Highways; ὁδου Ìς: the roads. Not "the partings of the ways," whither they had been ordered to go. Some see here an intimation of the imperfection of the work of human agents; but it is very doubtful if any such allusion is intended.
More probably τα Ìς ὁδου Ìς is only a synonym for τα Ìς διεξο ìδους τῶν ὁδῶν. Both bad and good. The visible Church contains a mixed company, as Christ indicated by more than one parable; e.g. the draw net, the tares, etc.
(Matthew 13:1-58.). The bad are named first, in order to show the infinite graciousness of the king. In the earliest times converts were baptized with very little preparation and without any probation, as we see in the case of the eunuch, the jailor, and many more mentioned in the Acts; and doubtless many were insincere and soon lapsed.
When we read of whole households being baptized, and in later times of whole nations receiving Christian initiation, there must have been little individual preparation of heart or cleansing of conscience, and the missioner had to take for granted much which more careful examination would have proved to be fallacious.
The mention of this mixture of bad and good in the company introduces the final scene. The wedding. The Sinaitic, Vatican, and other manuscripts read "marriage chamber" ( νυμφω Ìν). So Tischendorf and Westcott and Herr.
But the received text is well founded, and seems more natural. Guests; ἀνακειμε ìνων: literally, recliners; Vulgate, discumbentium; so called from the customary attitude at meals.