This morning I was thinking through some ideas about the Kingdom of God and found myself thinking about the parable of the Wedding Feast. One of the things that always bothered me was the one guy who showed up without the appropriate wedding garb. Here is the story as told by Jesus in Matthew 22:8-14 NIV:
[8]“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. [9] So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
[10] So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. [11] “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. [12] He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend ?’ The man was speechless. [13] “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ [14] “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
As I was thinking about this story this morning, I realized that the issue was that this individual had refused the wedding clothes that had been prepared for him. All the others were appropriately garbed, and they had come from the same place that he had, and had been lately invited, yet they had the appropriate clothing. I was reminded of this verse from Isaiah as I was thinking this through:
Isaiah 61:10 NIV: "I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."
It was the King who provided both the invitation and the clothing, and all the man needed to do was accept both. This is symbolic of grace, and salvation through faith. God sent His son Jesus to pay for our sins, to extend salvation to all, and then invited us into relationship. We are called of His initiative, not because of something we have done, we are saved through His sacrifice, not through something we have accomplished. The wedding garb is symbolic of salvation through grace, of being clothed in the righteousness of Christ Jesus, and this man had refused the offer. Paul speaks about us being clothed in Christ is his letter to the Galatians 3:26-29 NIV: [26] "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, [27] for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."
Thus, the King was justified in his response, for He clearly symbolizes the Father who has given His greatest gift, the Son, that we might be clothed in salvation and righteousness. This man symbolizes, in his refusal to wear that which is provided and for which was paid the greatest cost, one who rejects the gift of salvation and righteousness available in Christ Jesus. One could say that he has preferred his own cloths (works) to those provided (grace). Oh Lord help us to rightly receive Your greatest gift, and recognize that it is not our works but through Your grace (unmerited favor, free gift) that we can partake.
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