There once was a king who loved his subjects so much that he sent out an invitation to all to share in the marriage feast for his son. But his subjects refused the invitation saying they had better things to do.
Though distraught, the king sent his servants again to tell of the wonderful feast in store for them. The people listened with scorn and killed the king's servants.
The king was furious and sent his army to destroy all who had been invited. Then he told his servants, "My people were unworthy of my gift. Go and find others to fill my house."
So the servants went out into the highways and byways and invited all they came to regardless of their status. And they came with joy and delight that they should be included in so grand an occasion.
But at the wedding, when the king came in to see his guests, he saw a man in his work clothes. The king asked him why he would come to a royal wedding without cleaning himself up and putting on his best. The man was speechless. So the king called the guards and had the man thrown out into the black night, banished forever from his kingdom.
It would be a great honor to be invited to a royal wedding, and no one would expect to be allowed entrance if he or she were disheveled, ungroomed or in dirty work clothes. (Though it is not for us to determine if someone else is unworthy—only the King can do that.)
We have been invited to a marriage feast unlike any that has ever been given—the marriage of the Lamb to His Bride, the Church. We are not worthy of such an invitation nor is there anything we can do to earn it, but we cannot attend unless we are wearing the garments of a "new man" in Christ. There are new attitudes to wear, dirty sins to discard and protocols of the royal household to learn.
Although God's invitation is a gift, our acceptance means we must put on the "wedding garments" suitable for the marriage of the Son of the King or the invitation will be revoked! God's Word spells out just what those "wedding garments" are. We must find out what we must do and be there!
(Matthew 22:1-14, based on a sermon by Carl Dailey. See "Tribute".)
