For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14)
“The Parables Of Jesus – The Wedding Feast (Math 22:1-14)
THE FATHER’S REQUIREMENT THAT A WEDDING GARMENT BE WORN BY ALL(Matthew 22 11-14)
Jesus tells us that, as the king entered into the banquet hall, and observed all the guests, his eyes fell on a man who was not wearing a wedding garment. When a great king would put on a feast, he would not only provide the invitation and all the food, but he would also provide the necessary garments to wear at the feast.It may have been that, because many of these people were drawn from common walks of life, their clothing was dirty or ragged, and the wearing of a wedding garment was an even more important addition to the dignity of the feast.
This man had no such garment on. All that he wore were the filthy rags of his own provision. And when the king saw him, he said, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?”It’s fascinating to me that the man in Jesus’ parable was “speechless”. It would have been a great opportunity-if he had wished-to say, “Lord; please tell me how I may get a wedding garment, so I can legitimately enjoy your gracious offer to attend the feast of your son! But he didn’t. He said nothing.
He presumed to enjoy the benefits of the feast while, at the same time, refusing to be adorned with the garment the king provided. And as a result, the king ordered that he not be merely shown to the door. Rather, he was bound hand and foot and thrown into outer darkness where, as Jesus says, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.This is a warning. We must not think that we can enter into the blessings of Jesus kingdom reign apart from being adorned-by faith-with Christ’s own righteousness. When the Bible speaks of that great future day of the wedding feast of Christ, it says,
“Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19.9). But it also says that “His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine Linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (v. B).
You make yourself ready by turning from sin and trusting in the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone to make you favorable in God’s sight. You become clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, as Paul says, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (Romans 12:14). The only garment that the Father will accept on any of His guests at His Son’s wedding feast is that of His Son’s own righteousness. Anything less than that will result in being thrown out into outer darkness.
How important it is, then, to be sure you are clothed-by faith-in the righteousness of Christ alone .Paul wrote of how he himself had ceased to trust in his own righteousness before God, so that…”what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 2:7-11).
Sol.Paulose