Some of those invited not only refused the gracious invitation but abused and even murdered the king"s servants. Enraged at their conduct the king sent his army, destroyed the murderers, and burned down their city (cf. Matthew 21:38-41). Burning down an enemy"s city was a common fate of rebels in the ancient East (cf. 2 Chronicles 36:19; Nahum 3:14-15). Here Jesus implied it would happen to Jerusalem again. It did happen in A.D70 when the Roman emperor Titus finally overcame the Jewish rebels and scattered them from Palestine. This was Jesus" first prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem. [source][source][source]