Are You Ready for the Wedding Feast? Don't be a Wedding Crasher!

Don't Be a Wedding Crasher

"For many are called, but few are chosen." - Matthew 22:14

Have you ever crashed a wedding? Maybe you showed up uninvited, or maybe you RSVP'd "no" but decided to go anyway. Whatever the case, you probably felt a little guilty for being there. But what if I told you that there's a wedding you're invited to, and if you don't show up in the right attire, you'll be thrown out?

That's the situation Jesus describes in Matthew 22:1-14. He tells a parable about a king who throws a wedding feast for his son. The king sends out invitations to all the important people in the land, but they all refuse to come. So he sends out his servants to invite anyone they can find, good and bad alike. The wedding hall is filled with guests, but then the king notices a man without a wedding garment. He asks him how he got in without proper attire, but the man has no answer. So the king has him bound and thrown out into the darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

What Does the Parable Mean?

On the surface, this parable seems pretty straightforward. The king is God, the son is Jesus, the wedding feast is the kingdom of heaven, and the guests are people who are invited to enter into a relationship with God. The first guests who refuse to come are the Jewish leaders who rejected Jesus. The good and bad guests who are invited later are the Gentiles who accept Jesus. And the man without a wedding garment represents anyone who tries to enter the kingdom of heaven on their own terms, without repentance and faith in Jesus.

But there's more going on here than just a simple allegory. If we look at the context of this parable, we see that Jesus is using it as a rebuke to the Jewish leaders who have been opposing him. He's warning them that they are in danger of being excluded from the kingdom of heaven if they don't repent and believe in him. But he's also giving a broader message to everyone who wants to follow him.

The Invitation is for Everyone

One of the key themes of this parable is the universality of the invitation to the kingdom of heaven. The king sends his servants out into the streets to invite anyone they can find, good and bad alike. This is a picture of God's grace, which is offered to everyone, regardless of their past or present circumstances. As it says in Romans 10:13, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

But the fact that the invitation is universal doesn't mean that everyone will accept it. Many are called, but few are chosen. Some will refuse the invitation outright, like the Jewish leaders who rejected Jesus. Others will accept the invitation but try to enter on their own terms, like the man without a wedding garment. But only those who come in faith, trusting in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, will be chosen to enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Right Attire

So what does it mean to come in the right attire? The man without a wedding garment represents anyone who tries to enter the kingdom of heaven on their own terms, without repentance and faith in Jesus. In other words, he represents anyone who thinks they can earn their way into heaven by their own good works or moral character.

But the Bible is clear that salvation is a gift of God's grace, not something we can earn. As it says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

So the right attire for the wedding feast is faith in Jesus. We come to the feast, not on our own merits, but on the merits of Christ. He is the one who has provided the wedding garment for us, through his death and resurrection. As it says in Isaiah 61:10, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness."

Conclusion

So what does all this mean for us? It means that we need to be careful not to be wedding crashers. We need to make sure that we have the right attire for the wedding feast, which is faith in Jesus. We can't earn our way into heaven by our own good works or moral character. We need to come to the feast, not on our own merits, but on the merits of Christ. He is the one who has provided the wedding garment for us, through his death and resurrection.

But it also means that we need to extend the invitation to others. Just as the king sent his servants out into the streets to invite anyone they could find, we need to share the good news of Jesus with everyone we meet. We need to invite them to the wedding feast, and encourage them to come in faith, trusting in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

So don't be a wedding crasher. Come to the feast in faith, and invite others to join you. As it says in Revelation 19:9, "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb."