Wedding Feast Parable

[PeterR]

Because a new birth is a process that begins with fertilization

Rev 3:17-19 

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

 

Isa 55:1  

Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Edited May 25, 2021 by PeterR

[LearningToLetGo]

8 hours ago, appy said:

We can conclude that the individual thought he could attend the banquet in his own way and not the way the king had provided.

I think this is the crux of the matter. Building upon this, is it better to have never been invited than to be invited and rejected?

Edited May 25, 2021 by LearningToLetGo

[appy]

19 hours ago, LearningToLetGo said:

I think this is the crux of the matter. Building upon this, is it better to have never been invited than to be invited and rejected?

In summary, the parable is about the invitation to get into God's kingdom which is being offered to all who will accept it, but with the condition that we must wear the robe of righteousness, which God has so graciously provided as a free gift through His son's sacrifice on the cross. This is what the parable is all about.

NOT that the man would be rejected for the sake of rejection after having been invited. NOT at all !

A robe of righteousness in necessary to get into the kingdom of heaven. How do we obtain that robe? By believing in Christ's finished work on the cross and receiving Him as Lord and Savior. A person that has truly turned to Christ, is certainly noticed, for his/her life shows it. Godliness is manifested in them for all to see.

There are people who identify themselves as Christian; attend church and hang around Christians because they want to belong. But like the man in the parable, they stick out like a sore thumb. They try to get in on their own terms of self-righteousness and want God to be ok with that. There will be no ungodliness in God's kingdom.

A robe of righteousness is imputed to us through faith in Jesus. He is our righteousness.

In the parable, the man in the story, had a form of righteousness, but not the kind of righteousness from God. Which is why he was not wearing what was provided by the king.  He was unrighteous and the reason he was put out.

Those who reject the gospel and those who are Godless will not get into heaven, they will be consigned to the outer darkness. (hell) Jesus was showing the religious leaders the stark reality of their rejection of Him. Salvation had been offered to them, but they rejected it. And so, because of their rejection, God rejected them.

 

 

[Selah7]

On 5/23/2021 at 1:42 PM, LearningToLetGo said:

Matthew 22:8-14

English Standard Version

8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

 

 

My question relates to line 13:

 

Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 

 

Why gather people off the street (i.e. people "minding their own business", so to speak) then punish one of them for being improperly dressed?

I see it like this:  This parable parallels John 3:16.  

Everyone, bad or good, is invited, and everyone who sincerely comes to the wedding feast is accepted.   

We are told in Rev. 19:8 that our garments in heaven will be fine linen which consists of our righteous acts: “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”

So back to our parable.  Apparently, everyone at the wedding feast had come to the Lord, and it was clearly evidenced by the white fine linen they were arrayed in.  I can only surmise that when anyone accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, this, in God’s eyes, is one humongous righteous act!  But see, there was one fellow there who was an imposter, for lack of a better word (like a Pharisee?).  Yep, he was naked as a jaybird.  He did not love the Lord and did not accept His gracious invitation (to be saved) in his heart.  He was faking it, and he had not one single righteous act.  Thus, the punishment.

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by Selah7