THE MAN WITHOUT A WEDDING GARMENT
Mt. 22:1-14
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: CRAZY THINGS CAN HAPPEN AT A WEDDING
1. “How did the wedding go?” asked the pastor’s wife. “Fine, dear, until I asked the bride whether she would ‘Love, honor, and OBEY her husband.’” “She looked at me and said, ‘Do you think I’m crazy?’ Then she looked at the Groom, who awaking from a dream, said, “I do!” Then things started to happen!”
2. A Sunday school teacher showed her class a picture of 2 boys pulling on the same dog – one pulling the dog’s head, the other pulling the dog’s tail (she was trying to teach kindness to animals). She asked the class, “What Bible verse does this remind you of?” One boy raised his hand and said, “What God has joined together let not man separate!”
B. TEXT
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 invited, but few are chosen.”
C. THESIS
1. Our text today involves a wedding and at this one there was a mix-up about what clothes to wear.
2. The title of this message is “The Man Without A Wedding Garment.”
I. ALLUSION: BANQUET OF THE MESSIAH
A. SITUATION/ HEARERS
1. BACKGROUND. “Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” Mt. 21:23.
2. Jesus was teaching at the Temple. He was being challenged/ accosted by the chief priests and elders.
3. Jesus told them 3 parables:
a. The Two Sons, Mt. 21:28-32. Here Jesus dealt with God’s love and longing for His children who are in sin.
b. The Tenants who wouldn’t pay rents Mt. 21:33-46. This parable touched on the Jewish leaders not being willing to honor God’s Son, and how their rejection/killing of Him would lead to their destruction.
c. The Parable of the Wedding Banquet, Mt. 22:1-14.
B. TRADITION OF THE ROYAL BANQUET
1. Down through time, all great kings would have a large number of favored guests dine with them at their table. It was and is a great honor. King Belshazzer of Babylon, to show his lack of concern during a siege, had a banquet with 1,000 of his nobles!
2. The kings of Israel also maintained a royal table. David assigned a seat at his table for Mephibosheth; "... and you will eat bread at my table continually" (2 Samuel 9:7).
3. At this table, the wisdom of the king was shared in glorious intimacy. The Queen of Sheba marveled at the glorious feast provided by Solomon.
4. HUMOR: Not all feasts have skillful eaters.
a. Star Wars heroes Luke and Obi-Wan were in an ‘All-You-Can-Eat’ Chinese restaurant having a meal.
b. Skillfully using his chopsticks, Obi-Wan was deftly working through a large portion of noodles along with some chicken and cashews – all with the ease you'd expect from a Jedi Master.
c. But poor Luke couldn’t get it in his mouth – even using chopsticks in both hands – he dropped it on the table and himself.
d. Obi-Wan looked at Luke disapprovingly and said, "Use the forks, Luke." (‘forks’ in place of ‘Force.’)
C. THE BANQUET OF THE MESSIAH
1. But no higher honor was imaginable than that which was given to Moses and the seventy elders on Mount Sinai; "And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness….they saw God, and did eat and drink" Exodus 24:9-11.
2. This desire to feast with God became intertwined with the Messiah’s Advent/ coming and so became a Messianic Banquet to be held in the End Times. God confirmed this desire as truth through the prophet Isaiah;
3. “On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain …he will swallow up death forever.” Isa. 25:6-7.
4. In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus also confirmed the Messianic Feast as a reality. He declares, “I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” Matt. 8:11.
5. Bible scholars believe the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb” will occur during the 7 Years of Great Tribulation after the Church has been Raptured to Heaven. That’s when we will sit down with the Greats of the O.T. and share this great feast with God Himself!
II. MEANING OF THE PARABLE
A. THE OCCASION & THE GUESTS
1. Who the Parties Represent: (1-7);
a. King = God; the Son = Jesus;
b. Servants were sent out to invite the guests: are God’s
prophets and apostles.
c. Invited Guests: the Jewish people.
d. Vs. 4, “all things are ready.” This is a prophetic statement about the coming of the Messiah.
B. THE INVITATION REJECTED
1. REACTION: “But they made light of it” – of the invitation to God’s Son’s salvation.
2. In Luke’s version of this parable, the invited guests made their material possessions the excuse for why they couldn’t come (Lk. 14:18-20): their land, their animals, and their spouse. But Scripture indicates these were really just “excuses” for not coming. Any excuse will do if you don’t want to do something!
3. WHY IS IT THAT PEOPLE ‘MAKE LIGHT’ OF GOD’S SON?
a. Don’t know the Bible is True/they’ll stand before God;
b. They think they’re Good Enough (in themselves);
c. Because ‘religion’ rubs them the wrong way;
d. They Love the World too much to give it up, or relatives too much….
C. THEIR REJECTION MADE SALVATION AVAILABLE TO ALL
1. The Jews rejection opened the door to the Gentiles to be saved. The servants of the king go out and gather people not originally invited to the wedding.
