Matthew 22:4
Thursday, 13 August 2026
Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’ Matthew 22:4
“Again, he sent other servants, saying, ‘You say to those ‘having been called’, “You behold, the ‘brunch, mine’ I prepared, the ‘oxen, mine’ and the fatted have been sacrificed, and all – readied. You come to the nuptials!”’” (CG)
In the previous verse, Jesus continued the parable of the wedding feast, saying that the servants were sent out to those who had been called, but that none were willing to come. He continues now, saying, “Again, he sent other servants, saying.”
The word allos is used. It signifies others of the same kind. They were different servants, but they possessed the same characteristics as the first. Their instructions begin with, “You say to those ‘having been called’.”
As in the previous verse, the perfect participle is used, indicating those of Israel. They had been called previously, and that calling continued until that day. When they go to these people, they are to say, “You behold, the ‘brunch, mine’ I prepared.”
This is a new word, ariston. It will be seen a total of three times, once here and twice in Luke. Its meaning is debated. Strong says, “the best meal (or breakfast; perhaps from eri (‘early’)), i.e. Luncheon -- dinner.” HELPS Word Studies says, “...(literally, ‘without boundary, designation’) – properly, ‘undetermined,’ referring to the meal eaten anytime before the main meal (i.e. ‘supper,’).”
A word that will adequately convey any of the meanings is brunch. Along with that, they are to proclaim, “the ‘oxen, mine’ and the fatted have been sacrificed.”
Three more new words are seen. The first is tauros, a bull or ox. This is probably etymologically connected to the Aramaic word tor, a bull. That, in turn, is connected to the Hebrew shor, a bullock. One can see the Greek root of Ford’s Taraus model car, most of which have been turned into paper clips and razor blades at this point.
The second word is sitistos, a fatling. It is derived from sitos, grain. Thus, it is a grain-fed animal purposely raised for such feasts. This is its only use in the New Testament. The third new word is thuó, to kill as a sacrifice. HELPS Word Studies says, “...to kill as a sacrifice and offer on an altar. 2380 /thýō (‘sacrifice’) means more than ‘kill’ as it also suggests offering something as a spiritual sacrifice.” Along with these things, a note of urgency is given, “and all – readied.”
A final new word is seen, hetoimos, adjusted, ready, prepared, etc. It signifies that the necessary preparations are complete to meet an intended purpose. With that noted, imperative words of petition are laid forth, “You come to the nuptials!”
One can hear the plea, almost of desperation. “I have done everything for you to join me to share in this marvelous celebration. You gotta come, you just gotta!”
Life application: The words of Isaiah 65:2 come directly into focus –
“I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
Who walk in a way that is not good.”
It is as if the Lord is standing there, pleading with the people with His arms and hands extended. This continued for generation after generation. When Jesus came, the appeal continued to be made. At some point, anyone would say, “This simply isn’t working.”
This is a truth that has to be considered in the world at large. The Lord, through the gospel, has been pleading with the people of the world to come to Him. But there is one point to consider that cannot be overlooked. In the parable, God sent out servants.
This was once active. Jesus commissioned disciples and apostles to go out and spread the word. Now, though active in the sense that we are instructed in the word to send out the message (as in Romans 10), it is also something that is only hoped for in the sense that God doesn’t come into our house and say, “Ok, John, you need to go to Papua New Guinea and share the gospel.”
Rather, He relies on us to accept that His word is directive in this manner and that we will comply with what it says. It doesn’t take any effort to hand out a gospel tract, open your mouth at work to tell associates about your faith, or to live responsibly as a Christian, filled with the joy of the Lord, so that others will see and want to know about what you possess.
If you are a saved believer in Jesus, God desires to make His appeal to the people of the world through you. Are you willing to comply with His will? If not, you will stand before Him and give a reckoning of your life. There will be loss in such matters. Don’t suffer loss. Be one who is rewarded richly for complying with the will of God by sharing your faith with others.
Lord God, help us in the duty we are called to perform in conveying the good news of Jesus to others. May we be diligent in our efforts, carefully and meticulously finding others who need to hear this good news. Help us in this, O God. Amen.
