What not to wear.
The Learning Channel, (TLC) has a program where a person gets picked to come on their show and
receive $5,000.00 to use on a complete fashion makover. There is one catch: The person selected is always completely ignorant of fashion and one of the worst-dressed people you would ever meet. Either their clothes are too baggy, too tight, too short or seriously out of style. Often it is all of the above. Yet, in every instance, this person believes their clothes actually look good on them. Once they get on the show, the hosts, Clinton and Stacy, poke fun at them for their dreadful taste in clothes and throw away the person’s entire wardrobe, (if you can call it that.) Finally, the humiliated guest learns the guidelines of shopping for the right clothes that look good on them and how to resist the temptation to stop buying what not to wear.
A person reveals a great deal about themself by the clothes they wear. In the parable of the Wedding Banquet, someone also revealed alot about their character, not only by what he chose to wear, but by what he chose not to wear.
In Matthew 22:1-14, there is a parable of a king who
invited everyone, both good and bad, to a wedding banquet for his Son. As a result, the wedding hall was
filled with guest, some were poor, some unattractive, some blind or lame, some mentally challenged and some
were socially awkward. Verses 11-13 states:
But when the king came in to see the guests,
he noticed a man who was not wearing wedding
clothes. "Friend", he asked, "how did you get
in here without wedding clothes?" The man was
speechless. Then the king told the attendants,
"Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside
into the darkness, were there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth."
I. Why did the king, who represents God in
this parable, utterly reject the guest at
the royal wedding just because he wasn’t
wearing wedding clothes?
1. The king was sovereign and could do anything he
wanted without reason or motive. He owed no one
an explanation. God is like that. He can save
or send to hell whom he wishes.
2. The man apparently did not fear the King.
Surely he noticed that he was the only guest at
the wedding without wedding clothes. If he had
any concern about possibly offending the King
with his attire, he would have chosen to dress
like the other wedding guest.
Psalms 111:10 says, "The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom". Obviously this man failed
to have fear or respect for the King, who had the
authority to accept him or destroy him.
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the
One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."
Matthew 10:28
3. The King has the right to have a well dressed
crowd at his son’s wedding, which was the most
important event and celebration of that day.
4. It is believed that a King, when inviting many
people to a very formal event, would also provide
the proper garments for free to all his guests.
All they had to do was accept and put on the
King’s generous provisions.
5. The man’s neglect showed clear disrespect to the
King, his son, and all the other wedding guests.
So what they say must be true. What a person
wears or choses not to wear speaks volumes.
II. What does this parable teach us today about God?
1. The clothes in this parable represent a spiritual
quality of the individual at the wedding.
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory! For
the wedding of the Lamb has come and his bride
has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and
clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands
for the righteous acts of the saints.)"
Revelation 19:7-8
2. Even though everyone is invited to heaven, they
must wear "robes of righteousness". Since we do
not possess our own "robes of righteousness",
we are to put on the righteousness that is in
Christ. "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord
Jesus Christ..." Romans 13:14.
When it comes to robes of righteousness, we can
only receive them from God. We can not buy it,
make it, or fake it.
3. To wear your own clothes shows that you trust
in yourself and not Jesus. We can not be saved
by our works, Eph. 2:9 The man in that wedding
assumed that his own clothes were good enough
to be in the presents of the King. He as
sadly mistaken.
A man once said that he was going to get into
heaven by the "skin of his teeth". He will
be sadly mistaken, for two reasons:
1. We don’t get into heaven by the skin of our
teeth. In Christ, we are not "barely saved".
2. There is no "skin" on our teeth!
4. God desires to take our dirt, rags and stench
and replace it with what is good, wholesome and
clean, Isaiah 61:10. He desires to replace our
selfish, destructive habits with good habits,
our bad, painful marriages with marital bliss,
and our failure and shame with joy, honor and
victory over sin and the evil one!
5. Many will be like the man in the parable who
was rejected by God. We have this wonderful
opportunity to come to God and be made clean,
healed and filled with His Spirit. Instead,
we do something stupid and miss out on the
blessings of God, in this life and the next.
III. What do you have in common with the man at the
wedding?
Ever wonder how long that man sat at the table
at the wedding, enjoying the music and food,
without getting himself properly dressed? Every
minute that went by was a wasted opportunity to
get himself cleaned up and presentable. Perhaps
some other guests warned him or asked him why he
was choosing to remain without wedding clothes.
Perhaps someone brought him a white robe and he
refused to put it on. He could have been at the
party for several hours, laughing and being
obnoxious and arrogant to everyone around him.
People don’t go to hell suddenly. They slide
into hell slowely, inch by inch, step by step.
They drift into hell, not because of one huge
bad decison, but because of what is seemingly
several small questionable decisions. How
many times does a person reject Jesus as their
Lord and Savior before their opportunities
run out? How long will a person sit there,
smug and comfortable, until the king walks up to
him and says, "Friend, how did you get in here
without wedding clothes?" If or when that time
comes, what possible answer could you give that
will satisfy the King of Kings?
