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HELEN SANDERS
1-6-2022
THE WEDDING GARMENT
In the tradition of Jewish weddings, wedding garments were given to those that were invited to the wedding. I was meditating on this today and thinking about the wedding garment. We are told that we are to be without “spot or blemish.” Could you even imagine a wedding where the bride showed up in a dirty old dress and was totally unprepared for the wedding? That sounds ridiculous, but that is how serious God takes our preparation for the wedding that will take place with Jesus, our soon coming bridegroom.
I see the church as a place where people have become very complacent. Many of the places I have visited over the years don’t look any different than the world. The music, the dress, the lack of reverence, all show that there are spots on their garments, and perhaps they don’t even have a wedding garment on.
In Matthew 22 1-14 it tells the story of a certain king that had a kingdom and was preparing a marriage for his son. He asked his servants to invite many, and they declined to come. Each one had an excuse, and if you study these excuses, they are all “religious” excuses. Each of those bidden made light of the invitation and went about their business. Remember, this was a king inviting them to his son’s wedding. It was not a servant’s wedding, but the heir. It then tells us that those that wouldn’t come killed the servants that bid them to the wedding. It angered the king, and he sent his army to destroy those murderers and burn their city. He then told his servants to invite those in the highways, both good and bad so the wedding would be furnished with guests.
The king came to see the guests and one did not have a wedding garment on. Obviously, this was a guest that didn’t see the necessity of getting that wedding garment. He was confronted and was speechless. The king had his servants take this intruder and throw him out into darkness. The story ends with Verse 14 which says, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” This indicates that like the story, many are called to be part of the wedding with Jesus, but like those that did not want to come to the king’s sons’ wedding, they will not be part of the marriage.
We need to take this seriously. We need to examine our hearts and make sure we know that we have the wedding garment. What is that garment? It is the robe of righteousness that we receive from Jesus when we are born again. We are to take care of that garment, keeping it without spot or blemish. Without this garment we are phonies and trespassers just like in the story. We will not have anything to say when the King of Kings asks us where our garment is.
The wise virgins entered the wedding as did those with garments. How about you? Are you prepared for that wedding day, or are you just an outsider looking in? There will be a day when King Jesus sends his angel army (like the king in the scriptures) and sends those that did not listen to the invitation to a place called hell. I pray that none reading this are part of that group.
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