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Response
Jesus mentioned wedding garments in one of His parables. As Jesus approached the end of His earthly ministry, He ministered in the Jerusalem temple, delivering serious accusations against the leaders of Israel. In Matthew 21:23—22:46, Jesus spoke about the imminent destruction of the Jewish temple, the capital city, and the nation of Israel if its people and leaders did not repent. Through three parables, Jesus responded to the challenges to His authority by the religious leaders, as seen in Matthew 21:23.
In the Parable of the Great Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14), Jesus predicted the fall of Jerusalem as a consequence of the Jews’ rejection of Him, their Messiah. He also foretold judgment on those who refused to accept Christ on His terms. Jesus used the concept of “wedding garments” to symbolize the righteousness of Christ, the only legitimate basis for entry into God’s kingdom.
In the narrative, a gracious king (representing God the Father) arranged a lavish wedding feast for his son (Jesus the Savior). The feast symbolized the future union of God’s redeemed people (the bride) with their Messiah (Jesus) in heaven (referred to as the marriage supper of the Lamb). The invited guests (the people of Israel and its leaders) declined the king’s invitation. Consequently, the king extended the invitation to anyone willing to respond to his call, as stated in Matthew 28:19.
Despite the wedding feast being full of guests, the king noticed one man who was not dressed in appropriate wedding attire « And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: », (Matthew 22:11). The king inquired, “How did you enter without wedding clothes?” The man was speechless. Consequently, the king expelled him from the feast, having him bound and thrown out.
Thrown “outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (verses 12–13). Jesus concludes the parable, stating, “For many are called, but few are chosen” «For many are called, but few are chosen. », (Matthew 22:14, NLT).
The wedding garments provide a crucial piece of instruction in the parable. The king lovingly supplies his guests with wedding clothes. John’s Gospel declares, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17;NLT).
Jesus is the believer’s righteousness (Romans 3:21-26;10:3-4;1 Corinthians 1:30;2 Corinthians 5:21;1 Peter 2:24). Accepting Christ’s sacrifice for our sin is the only way to be made right with God and receive His gift of salvation. Only those forgiven by grace through faith in Christ can say, “I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels” «I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. », (Isaiah 61:10, NLT).
The Scriptures have pointed to this truth from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden.Eden. After Adam and Eve sinned, they grabbed the first things they could get their hands on—inadequate fig leaves—to cover their nakedness and shame. But God wrapped them in warm, protective coverings of (sacrificed) animal skins «And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. », (Genesis 3:7,21) «Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. », (Genesis 3:7,21).
The man in the parable dishonored the king by not wearing the proper clothes to the feast. By crashing the party, he tried to come to God on His own terms. His self-furnished wedding garments represent his own way, or his own self-righteousness, which is insufficient to secure salvation (Ephesians 2:5,8-9;2 Corinthians 3:5). Our “righteous deeds” are sin-stained robes and “nothing but filthy rags” in the eyes of God «But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. », (Isaiah 64:6, NLT). We must trust entirely in God’s righteousness, not our own «and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: », (Philippians 3:9).
In the book of Revelation, the redeemed of the Lord “from every nation and tribe and people and language” worship God dressed in “white robes” «After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude
, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; », (Revelation 7:9, NLT). “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” «And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. », (Revelation 7:14). Only when we are in Jesus Christ, washed in His blood and clothed in His righteousness, are we fit to attend the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-10). Nothing can secure our salvation except wearing the wedding clothes supplied by our King.
God provides the way of salvation for all who accept His invitation see Revelation 22:17. He saves us “not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7;NLT). We cannot earn or work our way into heaven. Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father «Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. », (John 14:6).
We must dress in the wedding garment of Christ’s righteousness if we want to enter the joy of heaven. Otherwise, we will be like the man cast out of the king’s presence for all eternity.
In unity, Jesus said, “But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be cast into outer darkness, where there will be crying and grinding of teeth” (Matthew 8:12;NLT;cf: Matthew 25:30). Many individuals hear God’s invitation to come, but only a few rightly respond to the call (see Matthew 25:1-13;Luke 13:22-30).
