The Open Feast

1And Jesus answered and again spoke to them in parables, saying:

2The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.

3And he sent his servants to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.

4Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’

5But they paid no attention and went away, one to his own field, another to his business.

6But the rest, seizing his servants, mistreated them and killed them.

7But the king became angry, and he sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

8Then he says to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.’

9Therefore go to the street intersections, and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.

10And those servants went out into the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with guests reclining at the table.

11But when the king came in to look at the guests reclining at the table, he saw there a man not wearing a wedding garment.

12And he says to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was speechless.

13Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind his feet and hands and throw him out into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14For many are called, but few are chosen.