Wedding Clothes

I wanna start this morning by asking you maybe a personal question, but have you ever had that dream where you've turned up at school without your pants on? Or where you've had to do a public presentation and you realise you were completely starkers? Perhaps you have. I have. And I can vividly remember that feeling of embarrassment and humiliation as you're in that very public sort of setting and everyone's eyes are on you.

Well, imagine this morning that you turn up to a wedding, and it was a big deal wedding, and you had completely forgotten to bring your suit or your dress. You rock up in your comfy PE shorts and your stretched out university singlet that you were with. And for some reason, you just rock up to this wedding and you're not wearing your suit. Well, that's hard to imagine because it's just something you wouldn't do, right?

I know some people who actually plan their wedding clothes months in advance, and it's not even their wedding. Some people plan these clothes out and they don't even go to the reception. They're just there for the service itself. There's no way you would ever come up to a wedding or that sort of occasion without the clothes to match. But this morning, interestingly enough, we're going to be looking at a parable where Jesus tells of a story of someone who turned up to a wedding without his tuxedo.

If you do have your bibles, we're going to turn to Matthew 22. Matthew 22, and we're gonna read from verse one to 14. But before we do that, I just wanna explain the context a little bit. In the gospel of Matthew, we find a lot of occasions where Jesus told people stories about the kingdom of God. Jesus spoke about this often.

He took a lot of time describing this concept to the people that came in contact with him. And he gave many examples of what the kingdom of God was like. The kingdom of God is like a vineyard and a vine keeper, a vineyard and a farmer. It's like ten women with ten lamps. It's like a man who sowed good wheat.

It's like a person who found hidden treasure. The kingdom of God is like a little mustard seed. All these examples Jesus gave about the kingdom of God. Jesus made it clear that the kingdom was a multifaceted idea. This concept is important to Jesus.

And so in these teachings that Jesus gives about the concept of the kingdom, He shows the different dimensions of it. And so today, we're going to be looking at one of these dimensions where Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God. So in Matthew 22 verse one, we'll read that to verse 14. Matthew 22 verse one. Jesus spoke to them, this is the crowd, again in the parable saying, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent some more servants and said, tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet. But they paid no attention and went off, one to his field, another to his business.

The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, the wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.

So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. Friend, he asked, how did you get in here without wedding clothes? 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. So far, our reading. Interesting story, isn't it? It's a classic reversal of fortune story that Jesus often spoke about. The close personal friends of the king's household are invited to come and join in this magnificent lavish wedding banquet.

But what happens? He gets no reply. Everyone ignores the invitation, and they refuse to come. Again, he sends out messengers as was the custom when the food is ready, when the fattened calves have been butchered and are ready to be baked, ready to be roasted. But they don't come.

They make no apology. They make no excuse. They go on with their lives. One goes to his field. One goes to his business, and some even mistreat and kill the messengers that were sent.

So what does the king do? He starts inviting randoms into the wedding feast. And funnily enough, they come. Funnily enough, the wedding hall is filled with guests. What does this story mean?

If we understand the history behind it, it'll be amazing to understand exactly what was going on here. Let's have a look at verses five to seven. Here we see Jesus having a go at the Jews, at the people that were listening to him. Jesus says that the servants of the king were mistreated and even killed. Previously, Jesus spoke about the king or the ruler in his parables; it almost always referred to God.

The king was God. So when he was talking about the servants of the king, he was implying servants of God. Now to a Jew listening to this in the first century, there was no doubt about who these people were. These were the prophets of God. These were the messengers of God's message, of his word.

And so for the people listening to this parable, the penny ultimately drops, and they remember the Old Testament stories of the Jeremiahs and the Isaiahs and the Daniels and the Amos' and the Hoseas who were mistreated, who were vilified, who were ostracised, and some who were killed by the people that they were trying to rescue, the people they were trying to warn. For the audience listening to the story, they wouldn't have had any doubts who Jesus was referring to. Next, Jesus explains how the murderers and their city is destroyed by God's army, or by the king's army should I say. And again, listening to that, the Jews would have remembered when the armies of Babylon came into Jerusalem itself, destroyed the magnificent temple that was the heartland of worship to Yahweh, and completely tore it down, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, the rest of Israel taken into exile.

The once great nation, the nation of God, the people of God had been brought low. And they would have remembered the prophecies of Jeremiah and Isaiah that said, if you do not return to me, you will be lost. The city will be destroyed. In this parable, Jesus is giving a quick historical foundation for the amazing statement he's about to make next. Jesus says that the prophets were killed, that the city was destroyed, but now a new time had come.

