The parable of the marriage feast (Matthew 22:1-14) presents the initial invitation given to Jews. The day before delivering this parable, Jesus makes His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. He went to the Temple and drove all that sold and bought in the Temple. The following day when Jesus delivers this parable, and the chief priests and elders asked him, “By what authority do you do these things?” The parable of the marriage feast was one of the three parables he gave that day. The one previous to it was about the wicked husbandmen and when Jesus asked them what the Master of the vineyard should do to those wicked husbandmen who abused his faithful servants and killed the Master’s son, they correctly answered, “He will miserably destroy those miserable men and let out the vineyard to other husbandmen.” Afterward, they perceived that he spake of them (Matthew 21:46). Whether they perceived, or not, Jesus’ parables were most often addressed to the Jewish leaders.
The parable of the marriage feast is similar to the parable of the wicked husbandmen. After receiving the invitation, they abused and killed the faithful servants who invited them as guests. The king was angry and sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned their city (Matthew 22:7). The burning of the city precedes the marriage feast just like John’s vision of the burning of the Harlot city precedes the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 11:8; 19:1-9). The Jews that rejected it were slaughtered and their flesh became a feast for the vultures. But, the slaughter precedes the marriage of the Lamb. The Adultresses and those who burnt offerings of children, according to the Law, were punishable by stoning and then burned with fire (Lev. 20:10-14; Deut. 22:22-24; Lev. 18:21; 20:1-5). According to Josephus and John’s Revelation of Jesus Christ, the old city was hailed with a storm of stones (Rev. 16:21). Historical records report Rome mounting 300 catapults at the siege of Jerusalem. The finale was the burning with fire (Rev. 17:5, 16; 18:2,8).