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And Jesus answered and spake unto them again,.... Not to the multitude only, but to the chief priests, elders, Scribes, and Pharisees: for though Mark seems to intimate, that upon the delivery of the last parable of the vineyard, they left him, and went their way; yet since he does not relate the following parable, they might not leave him until they had heard that, which is spoken with much the same design as the former, and might increase their resentment the more: or if the chief priests and elders did go away, the Pharisees remained behind, as is clear from Mat 22:15 to whom he spake by parables, similitudes, and comparisons, taken from earthly things, and against whom he directed the following one; and said, as hereafter related.

So these servants went out into the highways,.... Turned from the Jews, and went among the Gentiles, preaching the Gospel to them; particularly the Apostle Paul, with Barnabas, and others: and gathered together all, as many as they found, both good and bad: the Persic version reads it, "known or unknown". The Gospel ministry is the means of gathering souls to Christ, and to attend his ordinances, and into his churches; and of these that are gathered by it into churches, and to an attendance on outward ordinances, some are good and some bad, as the fishes gathered in the net of the Gospel are said to be, in Mat 13:47 which may either express the character of the Gentiles before conversion, some of them being outwardly good in their civil and moral character; closely adhering to the law and light of nature, doing the things of it, and others notoriously wicked; or rather, how they proved when gathered in, some being real believers, godly persons, whose conversations were as became the Gospel of Christ; others hypocrites, empty professors, having a form of godliness, and nothing of the power of it; destitute of grace in their hearts, and of holiness in their lives; and the whole sets forth the diligence of the servants, in executing their master's orders, with so much readiness and exactness: and the wedding was furnished with guests; that is, the wedding chamber, or the place where the wedding was kept, and the marriage dinner was prepared, and eat; so the Syriac renders it, , "the house of the feast", or where the feast was kept; and so the Ethiopic version: the Persic version reads it, "the house of the nuptial feast": which designs the house and church of God, into which large numbers of the Gentiles were brought, by the ministry of the apostles; so that it was filled with persons that made a profession of Christ and his Gospel.

He saith to His servants, that is, to the Apostles; or to the Angels, who were set over the calling of the Gentiles, The wedding is ready. Or otherwise; I suppose this first bidding to the wedding to have been a bidding of some of the more noble minds. For God would have those before all come to the feast of the divine oracles who are of the more ready wit to understand them; and forasmuch as they who are such are loth to come to that kind of summons, other servants are sent to move them to come, and to promise that they shall find the dinner prepared. For as in the things of the body, one is the bride, others the inviters to the feast, and they that are bidden are others again; so God knows the various ranks of souls, and their powers, and the reasons why these are taken into the condition of the Bride, others in the rank of the servants that call, and others among the number of those that are bidden as guests. But they who had been thus especially invited contemned the first inviters as poor in understanding, and went their way, following their own devices, as more delighting in them than in those things which the King by his servants promised. Yet are these more venial than they who ill-treat and put to death the servants sent unto them; those, that is, who daringly assail with weapons of contentious words the servants sent, who are unequal to solve their subtle difficulties, and those are illtreated or put to death by them. The servants going forth are either Christ's Apostles going from Judæa and Jerusalem, or the Holy Angels from the inner worlds, and going to the various ways of various manners, gathered together whomsoever they found, not caring whether before their calling they had been good or bad. By the good here we may understand simply the more humble and upright of those who come to the worship of God, to whom agreed what the Apostle says, When the Gentiles which have not the Law do by nature the things contained in the Law, they are a law unto themselves. (Rom. 2:14.)

Since then they were not worthy, go ye, saith He, into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid; both the common sort, and the outcasts. For because He had said in every way, "The harlots and publicans shall inherit heaven;" and, "The first shall be last, and the last first;" He shows that justly do these things come to pass; which more than anything stung the Jews, and goaded them far more grievously than their overthrow, to see those from the Gentiles brought into their privileges, and into far greater than theirs. Then in order that not even these should put confidence in their faith alone, He discourses unto them also concerning the judgment to be passed upon wicked actions; to them that have not yet believed, of coming unto Him by faith, and to them that have believed, of care with respect to their life. For the garment is life and practice.

(Hom. lxix.) Forasmuch as He had said, And it shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof, He now proceeds to show what nation that is.

(Verse 8 and following) Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore, go to the street corners and invite to the wedding feast whoever you find.' So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad and the good alike, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. There were no Gentiles on the streets, but at the exits of the streets. However, it is questioned how among those who were outside, some bad and good ones were found. The Apostle to the Romans discusses this place more fully ((al. added, saying)) (Rom. 2:14): that the Gentiles, who naturally do the things that are of the law, condemn the Jews who have not made the written law. Among the ethnic groups themselves, there is infinite diversity; since we know that some are prone to vices and inclined to evil, while others are dedicated to the virtues of honorable customs.

For there is an infinite difference among the Gentiles themselves; some are more prone to vice, others are endowed with more incorrupt and virtuous manners.

(de Cons. Ev. ii. 71.) This parable is related only by Matthew. Luke gives one like it, but it is not the same, as the order shows.

This wedding pictures the marriage of the church to the Word. The donation of the gifts of the wealthy provides for the wedding’s preparation and is compared with bulls and fattened calves prepared for lavish feasting. For Paul says that “in every way” we have been “enriched” in Christ, in our “speaking and knowledge.” The first and second are called servants. The first are those who run ahead in light of the coming of the Lord, fellow laborers and successors of the apostles. But a failure to watch carefully prevents those who are invited from attending. For they “who live their lives according to the flesh” do not follow the divine call which is according to Christ. In the case of the rest, with the calling of the nations there is no longer a separation of a people nor a special honor accorded to Israel. But grace is even [given] to the rejected and outcasts, “to the wise and to the foolish,” as Paul says, to the evil and to the good, as the parable teaches … if it is that they really obey the calling to do good, “having clothed themselves with the new humanity.” If this proves not to be true, though they were called, they were not chosen. Rather, their calling is even overturned.

These are the errors of the Gentiles.

It follows: "And his servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good, and the wedding was filled with guests." Behold, now by the very quality of those dining together it is openly shown that through these royal nuptials the present Church is designated, in which both good and evil come together. For it is mixed with a diversity of children, because although it begets all unto faith, yet it does not lead all through a change of life to the liberty of spiritual grace, their faults preventing it. For as long as we live here, it is necessary that we proceed on the way of the present age in a mixed state. But then we are separated when we arrive. For the good alone are nowhere except in heaven; and the evil alone are nowhere except in hell. But this life which is situated between heaven and hell, just as it subsists in the middle, so it receives the citizens of both parts in common; whom nevertheless holy Church both now receives without distinction and afterward separates at their departure. If therefore you are good, as long as you subsist in this life, bear with the evil patiently. For whoever does not tolerate the evil, he himself is a witness to himself through his intolerance that he is not good. For he refuses to be Abel whom the malice of Cain does not exercise. Thus on the threshing floor the grains are pressed under the chaff; thus flowers arise among thorns, and the rose which gives fragrance grows with the thorn which pricks. Indeed the first man had two sons; but one of them was chosen, the other was reprobate. The ark of Noah contained three sons; but two of them were chosen, and one was reprobate. Abraham had two sons; but one was chosen, the other was reprobate. Isaac had two sons; but one was chosen, the other was rejected. Jacob had twelve sons; but of these one was sold through innocence, while the others through malice were sellers of their brother. Twelve apostles were chosen; but one was mixed among them who would test, eleven who would be tested. Seven deacons were ordained by the apostles; but while six remained in the right faith, one became the author of error. In this Church therefore neither can the evil be without the good, nor the good without the evil. Therefore, dearest brothers, bring back to mind the times past, and strengthen yourselves for the toleration of the evil. For if we are children of the elect, it necessarily remains that we walk by their examples. For he was not good who refused to tolerate the evil. For hence it is that blessed Job asserts of himself, saying: "I was a brother of dragons, and a companion of ostriches." Hence through Solomon it is said in the voice of the bridegroom to holy Church: "As a lily among thorns, so is my beloved among the daughters." Hence the Lord says to Ezekiel: "Son of man, unbelievers and subverters are with you, and you dwell among scorpions." Hence Peter glorifies the life of blessed Lot, saying: "And he rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the injury of the wicked in their conduct; for in sight and hearing he was righteous, dwelling among those who from day to day tormented his righteous soul with their lawless deeds." Hence Paul both praises and strengthens the life of his disciples, saying: "In the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life." Hence John testifies to the Church of Pergamos, saying: "I know where you dwell, where the throne of Satan is, and you hold my name, and you have not denied my faith." Behold, dearest brothers, running through almost all things we recognize that he was not good whom the depravity of the evil did not test. For if I may speak thus, the iron of our soul is by no means brought to the sharpness of a fine edge unless the file of another's depravity has worn it down. But it should not frighten you that in the Church there are both many who are evil and few who are good, because the ark amid the waters of the flood, which bore the type of this Church, was both wide in its lower parts and narrow in its upper parts, and at its very summit it grew to the measure of a single cubit. In its lower part it is to be believed it contained quadrupeds and reptiles, but in its upper part birds and human beings. It was wide where it held beasts; it was narrow where it preserved human beings, because indeed the holy Church is spacious in carnal matters but narrow in spiritual ones. For where it tolerates the bestial behavior of people, there it relaxes its fold more widely. But where it has those who are supported by spiritual reason, there indeed it is led to the summit, yet because they are few, it is narrowed. For "wide is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who go by it; and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it." Moreover, the ark is narrowed at the top to such an extent that it is brought to the measure of a single cubit, because in the holy Church the holier any persons are, the fewer they are. At its summit it is brought to him who alone among human beings was born holy, without comparison to any other. Who, according to the voice of the Psalmist, was made "like a solitary sparrow on a rooftop." Therefore the evil are to be tolerated all the more, the more abundantly they abound, because even on the threshing floor there are few grains that are stored in granaries, and great heaps of chaff that are burned with fire.

