Matthew 22:1-14
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
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.”
You must be equipped
Have you ever been invited to a wedding banquet but weren’t dressed for the occasion? For special events, people dress up in nice, clean clothing. Therefore, when the time comes for Heaven’s wedding banquet, you must certainly be equipped with the appropriate attire to attend.
In Matthew 22, Jesus spoke using a parable while viewing the entirety of the time period. God sent Jesus to the earth, bringing the Word for people to actualize the time period as a time period of children. The Jewish people were waiting for God to return, but God sent Jesus instead. Jesus invited them to the wedding banquet—the most joyful time—but their response was pitiful. They didn’t want to attend (Matthew 22:5 “But they paid no attention and went off”). They were set on living in their own ways and made excuses to not attend. Jesus, in the position of the King, made people realize the situation of that time period. When people didn’t show up, Jesus invited anybody to join, including those who didn’t even know God.
To attend a wedding banquet, you need to prepare the appropriate clothing. One man was not wearing proper wedding attire and was consequently kicked out. Wearing the appropriate clothing means to equip yourself with the right actions before the Lord and the Holy Trinity. With improper manners, attitudes, and deeds, people will not be able to join Heaven’s wedding banquet.
What does your clothing represent?
Your clothing represents the results of your actions. Depending on a person’s deeds and responsibilities, their spirit and soul will wear different clothes. Even in the body, you will wear different clothing according to the situation. For example, a soccer player would wear a soccer uniform, a swimmer would wear swimwear, and an astronaut would wear a space suit. It depends on their mission.
Clothing and deeds are united; they are one. Clothing and deeds are basic. Each person should first be equipped with the proper manners and appropriate deeds and then participate in God’s wedding banquet history. To dress appropriately means to dress for the occasion. It should be deeds and clothes that fit the correct time period. A person who lacks sincerity will wear the wrong clothing for the occasion.
How can we don the right clothing?
Wearing the right clothes is about equipping your deeds every day by listening to the Word and living in sync with it in your daily life. By doing so, you will wear clothes that fit your time period. Therefore, escape from your old habits and practices so that you can be properly dressed for the occasion through righteous deeds and actions. When the time comes for Heaven’s wedding banquet, will you miss the banquet because you aren’t wearing the right clothes?
