Have you heard the parable of the Marriage Dinner? I read it afresh recently and God really pressed on my mind a portion of it that I never really gave that much thought. Let me begin with some context.
A King’s son is getting married and he wants to ensure that his son will have plenty of guests at the marriage dinner. Therefore he commands his servants to invite guests, but the people invited at first did not care to come (Mat 22:5) and even mocked the servants and ended up killing them. The king swiftly dealt with these wicked people and then called his other servants to go into the highways to invite “as many as they [can find]” to come to the wedding. Then the tables are made, the guests are seated, the dinner is about to happen and the king enters the room:
“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. 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.”
Matthew 22:11-14 (LSB)
Explanation
The king is God, His Son is Jesus, and Christians are the dinner guests. The first people invited are the hypocritical Jews of the time who killed God’s Old Testament prophets (we understand this clearly from the context of Matthew 22) and therefore the Gentiles (“Nations” aka. You and I) are the ones on the highways. Everyone is invited to the wedding day of Jesus. However, there are some who have come to the wedding dinner without wedding clothes. And this parable is to serve as an example and warning to us to ensure we have on our wedding clothes.
Wedding Clothes
What exactly are our wedding clothes? Simply put: Christ’s Righteousness. There is an idea a dear friend of mine has that I will put a twist to. Every day we wake up with two options: Christ’s Righteousness or Self Righteousness. You will either take on the evil and tasks of the day with your sleeves rolled up thinking “I can do it”. Or begin your day in a meek position saying: “I cannot but Jesus You can”. This man came to the wedding thinking he earned his spot and the only thing he ended up earning was outer darkness.
We are never to think that we earned a spot in the Kingdom of Heaven. Examine yourselves with scripture to ensure you aren’t trying to sneak in with the crowds. You may go to church every Sunday, read your Bible, and talk with other Christians but do you genuinely trust in Jesus as your only option for life? Maybe you are constantly trying to prove to other believers that you belong. Showing others your devotion, your prayer time, your good works, etc. but what you really must do is come to the place Paul found himself: “I know that nothing good lives in me” (Romans 7:18). Find your rest in Him. Find your comfort in Jesus. You can do nothing but fall on Him for reassurance, for “acceptance in the beloved” (Eph 1:6), and for life itself. Take comfort in the fact that the King of all of life, for His Son’s sake, wanted to invite you to the wedding! Accept the invitation! But know that nothing in you or I is deserving of such an invite. Only Jesus. Only Jesus.
Respond
- Praise God for His mercy, grace, and loving kindness towards us.
- Confess to God your self-righteous ways and standing
- Ask God to create a meek spirit in you depending only on the righteousness of Christ