Parable of the Great Banquet

But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise, and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them.

Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.'

"The version of in the Gospel of Luke is somewhat shorter, and refers only to a banquet rather than a wedding feast: ...Then Jesus said to him, "Someone gave a great dinner and invited many.

Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.'

'"The non-canonical Gospel of Thomas also includes the parable as saying 64; its version is quite close to Luke's, although ends slightly differently with a conclusion that "Buyers and traders [will] not enter the places of my father.

[6] Matthew's version additionally suggests that even some of the newly invited guests are not worthy of sitting at the table, if they are not wearing a proper wedding garment.

Some commentators suggest that the wedding clothes or garment in this parable were provided by the host,[10] but this is unlikely to be the intended implication.

[15] In the Gospel of Thomas, the parable "becomes an exhortation against the affairs of business and a life of gain," reflecting Gnosticism's prizing of ascetic lifestyles.

[15] The theme of a divine invitation, human rejection, and ultimate judgment also appears in the Quran, notably in Surah Al-Haqqah (69:26–37).

It includes the command, "Take him, and shackle him, then burn him in the Blaze" (69:30–31), which parallels the harsh judgment in the Biblical parable where the king orders, "Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness."

Both texts underscore the significance of responding to divine guidance and the moral preparedness required for ultimate acceptance.

Matthew's version makes more sense for a church that has many more Gentiles in it than the one at the time of Jesus's death and additionally has knowledge of the outcome of the First Jewish–Roman War.