But when the king came in to view the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed for the wedding. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.
Matthew 22: 11-12 (HCSB)
Scripture: Matthew 22: 1-14
When we read the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, we like the idea that everyone is invited. We kind of get thrown, though, when the guest is kicked out. This devotion looks that the parable to see how we could apply it today.
Cliff Notes
- The Parable of the Wedding Banquet represents God, Jesus, the Messianic kingdom, and us.
- God has provided a way for all mankind to be forgiven of their sins.
- God expects us to change and obey His guidelines.
It is easy to get riled up about the story about the wedding feast if we don’t know the facts. The time has come to get the party started, and the high-powered father of the groom sends out a reminder to the people who have already been invited to attend. Come one, come all, invitees.
Now, it is not our normal SOP to send out a reminder after the wedding invitation. This was more like a “it’s time” reminder.
But the guests didn’t come. No one came. They weren’t interested.
(Don’t we worry about that sometimes? Something is really important to us. Is it going to be important to others?)
So, Dad sent His people out again. Food’s ready. Who has been known to pass up free food? These people. Not only that, some of them went to the extreme of killing the messenger.
Dad said, okay. Go find the people going about their daily lives, even the homeless and the beggar on the street corner. Don’t limit the invitation; invite everyone you see.
The banquet was in full swing. Dad came in and saw someone wasn’t dressed right. We go, “Stop. You had this I’ll-take-what-I-get thing going. Now you are going to judge how dressed up they are?”
What Does This Mean?
God is the father of the groom; Jesus is the Son; and we are the wedding guests. The wedding feast is the Messianic kingdom.
We need a history lesson. When the people came for the wedding, they were given clothes to wear. They didn’t have to go out and buy a new dress or suit and get all gussied up. Clothing was provided.
So, the issue wasn’t what he was wearing. It wasn’t that it was a black-tie affair, and he showed up in jeans.
The issue was the guest wasn’t wearing what he was supposed to be wearing. It meant he was still wearing his own clothes, not the outfit provided.
How Do We Apply This?
Aren’t we like the guest? God has provided the plan of salvation. He has given us everything.
If you have not admitted that your relationship is not right with God,
have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior,
and have not confessed your sins,
please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
God let’s us come as we are to accept this plan. We don’t have to clean up our acts for salvation. We could be a mass murderer, a hypocrite, or even a racist, for example. God will accept us — if we turn our lives over to Him — and work on not being a mass murderer, a hypocrite, or a racist.
To read Do We Have to Clean Up Our Acts to Get Salvation?, click the button below.
On the flip side, we don’t have to have a certain amount in our bank account, drive a specific type of vehicle, or belong to a specific Save-the-Whatever organization. We come as we are.
We aren’t forced to be a child of God. We are allowed to reject His gift. Since the Jews rejected His gift, it was offered to the Gentiles.
The inclusiveness is evident. Anyone can come to the Father.
God offers His salvation free of charge — but He does expect us to accept it. It must be our choice.
There is a requirement that we must meet to get into heaven. We must admit that we are sinners and that our relationship with God is broken. We must believe that Jesus, the Son of God, was sent to be the sacrifice to provide forgiveness for our sins and to mend that relationship. We must confess that God is the Sovereign God and that we give our lives to Him.
God also expects us to change. And not just our clothes (or anything on the outside). We don’t pretend that we are following Him — and then don’t.
What is expected is that we have a change of heart. We have to put our faith and trust in Him. We are expected to follow His guidelines. We are to try to do the do’s and try not to do the don’ts.
But for some there is that one thing to which we want to keep hold. “No, Jesus isn’t the only way to heaven.” “No, I can earn my way in.” “I want to do this one thing my way.” “This isn’t really a sin.”
Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong. We have to put complete faith in God and consciously, willingly turn everything over to Him and do it His way. We have to acknowledge and live that trust.
Is it easy turning everything over to God? No. Will Satan keep gnawing on us to keep it for ourselves? Yes.
Remember this. If God has given us the clothes to change into, He is going to make sure they fit and give us the fitting room so we can change into them. They are going to be in a style that is flattering to us.
The clothes that God gives us are going to be perfect — for Him and for us. He is going to help us change into them. But change we must. We’ll be glad we did.
Father. You have prepared the feast. You have invited everyone. Unfortunately, not everyone will come. Unfortunately, some of us who do struggle with putting everything completely in your hands. You told us in Jeremiah 29:11 Your plans are good. Forgive us, Lord. Help us to turn everything over to You. Amen.
Related Links
One song that has spoken to me over the last year is Crowder’s Come As You Are. Click on the link below to be directed to a YouTube video of that song.
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