A time when God's kingdom would be opened far wider than God's immediate family, his immediate friends, his traditional sons and daughters. You see, historically, the Jews believed that they were the chosen ones. They were God's special people. They saw themselves as having a special relationship with God that no other nation, that no other people group ever had. But now Jesus is saying there's an opportunity for everyone to enter the kingdom, even the good and the bad, verse 10 says.

The good and the bad. To the Jews ears, this would have been close to blasphemy. This would have been unheard of, incomprehensible. We can't understand today just how radical this was. It's like saying that the South African cricket team isn't the best cricket team in the world.

It's almost heresy. Everyone, even the unworthy, even the unclean Gentiles were invited into God's kingdom. So the wedding hall now is filled with guests. It is filled to the brim with people. There's music.

There's noise. There's chatter. Before, it was only those people who were worthy that were invited, worthy because of their so called relationship to the king. They were the friends, they were the relatives of the king. So the king sent out these invites to his friends and their acquaintances, and they didn't come.

So in their responses, we see what their inner feelings towards the king really was, what their relationship with the king really was. They weren't friends at all. They weren't family at all because you would not reject a wedding invitation. They were too self absorbed. They were too selfish.

The king wasn't their ruler. They were their own rulers. So the guest list is scrapped. And their security guards and their bouncers are sent into the streets. Luke's account of this tells of them going into the alleys and the byways, literally in the gutters to find the prostitutes and the tax collectors to bring them into this wedding feast.

The invites only party now becomes an open house party. There's no discrimination. Both the good and the bad are invited to come in. It's so unheard of. You could say it's almost careless.

It's almost careless. And so the spiritual truth in this story is revealed. God's chosen people, the ones that should have been thrilled to be invited, the ones that should have desired deeply to please the king, ignore this invitation. They reject God instead of enjoying the feast full of joy in simply being in his presence. And so now a time had come where God opens it to the people who really don't know him.

And this is astounding. And you're left with the question, if the Jews, if the people close to God who should have known him disappointed him, how much more would these unworthy, unclean people disappoint God? But without hesitation, God opens his doors to everyone who is willing to come. But then we're told of a man at the feast without his wedding clothes. Now if you thought today's weddings are a big deal, and they are, you know, that we've got the whole bridezilla phenomenon going and all that sort of thing.

If you think today's weddings are a big deal, you should have seen Middle Eastern weddings. They were huge. Michael De La Silva isn't here, but talk to him tonight when he's at the service. He was a chef for an Arabian prince on a yacht, and he would lay out a feast. You would be pressed hard to find anything bigger and more magnificent than his feasts.

Or you can talk to Marilyn about Middle Eastern feasts, Middle Eastern weddings. They were huge. They were impressive. Lavish is an understatement. These weddings would go for seven days, and every night there would be a feast.

So when a man came without wedding clothes, not only was it incredibly ignorant, but it was rude. And not only was it rude to the people that were getting married, but it was more so terrible for the father who laid out this feast, who spent his life savings on this feast. It was a great insult. It brought shame on this magnificent festival. So the king is absolutely astounded. He says, friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?

How did you get in here without wedding clothes? Verse 12 says the man was speechless. The Greek writes it in a way that he was muzzled like an animal, unable to talk. He was unable to talk. He had no excuse. He had absolutely no excuse.

It's like a little boy that's caught in the act of having his hand in the cookie jar. It's like an animal sort of caught in the headlights, just have got nothing to say. No excuse. They've been caught in the act. That's how this guy was.

He had no excuse, and so he's thrown out of the party. Now this begs the question, obviously, why would you go to a wedding without a tuxedo? Why would you go to a wedding without a formal dress? The man being thrown out is described as being tied up and thrown outside into the darkness. The nice beautiful hall with light and warmth and friendship is shown to be the opposite of this darkness that he's thrown into with weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The joy, the happiness, the fullness is contrasted with the desperate darkness. And again, in Jesus' parables, this gnashing of teeth and this weeping is symbolic of hell. And what we see here is Jesus explaining or symbolising judgment day, where God openly declares the heart of every single person. What we see here is that while the great wedding feast would be open to all, the possibility is that it could still be entered into by impostors. The only reason for you to be at a wedding feast without the brilliant white garments that would have traditionally been worn by the guests to symbolise the happiness is because you weren't really excited about the celebration to begin with.

It would be like you're turning up to your best friend's reception without a tuxedo, rocking up in your stubbies and in your crocs. The king knows that the man is there to claim the benefits of the feast, but not to share in the joy and the celebration of the king. He's there to reap the benefits of this time, but not to celebrate, not to rejoice. In other words, the invitation to join God's kingdom is open to all, but not all will be there with true motives. The possibility is that you might be wanting all the benefits of God and yet not want God himself.

