, God’s election of the slaves of Egypt relates to his election of
wedding guests. Those he invites he tests in the wilderness, and those who go against his will he
punishes.
Exodus 24:9
The elders of Israel literally have a feast with God after the establishment of the Sinaitic
covenant.
Contemporary Religious Background
The Eschatological feast theme is featured prominently in Scripture; it should be noted
though that Feasts in Esther and Daniel contrast sharply with the redemption Feasts of Exodus
and Isaiah. These passages do not allude to Esther and Daniel because those feasts are
subversions of the feast imagery. The feast Christ seems to be depicted here is not one eaten in
Exile but one that will be eternal. As previously noted, the imagery of the feast/wedding feast
with God gives the passage a context of an eschatological nature. The nature of the Messiah’s
work is then being depicted as a second exodus.
Doctrines in the Text
The following section will systematically list the doctrines found within the text and
group them into a logical outline, while providing summary of their internal relationship.
I.
The wedding guests must wear the correct garments: Those who are not prepared for the
Wedding Feast will be rejected and sent to the outer darkness. Based on verses 12-13 the
man without wedding clothes is rejected solely on the basis of his garments. This is an
allusion to Zechariah 3:3 in which the Prophet’s filthy garments are a metaphor for his
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personal iniquity. Thus the stain of iniquity is why ‘the king’ rejects the man. This
classification goes beyond “good and bad” that is mentioned earlier in the passage.
II.
God invites all to the Wedding Feast: In verse 9 the King asks his servants to invite
anyone they can find. In verse 10 it is specified that the bad, as well as the good, are
invited. Metaphorically this suggests that God unconditionally calls and desires all people
to be invited to Salvation.
B. Implied Doctrines in the Text
III.
Israel has rejected God’s initial salvific calling: The King’s original guests choose to
reject the invitation even by violence. This provokes a sharp rebuke on the King’s part.
IV.
Hell exists, and the unjustified will be sent there: Jesus mentions the “the darkness, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. This can only relate to contemporary
imagery of a negative afterlife.
C. Relation of Doctrines.
The doctrines of the annulment of the Old Covenant and that of Hell are necessary
backdrops of the doctrines specifically stated in the text. Israel’s rejection of God’s invitation
brings forth Jesus’ emphasis on God’s universal saving and calling of all people. Similarly, the
doctrine of Hell underlines that God’s justification of sinners is what causes salvation and
therefore avoidance of Hell.
I.
Israel has rejected God’s initial salvific calling.
A. Universal Atonement
II.
Justification
A. Hell
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Parallel Passages
Verse 1:
Luke: 14:16: But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17And at
the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for
everything is now ready.’ 18But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I
have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19And another said,
‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20And
another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21So the servant came and
reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his
servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled
and blind and lame.’ 22And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still
there is room.’ 23And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and
compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24For I tell you,d none of those men
who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”
Verse 2:
Revelation 19:17: Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all
the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18to eat the flesh
of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and
the flesh of all men, both free and slave both small and great.”
Verse 4:
Matthew 21:36: Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.
Luke 11:48: The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.
Verse 5:
Hebrews 2:3: how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by
the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard
Verse 6:
Luke 18:32: For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully
treated and spit upon.
Acts 14:5: When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat
them and to stone them
1 Thessalonians 2:2: but though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi,
as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of
much conflict.
Mathew 21:35: And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned
another.
Verse 7:
Matthew 21:41: They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out
the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
Luke 19:27: But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring
them here and slaughter them before me.’
Verse 8:
Matthew 10:11: And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay
there until you depart.
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Acts 13:46: And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of
God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal
life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
Revelation 3:4: Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their
garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5The one who conquers will
be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will
confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
Luke 20:35: but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection
from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage
Verse 9:
Verse 10:
Matthew 14:47: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and
gathered fish of every kind.
Verse 11:
Revelation 19:8: it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
Revelation 22:18: I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone
adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book
Verse 12:
Matthew 20:13: But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not
agree with me for a denarius?
Matthew 26:50: Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do” Then they came up and laid
hands on Jesus and seized him.
Verse 13:
Matthew 8:12: while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that
place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Verse 14:
Revelation 17:4: The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and
jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her
sexual immorality.
Connection to the Person and Work of Christ
Again, how this passage applies directly to the person of Christ will be addressed. Like
the Isaiah 25:1-12 this passage makes it clear that the work and person of Christ has a mission to
all peoples. Unlike Isaiah this parable seems to highlight that in a particular way Israel (at least
the religious authorities) have rejected God’s salvific plan in the form of his covenantal
relationship. This teaching takes the form of the introductory passage in which those invited
mock, ignore or even kill the King’s messengers. This is relative to the person of Christ due to
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his extensive teaching against the holy men of Israel. As well as this, Christ’s rejection in an
official way by the Sanhedrin could be an actual fulfillment of this passage.