2. “Go out quickly…” Lk. 14:21. Without delay.
3. God’s Amazing Liberality – God allowed people, whether high or low, wise or foolish, rich or poor, good or bad – to attend Heaven’s Banquet.
4. Next, we hear Christ’s shocking conclusion/ surprise ending to this account (vss. 11-14).
III. THE MAN WITHOUT A WEDDING GARMENT
A. A COMMON CUSTOM
1. Among the Wealthy of the Near East, it was a common custom for wedding guests to be given garments to wear to Wedding Banquets. This may have been to have certain colors, to make sure it was festive, to de-emphasize distinctions between rich and poor, or simply to show off how wealthy they were.
2. If someone refused to wear one, it was an insult to the host and they were thrown out.
3. An illustration of this custom. An ancient document
found saying, “Every guest invited to wedding of the Royal Marriage of Sultan Mahmoud, had made expressly for him, at the expense of the Sultan, a wedding garment. No one, however dignified his station, was permitted to enter into the presence-chamber of that sovereign without a change of raiment.” So this was the custom of nobles.
B. WHAT IS THE WEDDING GARMENT?
1. Imagine being at the Banquet. The King’s house is full! Everyone is ready to partake of the exquisite feast.
2. Suddenly all heads turn as the King approaches one
man without the proper garments. Imagine being singled out before the huge crowd—how mortifying!
3. The Wedding Clothes picture the righteousness needed to enter God’s Kingdom. Christ has provided this righteousness for everyone, but each person must choose to put it on.
4. Our problem: Isa. 64:6 says, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags….”
5. WE MUST PUT ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!
“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” Rom. 13:14.
6. DANGER: WE WANT TO DO IT OURSELVES. ILLUS.
a. A food processing firm marketed a cake mix which required the wife/cook to only add water. The company couldn’t understand why the mix didn’t sell well.
b. Research revealed that the public felt uneasy about a mix that was so simple. So the mix was altered to also require an egg, and it sold like hotcakes!
c. D.L. Moody told of a lady in England who got angry at his statement, “No one in this congregation will be saved until they STOP trying to save themselves!”
d. She said, “I’ve always believed that if I kept on trying, the Lord would save me at some point. Yet you tell me to stop trying. What then am I to do?” He answered, “Why, let the Lord save you!”
C. NO EXCUSES
1. Many will be surprised at the judgment to find their efforts insufficient; “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Mt. 7:22-23.
2. The Man without Wedding Clothes was SPEECHLESS! He could find no excuse. HE COULDN’T PLEAD:
a. LACK OF TIME, for all else had found time;
b. IGNORANCE, for everyone else knew;
c. POVERTY, for the King supplied it.
3. There won’t be an excuse for us either! “Cast him out into the outer darkness.”
4. Imagine the CONTRAST: From the brilliantly lighted Banquet Hall, full of Heaven’s glory, into the darkness of Hell’s misery! No wonder there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
5. So close to Heaven, but to miss it! To SEE its grandeur, to HEAR it sounds, to SMELL its perfumes, to almost TASTE its delicacies…..but then to be thrust out! That by itself would be Hell…to know the full extent of what they could have had and will be missing for all eternity!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: JUDGMENT WARNING
1. The story is told of a wealthy young man was told that he needed to turn to God. He dismissed the idea. That night he woke up to find a frightening being at the end of his bed.
2. "Who are you?" he cried. "I am the angel of death," said the mysterious visitor. "Is my time up?" asked the young man.
3. "Not yet," said the angel. "Before I come to take you, I will send my messengers to warn you that your time is near." Then the angel disappeared. Relieved, the man fell asleep.
4. The years went by, and he thought, "I've got plenty of time to make my peace with God. There have been no messengers." "That night he woke to find the angel of death sitting on the end of his bed again.
5. "W-what are you doing here?" he stammered. "I've come for you," replied the angel. "But you can't. I mean, I'm not ready." "Well, I've kept my part of the bargain. I sent my messengers." "What messengers?"
6. "How could you miss them? Your grey hair, your wrinkles, your failing eyesight." ARE WE IGNORING?
7. A lady who had been on the Titanic before it sank said that the people who were on deck were getting pieces of ice from the iceberg, throwing them around, and even putting
them in their drinks. People can be so close to judgment or disaster and yet not know.
8. The strongest, richest, most educated man outside the Ark (Christ) was lost. But the weakest, poorest, least educated man in the Ark (Christ) was saved. [Reinhard Bonnke]
B. THE CALL
1. God says, “All things are NOW ready, come to the Feast!” Jesus’ 2nd Coming is very close.
2. The Apostle Paul said, “That I may gain Christ and be found in him, NOT having a righteousness of my own that comes from [good works], but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith” Phip. 3:8-9.
3. Have you given up trying to be justified by your own efforts? Some of you haven’t surrendered all your lifestyle to Christ. Will you hold out one area for your carnal gratification? It’s time to get right with God – while there’s still time!
4. Altar call & prayer.
