CLOTHED FOR THE MOTHER OF ALL WEDDINGS

  There are two main groups of people that will turn on God. The two groups are the government and the official religion. By “official” I mean those churches that are acceptable to the government and its leaders. Their doctrine will be doctrine of the world, and the government will be global. In the gospels, the common people believed Jesus to be a prophet, but the religious leaders feared that Jesus would diminish their authority, even though they believed His miracles. They did not reject Jesus because He was a convincing prophet, but because He was obviously God. I believe no one realized the identity of Jesus more than the scribes, Pharisees, and other religious leaders.
  On the other hand, Kings Herod and Antipas feared Jesus because they feared that He would be King.

² The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, ³ And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come… ⁸ Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. ⁹ Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. ¹⁰ So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. ¹¹ And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: ¹² And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. ¹³ Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen. (Mat 22:2-14)

Let’s identify the people, activities, and institutions that are represented:

·         The “marriage” represents the kingdom of heaven in that Holy Matrimony is symbolic of Jesus’s relationship with the true Church.

·         The “wedding” represents the “marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev 19:9), or entry into the kingdom of God in the end.

·         The “king” is as the Father aspect of God; God’s Will.

·         The “son” represents Jesus.

·         The “servants” represent the official church; the one organized my men.

·         “Bidden” is the invitation and God’s calling them to come into the wedding feast (John 6:44).

·         “Worthy” are those in proper attire; those wearing appropriate wedding garments.

·         “Highways” represent the entire world; whosoever is invited (John 3:16).

·         “As many” represents all that are willing to attend the wedding feast. None were forced to come. That represents free will. Everyone was invited to the wedding.

·         “Gathered together” is the Great Commission; to go unto the nations and teach the gospel.

·         “As found” represents those with a desire to respond to the invitation, unlike the servants who were there but rejected the invitation.

·         “Both good and bad” indicates that their status, vocations, and works are insignificant. They could be servants or adversaries.

·         “Wedding furnished” represents the true Church. The Church is for the lost and believers, and as the Church is represented by Ornan’s threshing floor, God will sort them out. All are welcome in, but some shall be cast out, depending on their wedding garments. The Groom furnished the right clothing for the occasion.

·         One man was not dressed in proper attire. He failed to wear a wedding garment. That will be discussed more thoroughly shortly.

·         The “servants” who are to bind the man without proper attire are angels.

·         “Speechless” is without excuse (Rom 1:20) as that man failed to understand the majesty of God in the Creation.

·         “Darkness” represents Hell and that is a place of isolation. The “weeping and gnashing of teeth” represents torment in Hell.

·         Many are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb, but few are chosen. That represents that nobody deserves entry, but only God decides. Some come anyway but are rejected because they are not dressed as servants would dress.

  The most important thing in that parable is the wedding attire. What attire would be appropriate for a wedding feast for commoners? I submit that coats made of lambs’ skins is the most appropriate, but any dead domesticated animal would do. Obviously, wolves clothing would not be appropriate dress!
  Think back to Adam and Eve: They made aprons of fig leaves. The fig represented bad taste for the pair and their own craftsmanship was not good enough for the wedding they would soon have.  God made for them appropriate clothing — coats of skin (Gen 3:21). God killed an innocent animal to cover the flesh of Adam and Eve. The proper attire for the wedding feast of the Lamb was the flesh of the Lamb (Jesus). It is not by ones’ own handiwork that they are worthy of the feast, but God’s handiwork of allowing His own Flesh to die to prepare the good and bad for the feast.
  God’s Flesh (the sacrificial Lamb) died that the corrupt and/or filthy “flesh” of the good and bad are worthy. It is to be noted that man’s “goodness” is as filthy rags in the sight of God (Isa 64:6), and God discarded the leaf aprons of Adam and Eve as He would a filthy rag. Perhaps their insolence had made their aprons filthy!
  Adam and Eve were the bad and good for they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of both. The skin coat — likely the skin of a lamb — covered the good (Gen 3:24) and their bad (Gen 3:5). Their estimation of themselves “as God” was covered by God’s coat which hid their own evil flesh from view. That implies that Jesus’s death covers all sin and attempts at goodness, and the coat allows God to “forget” the sin, albeit sinners must still suffer the consequences of sin as the two must when they were cast out.
  In the wedding hall at the feast, most were dressed appropriately excepting one. If you recall, the Kingdom of God (the Garden of Eden) had a hedge of some type around it, and the way back into Paradise was guarded by cherubim whose job was to “keep the way of the tree of life” (The Way of Jesus) with a flaming sword (Gen 3:24). Adam and Eve someday would be able to enter back into Paradise. That is the Edenic Covenant. Why so? They were dressed in clothes that God gave them!
  In ancient days, Jewish weddings were quite formal. The groom would provide wedding attire appropriate for Holy Matrimony. The wedding feast of the Lamb was formal and appropriate clothing was required to eat of the Bread of Life (Jesus). The man dressed without God’s “suit” was cast out by servants, just as cherubim will cast out those who endeavor to enter the wedding when they are not worthy. To be worthy is not something that the invitee has made and worn, but clothing the Groom provides. Those born again with the old flesh gone and clothed in new flesh (John 3:7) are worthy. Those born again do not re-create themselves, but God gives them new flesh suitable for the marriage supper of the Lamb.
  I could continue endlessly about the wedding feast and worthiness but would encourage others to study the wedding that will take place and ensure that they are dressed in appropriate clothing for the feast. Nothing fancy; John the Baptist wore a coat of camel hair, and he was allowed entry to the wedding. What will you wear? John, like the Son, wore a coat stained in blood. That is appropriate apparel!
  By the way, the feast was not held in a church building but the heavenly realm. That does not mean the place Heaven but the invisible universal Church building where there are no walls of brick nor stone, but Christians who are the living stones in the pillars that hold up the Cross.

(picture credit: Catholic World Report)