Matthew 22:5-15

5 "They only shrugged their shoulders and went off, one to weed his garden, another to work in his shop.
6 The rest, with nothing better to do, beat up on the messengers and then killed them.
7 The king was outraged and sent his soldiers to destroy those thugs and level their city.
8 "Then he told his servants, 'We have a wedding banquet all prepared but no guests. The ones I invited weren't up to it.
9 Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.'
10 The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, good and bad, regardless. And so the banquet was on - every place filled.
11 "When the king entered and looked over the scene, he spotted a man who wasn't properly dressed.
12 He said to him, 'Friend, how dare you come in here looking like that!' The man was speechless.
13 Then the king told his servants, 'Get him out of here - fast. Tie him up and ship him to hell. And make sure he doesn't get back in.'
14 "That's what I mean when I say, 'Many get invited; only a few make it.'"
15 That's when the Pharisees plotted a way to trap him into saying something damaging.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.