In the parable of the wedding feast, Jesus compared the Kingdom of heaven to a king, who made a marriage for his son. The guests, who were invited had put on their wedding garment, except one. There was one guest without a wedding garment. The guest without a wedding garment entered and had taken place at the table. He assumed he could partake of the marriage banquet, which the king had prepared for his son. But unfortunately, the royal dinner ended not the way the guest without a wedding garment expected. What is the meaning of the parable of the wedding feast?
The parable of the wedding feast
And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden (invited) to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden (invited) were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:1-14)
The invitation to the wedding feast
In this parable of the wedding feast, the Kingdom of heaven is compared to a king (God), who had made a marriage for his son (Jesus). The first group of people, who were invited, but wouldn’t come, were those who by natural birth and the carnal circumcision belonged to the carnal people of Israel. They treated the invitation of the king with indifference and went off.
They had other things to do, which were more important to them than attending the wedding. So they went their own ways.
One went to his farm, another to his trading, and the rest seized the slaves of the king, who brought them the good news, and mistreated and killed them. Their behavior provoked the king to anger. Therefore, the king sent his soldiers and killed the murderers, and burned the city.
Since the king considered the guests, who were invited to the wedding, not worthy, the king called his servants and commanded them to go out into the highways and invite as many people as they would find to the marriage feast.
The servants obeyed the king and went into the main streets and gathered together as many people as they found, both bad and good.
Why was the guest without a wedding garment?
The wedding was full of people, who were invited by the servants. When the king entered to see the guests, the king saw one guest without a wedding garment. This guest without a wedding garment was invited because he knew about the wedding and entered, but he had not put on his wedding garment. He came in his own garment and assumed he was allowed to attend the wedding on his own conditions and partake of the wedding banquet in his own garment.
What a prideful and haughty man, who thought that he was an exception. The guest without a wedding garment thought that he was an exception to the rule, as so many Christians in this age also believe in this lie of the devil, that they are special and have a special position.
They believe that they are the exception to the rule and are allowed to do everything they want to do and live according to their own will, even if it goes against the Word of God and His will. They think that they can do whatever they want, without any consequences.
The guest without a wedding garment was speechless
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:19-20)
The king didn’t leave the guest without a wedding garment alone. But the king confronted the guest without the wedding garment and said, “Friend, how did you came in, while you didn’t have a wedding garment?” The guest without the wedding garment was speechless and didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t answer the question of the king.
The guest without the wedding garment, who was called friend, knew that there was no excuse he could use, that would justify his disobedience. Therefore, he didn’t answer the king.
He knew that he didn’t do what he should have done and that he had no right to be at the wedding.
Did the king allow the person to stay at the wedding feast? No, the king didn’t show any mercy to the guest, who entered without a wedding garment.
The king commanded his servants to bind the hand and foot of the guest without a wedding garment and to take him away and cast him into outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jesus finished the parable of the wedding banquet by saying, that many are called, but few are chosen (Read also: ‘once saved always saved?)
What an unloving man!
In this age, the majority of Christians would say: “What does it matter, how someone dresses. Let everyone come and let them decide for themselves what to wear. What legalistic! You may not judge. What an unfriendly and harsh man! You should love your neighbor. This is not a Christian, because this is not an act of love!”
These Christians may find it hard and disagree, but that’s because they are carnal and are led by their opinions, perspectives of things, feelings, and emotions instead of the Word and the Spirit.
But God and Jesus; the Word shall have no mercy and show no more grace, when the appointed time has come.
The way to eternal life
God has made His will and the way to eternal life known to mankind. First to His own carnal people of the house Israel, second to the Gentiles. He has given everything to mankind to enter the Kingdom of God and become a son of God and be a partaker of His Kingdom and eternal life and walk in His will.
God has given His Son Jesus Christ as a Substitute for the old carnal man, to make in Him a new creation; a new man, and restore the relationship between God and man.
Jesus endured rejections, mental struggles, physical torture, whippings, and bleeding.
He took the punishment for sin upon Him and was crucified and entered Hades, in order to give His holy garment to those, who would accept the invitation of the King and believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized in Him and become a new creation.
God not only gave His Son Jesus, but God also gave His Holy Spirit.
Through regeneration and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the new man has received God’s nature and has been given the ability and power to spiritually mature as a son of God into the image of Jesus Christ and walk after the will of God in His commandments.
He has invited everyone to come, but people decide if they want to accept the invitation or not. If people don’t accept the invitation and don’t want to come, then they are the ones to blame, and not God.
The garment of Christ
For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:26-27)
No one can enter the Kingdom of God and receive eternal life on the basis of his own works and by keeping the law, whether you belong to the carnal people of Israel or not. God is no Respecter of persons (Acts 15:9, Romans 2:11; 3:22-26; 10:11-13, Ephesians 6:9, Colossians 3:25, 1 Peter 1:17), which is clearly visible in the parable of the wedding banquet. The man who came in his own garment assumed he could enter on the basis of his own works.
But there is only one way to enter and stay in the Kingdom of God and that’s through Jesus Christ. Only by His redemptive work and regeneration in Him, you will be clothed with Him and when you keep His commandments and walk after His will, you will stay in Him.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof (Romans 13:12-14)
The new man, who is born of God and has put on Christ, put off the garment of the old carnal man through the process of sanctification. This means that (s)he put off the works of the old carnal man (sinner) and shall no longer habitually walk in sins, which are made known by the law (Galatians 3:19).
The new man shall put on the garment of the new man and shall do the righteous works of the new man, because the man is no longer a sinner, but has become righteous in Christ (Read also: ‘Put on the new man‘).
Therefore the new man, who has put on Christ shall walk in obedience to the Word and the Spirit.
But if a person remains rebellious and refuses to put off the old garment; the flesh and put on the new garment of Christ, then that person shall have no excuse on the Day of the Lord
Because the time of grace, which is the time that God gives to mankind to repent and enter the Kingdom of God through regeneration, will be over.
Just like the king, God and Jesus shall have no mercy for those, who have chosen to keep their own carnal garment.
If you don’t put on Christ and don’t put on the new man, who is created after the image of God, but instead stay the old carnal man and keep living after the flesh, doing the works of darkness, then your final destination shall be the same as the guest without a wedding garment, who thought he could enter the wedding feast and partake of the wedding banquet without a wedding garment, but in the end found out, that he was wrong.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
