A wedding garment

In Matthew chapter 22, Jesus tells the parable of the wedding banquet. It's fitting that I read about a wedding parable after just being at a beautiful wedding tonight. (S/o to the beautiful bride...my dear friend Erin Erbskorn)

I will get straight to the point with this post since it's pretty late at night! With the culture back in the Bible times, two invitations were expected when banquets were given. The first always asked the guests to attend; the second announced that everything was ready. In the story of the parable that Jesus tells, the king invited his guests three times - and each time they rejected his invitation.

Now think about that. Imagine getting an invitation to a wedding and throwing it away. I can't ever imagine rejecting a wedding invitation. Weddings are wonderful.

Now think about this, God wants us to join him at the wedding. That's why he sends us invitations over and over again. Do you realize that? God is inviting you and I to spend eternity with him over and over again. Have you accepted the invitation?

Back then it was customary for wedding guests to be given garments to wear to the banquet. I wish I would've been given some clothes for the wedding tonight. That would've made getting ready way easier! Imagine if everyone who walked into the wedding was given something to wear in honor of the bride and the groom. It would be so disrespectful to not wear what we were given. Well at this banquet, it was unthinkable to refuse to wear the garments that were given to them. That would insult the host, who could only assume that the guests were arrogant and thought that they didn't need these garments, or that they didn't want to take part in the wedding celebration.

Here is what Jesus was saying about the wedding garments and what they represented. The wedding clothes picture the righteousness needed to enter God's kingdom - the total acceptance in God's eyes that Christ gives ever believer.

Christ has provided that garment of righteousness to everyone, but each person must choose to put it on in order to enter eternal life. There is always an open invitation, but we must be ready. We can't be too late to put on the garment of righteousness.