This parable also is a concrete depiction how the call to Christ’s eschatological banquet is
not based on a person’s righteousness but a matter of wearing the correct garments. Parallel
passages indicate “unfit garments” to be personal iniquity. Here in this parable, Christ is
indicating that the true
The relationship between Christ the Son and God the Father is also illuminated in this
passage. “The king who gave a wedding feast for his Son”12 in a clear way relates the work of
Christ and the Father with the eschatological Banquet depicted in Isaiah.
Law Applications
The following two passages will address the Pastoral application of this passage as
categorized by “Law” and “Gospel”. This passage contains two specific acts of divine
retribution. The first in verse seven depicts the King paying back those who mistreated his
servants. Whether this is a reference to Israel mistreating the Prophets which Jesus references
elsewhere13, his ministry or most likely both- the message is clear: mistreat God’s servants and
his will burn your city. The second in verse ten depicts God throwing a guest out because he
does not have a proper wedding garment. Again, the point here is obvious: come dressed
incorrectly for judgement and you will be judged poorly. There is an implication that in order to
be saved one must not ignore the invitation of the King, as some of the originally invited do.
The outer darkness is a legitimate possibility even for those the king explicitly invites to his
Banquet. The pastoral insight I see here is if one plans on going to God’s feast with an incorrect
garment at least do the man in the parable one better. Rather than speechlessness responds to the
12
13
Mt 23:1
John 4:44
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King with a sincerity. It is better to fess up one’s unworthiness before God than to pretend
innocence.
Gospel Applications
God’s invitation to Salvation is now extended to all: “the good and the bad”. Not only that,
but the king’s servants are out in the streets proclaiming his invitation. The citation in Zechariah
5:9 adds a context to the wedding garment and its worthiness for the banquet. This detail adds an
implication that what makes the garment clean is God, not human works.
The Gospel application here is a message to Israel and the Church throughout the ages: the
banquet of God is open to all, and God himself will prepare you for it! The simplicity of this
sentiment has applications throughout church history. God does not invite a particular group of
“worthy” individuals to his Banquet and Christians must keep this in mind. The church does not
represent a group of specifically chosen individuals who God happens to favor more than others.
The joy of the Gospel is reduced when Christians seek to make ourselves somehow individually
worthy of God’s love, rather than the reality of our unworthy reception of such a wonderful
heavenly Father. Thus, when proclaiming the Gospel, we must be sure to reach those we
perceive as good and bad, for God has called all to his Eschatological Banquet.
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Critique of Scholarship
With both exegesis on both passages complete it is time to turn back to the theme of
Eschatological Banqueting in contemporary scholarship. In the current discussion there seems to
be two immediate problems in the published work on the topic. First, the meaning of “feasting
with God” is rarely analyzed in its own context and instead is generally a subheading used to
more fully illustrate another biblical idea. Second, when scholars have addressed the theme
directly the analysis comes from a place of systematic theology rather than Biblical exegesis.
Due to the textual approach of this work, systematic theological assumptions have been ignored
in order to determine what the text, its’s author and its context intend to communicate.
Most notably, both passages relate generally to the central thematic problem within
Scripture, that is, human sin and the consequence: death. The passage in Isaiah is quite direct
about this, dramatically proclaiming God will swallow death. Suddenly God who placed the
flaming sword before the tree of life invites humanity back to eternal life. The “reproach”1 God
will remove from his people can certainly be said to be the sin, ancestral and otherwise, that has
caused negative effects in all creation. After these acts of restoring his people God’s hand will
“will rest”2. Finally, God will cause a permanent solution to the problem of Sin. This permanent
solution will have echoes of the cultic Old Covenant, but this Covenant will be brought by God
(who prepares the feast) not us. The Eschatological Banquet and it is meaning is thus central to
the salvific work of God. It is not merely a symbol, or metaphor of God’s work but a poetic
reflection of the reality God has undertaken in the Person of Christ.
This understanding of the feast on Zion is reflected in the Matthean Parable of the
Wedding Feast. With a deeper understanding of the nuance of the parable the theme is clearly
1
2
Isaiah 25:8
Isaiah 25:10
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Salvific. Jesus is using Kingdom imagery to develop the theme of the Eschatological banquet.
Certain differences in presentation should be noted. Jesus posits that those who are not able to
attend the King’s feast are taken to an outer darkness, how and why the gentiles are called into
the class of “God’s chosen people”, and how his proclamation of the forgiveness of sins relates
to eschatology. Doctrinally these developments were central to the transition from cultic worship
of Yahweh in the Temple to Christian worship of Yahweh all around the world. The
Eschatological Banquet in this parable is shown again not to be simply a means of describing a
future reality but the most accurate description of the reality God is bringing about, specifically
in the work of Jesus.
This exegetical study has shown the theologically centrality of the Eschatological
Banquet. Further investigation into how the Eschatological Banquet is compounded by other
imagery should be undertaken. The theological significance of “feasting with God” echoes
through the biblical narrative, describing both the beginning in the Garden of Eden and the
Eschatological Banquet. In order to approach a richer historical understanding of the more
general theme of “feasting with God” throughout the Biblical narrative other passages that are
outside the scope of this study should undergo a similar process of exegesis.
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