The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

“Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused.

4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. So he sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite anyone to the banquet.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad and the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.””

Matthew 22:1-14–NIV