Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 22].
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22:1 {Again in parables} (\palin en parabolais\). Matthew has
already given two on this occasion (The Two Sons, The Wicked
Husbandmen). He alone gives this Parable of the Marriage Feast of
the King's Son. It is somewhat similar to that of The Supper in
Lu 14:16-23 given on another occasion. Hence some scholars
consider this merely Matthew's version of the Lucan parable in
the wrong place because of Matthew's habit of grouping the
sayings of Jesus. But that is a gratuitous indictment of
Matthew's report which definitely locates the parable here by
\palin\. Some regard it as not spoken by Jesus at all, but an
effort on the part of the writer to cover the sin and fate of the
Jews, the calling of the Gentiles, and God's demand for
righteousness. But here again it is like Jesus and suits the
present occasion.
22:2 {A marriage feast} (\gamous\). The plural, as here
(2,3,4,9), is very common in the papyri for the wedding
festivities (the several acts of feasting) which lasted for days,
seven in Jud 14:17. The very phrase here, \gamous poiein\,
occurs in the Doric of Thera about B.C. 200. The singular \gamos\
is common in the papyri for the wedding contract, but Field
(_Notes_, p. 16) sees no difference between the singular here in
22:8 and the plural (see also Ge 29:22; Es 9:22; Macc.
10:58).
22:3 {To call them that were bidden} (\kalesai tous
kekl•menous\). "Perhaps an unconscious play on the words, lost in
both A.V. and Rev., {to call the called}" (Vincent). It was a
Jewish custom to invite a second time the already invited (Es
5:8; 6:14). The prophets of old had given God's invitation to
the Jewish people. Now the Baptist and Jesus had given the second
invitation that the feast was ready. {And they would not come}
(\kai ouk •thelon elthein\). This negative imperfect
characterizes the stubborn refusal of the Jewish leaders to
accept Jesus as God's Son (Joh 1:11). This is "The Hebrew
Tragedy" (Conder).
22:4 {My dinner} (\to ariston mou\). It is breakfast, not dinner.
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/MT22.RWP.html (1 of 5) [28/08/2004 09:03:21 a.m.]
Word Pictures in the New Testament
(Matthew: Chapter 22)