Matthew 22:1-14 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 called, but few are chosen.”
In this parable, the king is God, and the king’s son is Lord Jesus. The king prepared a wedding banquet for his son. The parallel passage in Gospel Luke is a bit different, but similar, saying that a certain man was preparing a great banquet. The servants are servants of God, prophets of God. The first group of people invited were Jews. The Jews did not respond to God’s call. One went to his field, another went to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. Those who were called did not respond and were unworthy, and God called the second group of people, the Gentiles, us non-Jews. 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. The Gospel Luke says: ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ (Luke 14:21). Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. ‘ (Luke 14:23). Now God sends His invitations to all and calls all people. Some have accepted the call, some not yet. In the parable, what does it mean that there was a person who accepted the invitation but was not wearing wedding clothes?
I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)
Here we see that the wedding clothes is the garment of salvation, the robe of righteousness. It represents a righteous life.
for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:27)
After a person believes in the Lord, and is baptized, he receives the Holy Spirit, is born again and saved. He has clothed with Christ, put on Christ, put on the garment provided by Christ.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s saints.) (Revelation 19:7-8)
Here it says that saints wear bright and clean linen. Fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints, that is, saints wear robe of righteousness, garment of righteousness, wedding clothes.
The parable says: For many are called, but few are chosen. God calls all people, some respond, some don’t respond. There was one who responses, but he didn’t wear a wedding clothes. Those who respond and wear wedding clothes are the chosen. Responding to God’s call, being baptized, being born again and saved, living a righteous life, doing God’s will are the chosen.
May God bless you and your family 🙏😊
