Those wedding guests who shunned
the king’s invitation may be compared to those, to who the Word of the Lord was
given and whom the Lord chose as heirs of His kingdom. By and large, they have
rejected the long-promised Messiah, and have no place at the eternal wedding
feast in heaven. Likewise, those who come in unprepared, without a wedding
garment, without a garment of salvation, trying to enter the feast of their own
accord. These, too, will be rejected, for no one makes himself worthy of the
kingdom of heaven; it is the Lord and King Himself who gives us the garment of
righteousness.
God in His mercy desires all to be
saved. He wants all to be included into the family. Yet each guest must have
the proper clothes. The King Himself provides everything. Even the necessary
garments.
To refuse to wear it is to show
contempt to the host. To insult the king. Refusing to sit at the banquet on the
king’s terms is to become self-righteous. Discarding, Eliminating. Denying.
Refusing. Rejecting the righteousness God offers through Jesus Christ.
Anyone who thinks he does not need
the garment of righteousness Jesus secured for him must suffer the
consequences. Everyone is welcome at the wedding feast. All have been invited. Yet
you can be a guest only on the King’s terms. So take seriously the Father’s
offer of grace. No excuses allowed. Your King not only invites all to come. He
provides them with the necessary garments.
The Father calls, “Come…for all things are now ready!” The
Father has prepared a dinner – salvation, forgiveness, life. That’s quite an
offer. This invitation has been ready for a long time.
Enlighten our minds, we pray, O
God, by the Spirit who proceeds from You that, as Your Son has promised, we may
be led into all truth – Lutheran
Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing, St. Louis
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