July 11: Affirming His Grace.
HIS CLOTHING.
He [the king] said to him, "Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?" And the man was speechless.--Matthew 22:12
In my teens, I went to a boarding school and lived in the dormitory there, far away from home. I decided to join a sewing class but didn't have money to buy the materials. I wanted to make a dress, so I used a pretty set of bed sheets that my mother had given me. I was sure that no one would notice, because the print and color of the fabric were perfect for a summer dress. I was proud to wear it when my parents arrived to visit me. Then I heard my mother's voice from a distance: "Are those your bed sheets?" I could fool everybody except my mom!
The parable of the marriage feast is the last of three parables that portray the unwillingness of God's chosen people to accept Jesus. "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son" (Matthew 22:2). All of the original guests pay no attention to the invitation, making excuses and even mistreating and killing the messengers. Then the king chooses to replace the unworthy guests and orders his slaves to go out to the roadways to bring invitees for the feast. "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests" (verse 10). Even though some scholars disagree, the fact is that the custom of the host supplying the festal robes for the guests is implied, and it would have been necessary in light of the preceding context, where the guests came from the streets (verse 10). When the king finds a man without wedding clothes, he asks why (verses 11, 12). The rejection of the robe that was provided leaves this man without excuse. Perhaps he thought that his own clothing was good enough, but it wasn't. From Genesis to Revelation, humankind is in a clothing crisis. Adam and Eve chose fig leaves (Genesis 3:7), and the members of the Laodicean church didn't realize their need for the white robes offered (Revelation 3:17). The robe of righteousness of Jesus, given to us as a gift through His grace, is the only clothing that will be acceptable at the wedding feast of the Lamb. Let's start wearing it now!
My Response:_________________________________________________________
HIS CLOTHING.
He [the king] said to him, "Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?" And the man was speechless.--Matthew 22:12
In my teens, I went to a boarding school and lived in the dormitory there, far away from home. I decided to join a sewing class but didn't have money to buy the materials. I wanted to make a dress, so I used a pretty set of bed sheets that my mother had given me. I was sure that no one would notice, because the print and color of the fabric were perfect for a summer dress. I was proud to wear it when my parents arrived to visit me. Then I heard my mother's voice from a distance: "Are those your bed sheets?" I could fool everybody except my mom!
The parable of the marriage feast is the last of three parables that portray the unwillingness of God's chosen people to accept Jesus. "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son" (Matthew 22:2). All of the original guests pay no attention to the invitation, making excuses and even mistreating and killing the messengers. Then the king chooses to replace the unworthy guests and orders his slaves to go out to the roadways to bring invitees for the feast. "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests" (verse 10). Even though some scholars disagree, the fact is that the custom of the host supplying the festal robes for the guests is implied, and it would have been necessary in light of the preceding context, where the guests came from the streets (verse 10). When the king finds a man without wedding clothes, he asks why (verses 11, 12). The rejection of the robe that was provided leaves this man without excuse. Perhaps he thought that his own clothing was good enough, but it wasn't. From Genesis to Revelation, humankind is in a clothing crisis. Adam and Eve chose fig leaves (Genesis 3:7), and the members of the Laodicean church didn't realize their need for the white robes offered (Revelation 3:17). The robe of righteousness of Jesus, given to us as a gift through His grace, is the only clothing that will be acceptable at the wedding feast of the Lamb. Let's start wearing it now!
My Response:_________________________________________________________
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