Word of Salvation – Vol. 15 No.25 - July 1969

 

The Wedding Garment

 

Sermon by Rev. P. G. Van Dam, M.Sc., B.D. on Matthew 22:12

SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 22:1-14; Revelation 7:9-17

PSALTER HYMNAL: 112; 55:2,3 (after Law); 491 (after Creed); 12; 456; 490

 

The parable of the royal marriage feast begins with these words:
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son....!” (vs.2).

No doubt, we will agree that this king is God, that the marriage meal (or wedding breakfast as we would call it) is the Kingdom of God.  (There are other places in the Bible where "to have part in the Kingdom of God" is likened unto "joining the table of the King".  In fact, is not this what is signified and sealed unto us when we meet with our Lord at the table of His Supper?)  And we will agree that the guests at the table are, therefore, all those who belong to this kingdom.

And then the parable tells us how this feast is organized, and who are the guests, the ones with whom the King will celebrate his feast, who will be the citizens of his Kingdom.

* * * * *

The parable begins by telling us who will not share the King's table:
 - those who did not accept the invitation; yes, but also
 - those who do come but who do not wear the wedding garment.

Those who did not accept the invitation.

Vs.3 tells us that there were those who, apparently, had received an earlier, a provisional, invitation to come.  But, we read, when the King sent his servants to tell them that the feast was ready, that now they could come, "they would not."

In vs.4 we read that "again, he sent forth other servants".  However, with no better results.  For not only do they again reject the invitation, but some of them "took his servants, and treated them spitefully, and slew (killed) them" (vs.6).

In these words Jesus is speaking of the Jews.  They were God's chosen people.  His people.  They were the ones who had been invited to share His table; they were the "children of the Kingdom" (Matt.8.12).  But when they were told – by the prophets – to prepare themselves for the marriage feast of the Lord, for the coming of Salvation, they "would not come".  They refused the invitation.  Then God sent other servants John the Baptist, Jesus Christ.  But not only did they reject these servants too, they also slew them.

Yet, the King was determined that the feast be held.  And again he sent out servants.  This time to invite "as many as ye shall find" (vs.  9); to "bid them to the marriage", in order, says Luke (14.23) "that my house may be filled."

This is what Paul speaks of when he says (Rom.11:11): "through their fall (the failure of Israel) salvation is come unto the Gentiles.”  And these servants, they are the church who "went out into the highways and gathered together all, as many as they found, both bad and good" (vs.10).  And all these, both "bad and good", suddenly appear to be the guests of the King.

This brings us to the last part of the parable, where Jesus speaks of the fact that – although they all came – nevertheless there are among them, too, those who will not be guests at the King's table.  Namely, those who do come, but do not come with the proper garment.

Well, here – in our parable – we see them all, the bad and the good.  Apparently they had all received a wedding garment to put on.  So that they could take off their own untidy clothes.  The parable does not really speak of a special wedding garment, but of newly-washed clothes.  Clothes of "fine linen, clean and white", as we read about them in Rev.19.8.

So, there they all stand, all in clean and white clothes; all suitably dressed for the occasion.  All guests of the King.  The bad and the good.  No, you would not recognize them anymore.  Really, if you had known just what some had been like before, and what they look like now If you had known them before... no, you would not believe it that they should be here too.  Dressed up as though there had never been anything wrong with them.  You could not believe it that they could – or should – be here too...!

Well, as a matter of fact, there happens to be one among all these guests who does not believe it.  Who does not believe that all this is right; that this is honest and fair.  What they were, and what they are looking like now, and that they too should now be guests of the King!  Just like that!?  As if they had been the very best people that you could possibly think of; people who had always tried to live a godly life!  Man, you should have known them!!  Is this the way things go here?  And should he do just as they do?  Why?  Why should he?  That would only show that he is one like them.  That he, too, was one of those who believed they needed to put on something else, to cover up their own poorness, and to look better.  No Sir, Not HE!

Oh yes, of course, everyone will wonder and ask him, how come you don't wear a clean wedding garment?  Well, don't you worry, he'll tell them!  He will tell them that we've got to be honest!  Oh yes, he will: no varnish, no polish, no make-up.  He will come just the way he is; not done up like all those others.

Well, it sounds good, doesn't it?  Be it that, for this man to reason the way he does, he must be rather well convinced of his own honesty and righteousness.  Otherwise... otherwise... he would have been very glad if he too could put on his wedding garment.

But now he believes he can and should come to the feast in his own garment.  In his own clothes.  The clothes in which he can be seen just as he is!  Oh yes, his own clothes may look a little poor, and there may be a few smudges too, here and there.  Oh no, he is not perfect; he never said that, did he?  He never said it, did he?  Well, how far does he get?  Apparently not so very far!  All the guests are ready.  There they stand; "the bad and the good".  All dressed up in their wedding garments, except our man.

And then the King enters...!  To see his guests.  And suddenly he sees there a man who does not have a wedding garment.  And then Jesus focusses all of our attention away from the whole gathering of guests, to follow the King as he walks up to this man.  And to hear him say to this man: "Friend, how camest thou in hither (meaning:) Friend by what right did you come here, not having a wedding garment?"  How come you are here, not dressed up for the occasion.  Not dressed in the garment that suits the occasion: the occasion of my marriage feast!

Now then, this is the opportunity for our man to explain himself, to speak his mind.  To make it clear what really matters: not the cover-up with a dress for the occasion, but... to be honest, and to show what we are, without "show".

Here then is his opportunity.....!  But, says Jesus, "he was speechless."  He did not say a word!  Of course he did not!  Why this "of course"?  Well, this is what the King asked him: "By what right are you here, not having a wedding garment?  How did you dare come here without proper wedding dress?"  And so, what the King made very clear to him was this and just this only: that only with a wedding garment would this man have had the right to come to the table.  Only with a wedding garment!

