The Parable of the Wedding Feast
Matthew 22:1-13
Jesus again used parables in talking to the people. “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. He sent his servants to tell the invited guests to come to the feast, but they did not want to come. So he sent other servants with this message for the guests: ‘My feast is ready now; my steers and prize calves have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!’
But the invited guests paid no attention and went about their business: one went to his farm, another to his store, while others grabbed the servants, beat them, and killed them. The king was very angry; so he sent his soldiers, who killed those murderers and burned down their city. Then he called his servants and said to them, ‘My wedding feast is ready, but the people I invited did not deserve it. Now go to the main streets and invite to the feast as many people as you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, good and bad alike; and the wedding hall was filled with people.
“The king went in to look at the guests and saw a man who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ the king asked him. But the man said nothing. Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him outside in the dark. There he will cry and gnash his teeth.’”
And Jesus concluded, “Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
The rich and the famous of this world love to display their glamour by dressing up for banquets and then posing in front of the paparazzi photographers so that they can be seen on the front pages of newspapers.
Just this week there was The Met Gala in New York, following the US Open Tennis.
Our newly crowned champ, Emma Raducanu was invited and arrived in a chic black and white costume.
Being correctly dressed for the occasion is the crux of Jesus' parable here.
Like some other of Jesus' parables, to our western mentality, it doesn't seem fair that this guy who had been invited "off the street" would be thrown out for not being dressed appropriately!
But we need to relate to weddings of Jesus' time to correctly understand the meaning.
In those days wedding clothes were provided for the guests.
So there was no reason not to be dressed properly.
To join God's banquet we need to dress in the "clothes" He provides - the robe of Jesus' Righteousness - exchanging our own tarnished sin-stained garments, for Jesus' perfect one.
The guy at the feast obviously rejected the garment provided for him and paid the penalty.
Yes, through Jesus we are ALL invited to the great feast in Heaven.
And God even supplies the attire.
He has prepared everything, He wants us to share in that joyful celebration, but we must wear His provided wedding garment.
Lots of people say: "I don't need God's forgiveness, I'm a good person", which, in effect is rejecting the necessary wedding clothes for entry into Heaven!
Question: what spiritual clothes are you wearing? Your own "goodness" or Jesus' wedding clothes?
Isaiah 64:6 AMPC
all our righteousness (our best deeds of rightness and justice) is like filthy rags or a polluted garment!
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