The Wedding Banquet

 

But when the King came in to see the guests,

He noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes,

“Friend,” he asked, “how did you get in here without wedding clothes?”

The man was speechless.

Then the King said to the attendants, “Tie him hand and foot,

And throw him outside into the darkness,

Where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 22:11-13

 

In biblical times, the wealthy parents who could afford a big bash threw a huge wedding celebration for their child.  If you were on the guest list, you would receive a wedding invitation, along with wedding clothes for the number of people in your family who were invited guests.  Every attendee, rich or poor, wore the same beautiful garment for the celebration.

In Jesus’ parable, when the King comes in to greet his guests, there is a man there without the provided garment.  How he got past the bouncer at the door is anyone’s guess.  When the King inquired about the missing garment, the man was “speechless.”  He knew exactly where that garment was – at home in his closet.  For whatever reason, this man took the stand that his clothing was good enough. 

We are all invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  Our own clothing will not do – especially since Isaiah points out that our garments are like “filthy rags.”   But we who come out of great earthly tribulation will have washed our robes and “made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”