But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
All Commentaries on Matthew 22:5 Go To Matthew 22
Gregory The Dialogist
AD 604
But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business. To go to your farm is to involve yourself excessively in earthly toil. To go to your business is to long for the gain brought by our worldly activity. One person is concerned with earthly toil, another devoted to the business of this world. Neither takes notice of the mystery of the Lord’s incarnation. They are unwilling to live in accordance with it. As if they are proceeding to their farm or business, they refuse to come to the marriage feast of the king. Frequently, and this is a more serious matter, some not only decline the gift of the one calling them but even persecute those who accept it. And so he adds, “The rest seized his servants, and, having insulted them, killed them. But the king, learning of this, sent his armies, destroyed those murderers and set fire to their city.” He destroys the murderers because he has slain the persecutors; he sets fire to their city because not only their souls but even their bodies are tormented by the eternal flames of hell …. But the one who sees himself despised when he issues the invitations will not have the marriage feast of his son the king empty. He sends for others, because although God’s word is in danger from some, it will find a place to come to rest. Then he said to his servants, “The marriage feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the byroads, and call to the marriage feast everyone you find.” If we take the roads in holy Scripture to mean our actions, we interpret the byroads as our failed actions. Often it is those who meet no prosperity in their earthly actions who come readily to God. And his servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, bad and good, and the marriage feast was filled with guests. The character of those at the banquet reveals clearly that the king’s marriage feast represents the church of this time, in which the bad are present along with the good. The church is a thorough mix of various offspring. It brings them all to the faith but does not lead them all to the liberty of spiritual grace successfully by changes in their lives, since their sins prevent it. As long as we are living in this world we have to proceed along the road of the present age thoroughly mixed together. We shall be separated when we reach our goal. Only the good are in heaven, and only the bad are in hell. This life is situated between heaven and hell. It goes on in the middle, so to speak, and takes in the citizens of both parts. The church admits them now without distinguishing them but separates them later when they leave this life.
