Part 1 - Who Are They Who Refuse Christ?
Matt. 21:45 and Luke 14:1 tell us Jesus was talking to the "chief priests and Pharisees" in Matt. 22.
In Luke 14, the excuses given for not coming to the supper were "I have bought a piece of ground", "I have bought five yoke of oxen" and "I have married a wife". In response to these excuses, the "Lord" the "master of the house" had these men of industry replaced with "the poor, the maimed, the halt and the blind".
Christ concludes this parable "none of those men...bidden shall taste of my supper". "Taste of my supper" is to receive and understand Christ. (John 6:32-35). This declaration "I am the true bread: is placed right after Christ fed the five thousand (John 6:10).
Clearly Christ is saying that those who refuse to come to the "great supper" are those who refuse Him. The parable of the marriage supper is preceded by this statement: "And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them" (Matt. 21:45). So there is no question who those who were too industrious to attend the "marriage ...dinner" of Matthew 22 or the "great supper" of Luke 14 are. They are the religious leaders of the people of God of every generation. These are the very same people mentioned in Rev. 3:17 who say "I am rich and increased with goods (industrious people both physically and spiritually) and have need of nothing; and know not that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked" (Rev. 3:17).
The question more precisely is why did they refuse to accept the invitation to come to the "great supper" of Luke 14:16 or the wedding 'dinner' of Matt. 22:4? The question at the heart of these parables is: WHY WOULD ANYONE REFUSE AND REJECT THEIR SAVIOR? Why are "the multitudes" led by their leaders away from Christ?
Why is one blessed if he accepts the invitation to this marriage supper? "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Rev. 20:6).
Once again the question is still why would anyone refuse and excuse himself from what is simply the single greatest honor that can be bestowed upon anyone in all of the history of mankind? No one doubts that these two parables represent the first resurrection: "…Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb…" (Rev. 19:9).
The excuses given in both parables are the same: "But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise" (Matt. 22:5).