(ubi sup.) Or; He means that in this present Church there cannot be bad without good, nor good without bad. He is not good who refuses to endure the bad.

Since the previous servants, Moses and those with him, and the prophets, did not persuade them, He sends out other servants, the apostles, and they call the Gentiles who do not walk in the true way but are divided, some here, some there, separated into many ways and doctrines. Indeed, they are to be found along the lanes off from the highways, that is, in great error, delusion, and deviation. They were even at odds among themselves, and were not in the true way, but along the exits, which are the evil doctrines that they taught. For they were not all content with the same doctrines, but some with these and some with those. But perhaps an even better explanation is this: the highway is the life and the manner in which each person lives; the lanes exiting from the highway are doctrines. The pagan Greeks, then, travel along evil highways, that is, they lead reprehensible lives, and from these evil lives they have turned off into godless doctrines, setting up shameful gods as patrons of their own passions. So as the apostles went forth from Jerusalem to the Gentiles, they gathered all together, both evil and good, that is, those filled with every wickedness and also those less wicked whom He calls good by comparison to the others.

There follows the execution: and his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all; Mark 16:20: but they going forth preached everywhere, the Lord working withal. But what does he mean when he says good and bad? It can be said, those who were first bad, and afterward good. Or it can be said, when he says good and bad, that he speaks comparatively, since among them some are good according to civil virtues. Or good and bad, because after they were gathered together, good and bad are mixed together. And the wedding was furnished with guests, i.e., with the faithful. Above at 13:48 a similar thing is presented: which, when it was filled, they drew out, and sitting by the shore, they chose out the good into vessels, but the bad they cast forth.

PARABLE OF THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING'S SON. (Mat 22:1-14) The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son--"In this parable," as TRENCH admirably remarks, "we see how the Lord is revealing Himself in ever clearer light as the central Person of the kingdom, giving here a far plainer hint than in the last parable of the nobility of His descent. There He was indeed the Son, the only and beloved one (Mar 12:6), of the Householder; but here His race is royal, and He appears as Himself at once the King and the King's Son (Psa 72:1). The last was a parable of the Old Testament history; and Christ is rather the last and greatest of the line of its prophets and teachers than the founder of a new kingdom. In that, God appears demanding something from men; in this, a parable of grace, God appears more as giving something to them. Thus, as often, the two complete each other: this taking up the matter where the other left it." The "marriage" of Jehovah to His people Israel was familiar to Jewish ears; and in Psa. 45:1-17 this marriage is seen consummated in the Person of Messiah "THE KING," Himself addressed as "GOD" and yet as anointed by "HIS GOD" with the oil of gladness above His fellows. These apparent contradictions (see on Luk 20:41-44) are resolved in this parable; and Jesus, in claiming to be this King's Son, serves Himself Heir to all that the prophets and sweet singers of Israel held forth as to Jehovah' s ineffably near and endearing union to His people. But observe carefully, that THE BRIDE does not come into view in this parable; its design being to teach certain truths under the figure of guests at a wedding feast, and the want of a wedding garment, which would not have harmonized with the introduction of the Bride.

So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good--that is, without making any distinction between open sinners and the morally correct. The Gospel call fetched in Jews, Samaritans, and outlying heathen alike. Thus far the parable answers to that of "the Great Supper" (Luk 14:16, &c.). But the distinguishing feature of our parable is what follows: