Wearing the Robe of Righteousness
In our Gospel for today we hear the parable of the wedding feast. Actually Matthew has combined two parables here. The first parable is that of the king inviting people to the wedding banquet of his son. It is not too hard to see that the king is God, the son Jesus, the banquet salvation, and the invitation is the proclamation of the gospel. Luke also has this parable (14:15-24). In Luke's version there is no wedding, king, or son. It is a man giving a great banquet and while the first guests do not come and he gets angry he does not send out soldiers to kill the ungrateful guests. He just invites others and when they come but do not fill the hall he invites more from the back corners of the world – those who would not be invited no matter what. Matthew has taken this parable that is about welcoming all people to the kingdom of God and made it also a warning to those who were first chosen by God, the Israelites. Although, he could be thinking of the Christians who had first accepted the Gospel and then drifted away because of other concerns and interests in life.
The second parable for today is the one about the wedding garment. Matthew is the only one who has this parable. This parable is telling us that answering the invitation is not enough. You must be wearing the correct garment to attend the wedding. This does seem to speak against a belief in salvation by grace alone. Matthew, in using this parable here, is suggesting that there needs to be some action on a person’s part in order to be received at the banquet. That action, with the understanding that the banquet is the salvation of God, may be repentance. We also remember Paul’s call for Christians to put on Christ. Entrance to the banquet is allowed for those who have put on Christ in their lives.
Together these two parables are reminding Christians that they are invited to a banquet of great joy in the kingdom of God. That invitation also calls them to a new life. A life of repentance. We all know that a look at our lives will show that we are not worthy of the invitation. We are those who have been invited last. Therefore we live showing others the grace of God, who through Jesus, has invited us to that great feast on the mountain that Isaiah foretells. A feast that no one, not even Isaiah, can fully comprehend. That is the same feast Paul sees. That is why he can tell us, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again, I say rejoice.” With that joy we are to let our gentleness be known to everyone not letting anything worry us and with prayer and supplication let God know our needs, and we will experience the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.
Let your lives be clothed in the wedding garment of Jesus. Wear it boldly so that others can see Jesus in their lives and receive the invitation to the wedding banquet of God. There is no need to hide or hoard this gift since it is from God and is never-ending. There is room for all. Become God’s invitation to the great banquet on the mountain. A banquet where death no longer will have dominion and all tears will be wiped away.