The King apparently was not at all interested in whatever reasons our man might have had – reasons of honesty, righteousness, etc.  And so, our man's whole view, and conviction and principles just collapse.  They do not mean anything to the King.  The only thing the King is interested in is: "Where is your wedding garment?"  Just that condition only!  And when our man does not meet that condition the King says to his servants: "Bind him, hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Outer darkness, weeping, gnashing of teeth; and all that only because he did not wear his wedding garment.

* * * * *

Now, some of us might say: Yes, but is this picture of our man correct?  Was this what this man had thought, and why he did not come with his wedding garment?  Well, let us see.

He was bound and cast into outer darkness just because he had not thought it necessary to put on his clean, white garment.  So, it is this garment which is the important thing here; and which we must have a closer look at.  Whatever the man's own reasoning, he had been wrong.  Apparently, he had made the mistake of coming to the feast the way he had thought he should have come.

The way he had thought he should have come; rather than – out of due respect and reverence for the King – the way the King had wanted him to come.  His own views had been more important than those of the King.  Or saying the same thing in a more simple way he had thought himself more important than the King.  Otherwise, even if he had not agreed with the requirement of the proper dress, he would have put it on nevertheless, only in order to recognize the person and the dignity of the King.  Oh yes, he did come; he had wanted to be a guest at the King's table; to share the honour, the privilege, the favour, the glory, the approval, the blessing of the King.  All that, surely!.  To receive all that, but receiving it by being a guest on his own terms!  Upon the strength of his own self-righteousness.

This is one side of this man's behaviour.

And this picture of our man does not become any better when we realize why the King is so insistent on this wedding garment as the condition to be his guest.  Why the King says that, without it one will be thrown out of the feast, and into the outer darkness!  Why is this wedding garment so important?  What does Jesus mean by it; by this wedding garment?

There are several places in Scripture which speak of this wedding garment.  When Jesus speaks to the angel of the church of Sardis he says: "He that overcometh shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life.  (Rev.3.4,5).  To the church of Laodicea John is to write: 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" (the shame of what you are by yourself) – (Rev,3.18).  And Jesus speaks of it in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15).  When the son – who had been lost – returns, his father says to his servant: "Bring forth the best (!) robe, and put it on him; and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry.  For my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found....!”  "Bring forth the best robe!"

The wedding garment; it is the garment of him that overcometh.  It is the white raiment, which Jesus says we must buy of him.  He has it.  From him we may and must get it; "I counsel thee (you'd better believe me and take my advice!) to buy of me white raiment that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear".  That it will do precisely that which our man did not want it to do: to cover up our shame.  He did not think he had anything to be ashamed of; he thought he could come before the King, at his feast, without having his shame covered up.

No wonder it made no sense to this man that the "best robe" was for him who had been lost in his badness.  That he who had been about the dirtiest one of all, that he should receive the best robe.  And that Jesus Christ himself should say and teach this...!  That Jesus Christ himself shows John that this is precisely why all at the feast are dressed in their wedding garments, and why they should be dressed.  Precisely because of what they are!

For this is what John sees and hears:

"And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying: ALLELUIA: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white.....!”

and, says John as he sees it in his vision:

"For the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints....!"

The righteousness of the saints.

What is this righteousness?  Apparently not in anything that the guests had in themselves, but it was the fine linen wedding garment which was their righteousness which constituted their right to be at the marriage.  And it constituted their right precisely because it covered that by which, apparently, they had no right to be there: the unrighteousness of their own shame.  And it is this clean garment of righteousness which Jesus had urged them to receive from him.  This is the wedding garment of which Jesus speaks; of which already Isaiah spoke:

"He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels" (Isa.61.10)

This is the wedding garment which our man had refused to put on, with which he believed that no one should cover himself up, because every man should be "honest," and have the courage to show what he is by himself.

"Friend, by what right did you enter here?"  "Where is your wedding garment?"  "You do not have it."  "But I also know why you do not have it!  Your reason for not having it is not that you believe that it is dishonest for all those to wear it, because you know how bad they were.  It is not so much your rebellion against their badness, their dishonesty.  Not at all!  But what you rebel against is the garment of my salvation.  You rebel against my grace; you think I am not honest in giving it to them all to the bad and to the good.  Because I., I want them to cover up the shame of their nakedness.  Because I want them to look right before me.  You rebel because in your self-righteousness you think that I am unrighteous.  You believe that you may measure my requirements, the requirement of the wedding garment of my Son; that you may measure that requirement by the standard of your own self-righteousness.

This man was to be cast out into the outer darkness.  He had no part of the feast.  Why not?  Had his life not been good enough, honest enough, decent enough?  Had his principles and his standards not been set high enough?  Had he not been right to say that he should not and could not be called a hypocrite?  But he had no part of the wedding feast, only – ONLY – because he did not have the proper garment.  We may know of others whom we criticize for what they are; for their attitude or their behaviour.  Well, what do you think: should they or should they not receive the best robe, the garment of righteousness?  and – as Isaiah says it – “be adorned as a bride with jewels to the marriage feast of the Lamb?"

Remember the warning: "For many are called but few chosen".  Apparently there are many of whom the King will ask, as he asked of our man: "Friend, by what right did you come in here?  What makes you think that you too should be here?"

Am I certain for myself that I am not rejecting the royal robe of fine linen which God requires me to receive from Jesus Christ, to wear at his feast, that the shame of my nakedness be covered before him?

Blessed is he.... no, not he that has done the right things, but, it says: "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God." (Luke 14.15).

Amen.