Going to a wedding can be a stressful event for people. What to wear? Maybe you don't own a lot of dressy clothes so what do you do? Wear what you have and look out of place or go buy new clothes. In Matthew there is a story of someone who came to a wedding feast without the proper clothing.
The Parable Of The Wedding Feast
In Matthew 22: 1-14 we read the parable of the wedding feast. To summarize it, the king invited people to the wedding of his son but they didn't want to come. He angrily punished them and told his servants to go out and invite basically anyone who would come, till the hall was filled with guests. To the king's surprise when he looked around there was a man without a wedding garment on. The king addressed him as 'friend'. He asks why are you dressed this way? The man seems surprised, especially when he is bound and cast out of the wedding feast. Then the Lord makes this statement,
"For many are called, but few are chosen." - Matthew 22:14
Symbolism Of The Parable
The symbolism of this parable is pretty understandable. The Jews were the guests who were invited and ignored the invitation. They rejected Jesus when He was here, so the call of salvation went out to everyone. The gentiles (the rest of the world) would be those who were asked to come and fill the hall. But what about the man without proper clothing?
Proper Attire
First, we need a background on Jewish weddings of the time period. The host of the wedding feast would provide his guests with proper attire. They didn't have to worry about what they would wear because it was provided for them. The man who was thrown out would have had access to such a garment. Why did he not have it on?
It would have been quite insulting to the king to have a guest refuse to put on the white robe. The man apparently believed that his old clothes were adequate to attend the wedding. Maybe he was just careless, thoughtless about what he was doing. He may have been excited to be at the feast but not aware that a change of clothes was necessary.
Clothed With Christ
The symbolism of the wedding garment is this, as Romans 13:14 says, we are to be "clothed with Christ". In Revelation 19: 8 the clothing required for the marriage supper of the Lamb, the joining of Christ with His church, is clearly stated.
" It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."
In Zechariah chapter 3, Zechariah has a vision of Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord in filthy garments. The angel of the Lord tells those around him to remove his filthy garments, because his sin has been taken away, and put fine clothes on him.
Christ's Righteousness Clothes Us
It is the righteousness of Christ that clothes us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that Jesus became sin, who knew no sin. The reason He did this is so that we might become the "righteousness of God". Galatians 3:27 says if we have been baptized in Christ, then we have clothed ourselves with Christ. This righteousness is a gift God freely gives us, not because we deserve it, but out of His grace. Isaiah 64:6 explains that our righteousness is like "filthy rags". This is why we need the robe of righteousness that Christ offers us.
Conversion Means Change
When someone accepts the call of Christ it can't be done without realizing that you must be converted. Conversion is change. Conversion is transformation. I can't continue to wear my filthy rags. I have to put on Christ. I have to change, to grow in obedience and holiness. We read in Luke 15:7 that there is joy in Heaven over just one sinner who repents. Repentance is turning from sin. Belief is not enough. The Bible reminds us that even the devil believes (James 2:19).
The man at the wedding feast didn't have to buy his new clothes, he just had to accept them. He had to put them on. He had to realize his filthy clothes weren't acceptable to the King. The King had invited everyone to His feast. He had invited the good and the bad. The man came thinking that he didn't have to change, that he could come as he was without the proper attire. There was a price to pay for that thinking. An eternal price will be paid if we believe that we have no need for new garments, for Christ's righteousness.
Yes, we can come to Christ as we are. The mistake some people make is that they think they can stay that way. They see no real need to change their lives. Some people say they are Christians but their lives show no evidence of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23). Their lives tells us they aren't what they say they are.
Imagine the surprise of the man in the parable. He thought he was fine. He thought what he had on was good enough. As Matthew 22:14 said, the King has invited as many guests as his servants could find to His Son's wedding but few will be chosen. Few will wear the robe of righteousness provided by our King.
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