The arrogant often ignore God; God seeks the lowly of this world who will humbly acknowledge his reign. Vengeance restores some of the king's honor, but to recoup it more fully the king must invite other guests who will accept his invitation, even if they are of much lower status than the first invitees (compare p. Hagiga 2:2, 5; Vermes 1993:113). The matter is urgent: otherwise the freshly prepared food will spoil. Commentators generally believe that those gathered from outside the destroyed city represent the Gentiles (Meier 1980:248; Theissen 1991:272). This view would fit Matthew's emphasis on the Jewish-Christian mission to the Gentiles.

The welcoming of both good and bad (v. 10) echoes Jesus' own mission to sinners (9:11-13), but it may also remind us that grace not only forgives but also transforms. All are welcome, but no one dare remain the way he or she entered, in view of the final separation of "the wicked from the righteous" (13:49). Such echoes of earlier passages in the Gospel prepare the reader for the parable that follows (22:11-14): salvation is not simply a matter of those who begin the race, for we must finish it (compare 13:20-23).