Jesus is saying there will come a time when God will inspect the guests. Judgment day will come whether we like it or not, whether we like talking about it or not. He will lay our motives, our hearts bare. And there will come a time where each person will be speechless and will have no excuse, and all our rationalising will end. And the question is, are you wearing your tuxedo?

Or are you coming along for the ride to get a good feed out of it, to reap the blessings, to thank God for it, and then go home? Do you go to the wedding feast to enjoy him, to enjoy God, to enjoy the splendour and the magnificence of his presence? To respond to this magnificence with your obedience to him? Or are you turning up in your stubbies and your thongs looking to grab a few bread rolls, a piece of chicken, and a quick sip of beer? Do you come thinking that God should be pleased with your attendance?

That he should be pleased with your seconds? God should be pleased that you're at least wearing something. Weeks after this story, weeks maybe even days, something huge happened that changed the story of human history. There came a time when the greatest servant of God was beaten and mistreated and was killed. Jesus Christ laid down his life on the cross, and for many, it seemed like history was just repeating itself again.

Another prophet of God dead. But this time, it was God who said, I have a new plan. I have a better plan. This time, these people that have rejected me have rejected me for the last time. This time the kingdom will be opened up for everyone to come.

Every single person who is willing to enjoy the gift that I've sent willingly, knowingly, are welcome at my table. Jesus Christ ushered in a kingdom that had the smallest of beginnings, the smallest of beginnings, but the wedding feast has been gathering guests over two thousand years. That wedding hall is starting to fill. And we're all waiting. We're all waiting for that moment where Jesus comes again for his bride, where he will find us ready, where he will find us waiting for him.

Napoleon Bonaparte, that French general, once said this. He said Alexander the Great, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires, but upon what did we build the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ alone founded his empire upon love, and at this hour, millions of men would die for him. Jesus founded this kingdom with this wedding feast like celebration upon love.

And the question we have to ask ourselves today is have we really bought into this kingdom? Do we really want to be in there? Have you got your tuxedo on, ready for the celebration? Or do you come with a resistant heart into the kingdom? Are we willing to come to the wedding banquet with happiness and joy, wearing garments of praise and thanksgiving?

Or are you perhaps hesitant about being at the wedding in the first place? You've been invited perhaps, but you don't know if you belong there. Jesus says this morning, friends, you are welcome at the table. It may seem careless to you that God would open his doors to allow you to come in, the good and the very bad. Even though you may have disowned him, the promise is he hasn't disowned you.

He isn't careless. He knows what he's doing. The banquet is open to all who would seek to celebrate the lordship of Jesus Christ. When Jesus referred to the wedding clothes, he spoke about the inner reality of our souls. Do we really want to be with God?

Do we really want to celebrate him and his presence in our lives? And the answer is adorn yourself. Adorn yourself. Adorn yourself with goodness and mercy. Adorn yourself with right actions and take off the clothing of sin and immorality.

Do we come with hearts to this place to worship him? Do our lives reflect a life surrendered to God? Friends, the wedding feast is open. The invitation has been sent. You have received the invitation again today.

The guests are arriving, the music is playing, the doors are open. Come and join in with this feast and be swept up in the emotion and the joy of a life spent with Jesus. Let's pray. Lord, we are astounded by the openness of your grace. And we struggle, Lord, to even comprehend that ourselves or those people around us that really annoy us and really frustrate us are invited to enter into this, can freely receive this.

But we're also reminded again, Lord, that we cannot continue to abuse you. We cannot continue to use you for our own enjoyment, for our own satisfaction, for our own sense of peace. We cannot continue doing that because we would be like that man that came to the wedding feast without his wedding garments, just there for the ride. Father, we wanna say sorry this morning that we have taken you for a ride. And even though you are sovereign and almighty and you can't be taken advantage of, what we realise again this morning is that we're actually simply just destroying ourselves, and we are missing out on a greater celebration.

Father, fill us this morning with a sense of joy and happiness, a sense of awe and wonderment that we get to have life and life to the full because of Jesus Christ and what he has done for us. Though we were dead in our sins and our transgressions, you have made us alive with Christ. You have raised us up to your right hand to sit at a place of honour at this wedding feast. Lord, we want to give up our lives of sin. We want to give up being instruments of wickedness, and we want to change our hearts so that we may become instruments of righteousness.

Lord, use us, equip us, and fill us. Give us the strength to change the habits in our lives that are not honouring to you, and give us lives that love you and adore you. We ask this in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.