But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless.
Matthew 22:11-12 (NASB)
It’s not unusual for a bride to pick out her wedding dress a year or more before the big event. Who can blame her? It’s one of the most special days in her lifetime. Each bride wants to look as beautiful as possible from head to toe. However, the main emphasis is on “the dress.”
As invited guests, even we want to make sure we are dressed appropriately for a wedding. All ladies want to look pretty, and even though most won’t admit it, I think the guys want to look especially nice, too. Our attire usually fits our personality and our shape. Some of us have wide hips, doughboy bellies or we are as straight as a bean pole. Regardless of our shape, we want to dress as best we can.
In Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus’ shares the parable of the wedding feast. We’re all invited. This wedding invitation is the most important one we’ll receive. It is an invitation to live in His Kingdom for eternity, but we must be properly dressed for the wedding feast.
Have you put on the wedding clothes God speaks of in Matthew 22:12? Our clothing should reveal we are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. The Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, illustrate clearly how we are to be clothed.
Isaiah 64:6 (NIV) says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” The prophet Isaiah emphasizes the fallen condition of the of people of Israel. They gave the appearance of being righteous, but were caught up in idolatry.
We must be clothed in the apparel purchased with the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 61:10 (NIV) says:
“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.
Christ is the Bridegroom and the church, the body of believers, is the bride. That is awesome! I hope we are all anticipating the day when we will be in the Holy City united with our Bridegroom.
God will know who is properly dressed for the wedding feast. Matthew 22:13-14 (NASB) says, “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.” These verses should give us pause. We need to make sure that our clothing shows we are His! The invitation has been sent, and we need to RSVP. That means we need to turn to Him, confess our sins, put our trust in His sacrifice made for us and accept His invitation to the wedding feast. To be prepared for that feast, Christ is the wedding garment we must put on.
As beautiful as wedding festivities are, the most important wedding feast we will ever attend is when we sit at the table reserved only for those who have accepted Jesus into their hearts. We will celebrate with our Lord!
By His Grace,
Joan
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8 Comments
that verse that says ‘few are chosen’ ALWAYS give me chills…i love this post, joan…i love the image of putting on Christ…
I know that verse 14 is something to pray about and ponder. If we truly know Christ and are clothed in His righteousness, we’ll be with Him at the wedding feast. Maybe Bob would speak to this verse. It has given me some pause, too, Janet. I think the emphasis is that we need to be true followers, not just in name only.
Joan, that was a great article…couldn’t have said it better myself! But interpreting parables can be a bit tricky. In this case, verse 14 and the word “chosen” has direct, and only, reference to the guests attire. No wedding garment, no entrance. The “called” has reference to the general invitation…”whosoever will” from John 3:16, I believe. The initial invitation in the first part of the parable likely has reference to the Jewish people and their rejection of the Messiah by the leaders. Joan is right in her article to emphasize the nature of the wedding garment…the righteous robes of Christ. Unfortunately, as with this guest, too many people leave this earth thinking they are dressed appropriately for the wedding, and I’m sure are found speechless…v 12. If I may make an applicable observation, I’ve noticed that more and more people are “dressing down” for weddings these days…and funerals, for that matter. Folks are showing up according to their own whims. Likewise, the standard is being lowered in our Christian culture as to what is needed to attend the Lord’s wedding feast…so as not to offend anyone. Sadly, there will be some surprised folks. Well written article, Joan.
Bob, I was going through the old posts and much to my dismay, I discovered I had never thanked you for your explaining verse 14 and putting it into context. Thank you, Bob! I miss the blog in so many ways.
AWESOME! Thank you Joan!
Thank you Joan…very thought provoking! Bob your right, people do dress down, at first I was shocked to see them in Church. Then I had to remember that I am judging again!
Joan I am very thankful for this blog on the wedding feast it really is going to help alot in explaining the wedding feast to others. Be blessed and be encouraged.
I’m glad my post on the Wedding Feast was helpful Cristi. Thank you. Blessings to you in Christ!
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