By: Juliet Constantine

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.” (Matthew 22:11-12)
 

Sometime ago, I began the story of a King who planned a royal wedding for his son, but the invited honored guests all refused to come, celebrate, and dine. Naturally, the wedding must go on as everything was already prepared. So, the King sent his servants to invite anyone who would come. Everyone was now invited: it didn’t matter where they were from-- all were invited to come and dine.

The story continues. When the King came in, he examined his guests and found a man not wearing the specially prepared wedding garment. He was behaving similarly to the first set of invited guests who refused to come: They didn’t want to come, not because they were busy, but because they wanted to wear their own clothes. Now, this guest refused the offer of a wedding garment: he felt comfortable wearing his own clothes which were clean and presentable. He stood out in the crowd and immediately the King saw him and asked, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” The disobedient guest was speechless. He had no defense and was ejected from the gathering.

The King came in before the actual wedding to see if all was ready for the ceremony to begin. That’s when he saw the man unfittingly dressed. This is a royal wedding and all under the King’s control must be in order. What’s with this wedding garment – why was it so important?

The wedding garment is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is what covers our sinful nature and make us worthy to be in the gathering. When we are covered with Christ’s righteousness, the image of God – in which we were created – will be fully visible again. Our characters will be similar to Christ’s. God in His all-knowing intelligence made available this wedding garment to all – whosoever will – when He gave Jesus to rescue us. We can only be saved through Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. Our works and penances cannot save us. Our works cannot save us, nor can your position in God’s Church. We are saved through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.

Similarly to how the King examines his guests, Jesus is examining Heaven’s Journal entries with a view of transferring the names of those individuals who are dressed in the specially offered wedding garment. Yes, those who have accepted Jesus’ righteousness (not a Priest’s or a Pope’s, not your pastor’s or a bishop’s) will be allowed to dine with the king. When He comes upon our name, will we be dressed in the wedding garment, or will we still insist on wearing our own clothes? He has been examining His invited guests for over 169 years now. Could it be that He has already examined our records, or is it possible that you or I could be next? We are all called to the feast. “How will it fare with you and me, when the King comes in?”

Oh my Father, whatever it takes, please remove my waywardness and help me to gladly accept Your wedding garment of Jesus’ righteousness. For in His name we pray, amen.

Copyrighted by Juliet Constantine 2014 (for “Alone With God – Finding Jesus In The Scriptures” Daily Devotional)