In my previous post https://alesya.org/the-invitation/ I was sharing the story about the banquet. The King invited his friends for the banquet, but a lot of them refused to come. The banquet was ready, so he sent his servants to call for all the people they could find on the street corners. They did what the Kind told them, and the banquet was filled with people. But the story did not end on this… For every person who attended the banquet the King gave a gift – the wedding clothes. I want to talk about that very special gift, and what happened next.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.” Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 22:11-14 NIV
Among all of the beautifully dressed guests, the King found one of his friends not in the wedding dress. This man was the King’s FRIEND. Everyone who was entering the banquet was receiving new clothes, so it is impossible that one person did not get it, but instead, that person simply chose his own clothes over the King’s.
What are those clothes, and why did one decide not to wear them?
Isaiah 64:6 says,
For we all have become like one who is [ceremonially] unclean [like a leper], And all our deeds of righteousness are like filthy rags…
Isaiah 64:6 AMP
There is a thing called self-righteousness. For almost every godly thing, there is an ungodly counterfeit. For God’s righteousness, there is a counterfeit of self-righteousness. Sometimes it’s very difficult to discern one from another. I guess, even the guards who were letting people into the banquet could not recognize that one. We understand that only God is perfect and His righteousness can not be even compared to ours. Biblically speaking, self-righteousness was compared to legalism that was always condemned by Jesus. Romans 3: 10 says, “There is no one righteous, not even one…” And also self-righteousness is always paired with pride. James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” But when we come to the throne of God, when we turn to Him and repent, God is giving us new clothes and these are the CLOTHES of HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:22-24
But what does it mean to wear the clothes of His righteousness? It is giving up ourselves and surrendering totally to Jesus. His Righteousness is a gift. It is when God looks at us through Jesus and sees us as righteous. His blood on the cross became our garment of Salvation, Clothes of Righteousness, that covers our guilt, shame and all unrighteousness.
What about that man who entered the banquet in his clothes? Maybe people can’t discern or recognize, but nothing is hidden from the eyes of God. It will be a time when all our motives, all our thoughts will be revealed and open before God. Maybe that person all his life is going to church and even is on a ministry team, but not surrendered fully to God accepting His righteousness, and choosing his own. “The man was speechless.”
God is calling everyone, but not everyone is willing to come, but those who come AND ACCEPT His gift – the beautiful clothes of righteousness – are those who get chosen.
Let’s honor our King Jesus in our lives. Let’s surrender our lives to Him and boldly come to His table where we will never hunger or thirst.
Let His kingdom come, and let His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen.
