“Jesus spoke again, this time in parables. He said, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who held a wedding feast for his son. He sent his servants to summon those who had been invited to the wedding feast, but they refused to come. 

He sent out other servants again and told them, ‘Tell those who were invited, “Look, I have prepared my feast; my calves and my fattened cattle have been slaughtered; everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.” But they paid no attention to his invitation and went away—one to his field, and another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mocked them, and killed them. When the king heard this, he was furious; he sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants: “The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy of it. Go, then, to the crossroads and invite to the wedding everyone you find.” The servants went out to the crossroads, gathered everyone they found—both good and bad—and the wedding banquet hall was filled with guests. The king came in to see his guests; and he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding garment. “Friend,” he said to him, “how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” The man was speechless. Then the king said to his servants, “Bind his hands and feet, take him away, and cast him into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.”^[1]

The Lord Jesus often speaks in parables to make spiritual realities clear to us. When He says that a king held a wedding feast for his son, He is referring to God, who held a wedding feast for the Lord Jesus, His only Son. This parable shows that God wants all people to enter into His salvation. When He held a wedding feast for His Son, He wanted many to enter His wedding hall.

 God sent His servants to invite people to the wedding, but they refused the invitation. The first to be invited into heaven were the Jewish people, whom John the Baptist was calling to repentance. God has a Kingdom that is coming to dwell on earth. The present aspect of His Kingdom is that whoever believes in His Son enters His Kingdom. The future aspect of the Lord’s Kingdom refers to the time when the Lord Jesus will come to reign on earth, when every knee will bow before Him. The world, as it is now, is an unjust world. But the Lord God, who is the righteous Judge, will one day put an end to this injustice on earth, and righteousness will reign. The Lord Jesus first went to His own people, who did not receive Him but constantly sought to kill Him. The Jewish people did not recognize Him as their King but put Him to death. Those invited to the wedding rejected the One who was to reign over them.

If we had spiritual eyes, we would see that the Kingdom of God is already on earth. In the Kingdom of God, there is no creature that does not bow the knee before Him. The same is true of His Kingdom on earth, where every person acknowledges Him as King over their lives. The Lord Jesus told this parable one week before His death. He had lived thirty-three years among the people of Israel, preaching the Gospel everywhere and speaking of God’s judgment upon those who did not want to receive His Kingdom, urging them to repent, for the Kingdom of God had drawn near to them. The Lord Jesus is King over all things, having authority even over nature, which obeys His voice.^[2]

Jesus had come to earth to proclaim God’s year of favor. He began to explain in parables what the kingdom of God is like and how one can enter it. A wedding is a symbol of joy, just as the kingdom of God is. The cause for joy in heaven is the presence of God, who makes all things new. Those who have believed in Him will enter into this joy.

God’s children have countless reasons to rejoice even while on earth: “It is to Him that we owe the fact that, through faith, we have entered into this state of grace in which we now find ourselves; and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory. Moreover, we even rejoice in our sufferings; for we know that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”^[3] Even though things on earth are not always a source of happiness for people, those who have the Lord on their side rejoice at all times. This joy comes from God through the Holy Spirit poured out into their hearts.

The Jewish people were invited to the wedding but refused the invitation. Out of pride, man rejects God’s call and chooses death instead of eternal life. He chooses hell instead of heaven, which is filled with God’s presence. In His goodness, God calls them a second time, even though they had turned their backs on His loving invitation. People refused the Lord’s second call as well—an invitation to a wedding where they were only required to show up without bringing gifts; everything was ready for them to enter into His joy. The people did not care about the Lord’s invitation because they were too busy for Him. Every person spends their time on things that perish, on things that lead to destruction, instead of trying to save their lives: “For if the Word proclaimed through angels proved to be unshakable, and if every transgression and every disobediencereceived its just punishment, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”^[4]

God’s people still proclaim the repentance to which the Lord calls them. It is the same call that John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus, and the holy apostles made. Repentance has become a subject of mockery for people. Those who mock the Gospel and kill those sent by God to proclaim salvation to them will receive their reward, which will be eternal hell. True believers cannot remain silent, but go from place to place to make known to people the way to salvation. People who reject the Lord’s call bring God’s wrath upon themselves.

On the day of the Lord’s crucifixion, the Jews cried out that Caesar was their only king, and that the Lord’s blood be upon them and upon their children. Only thirty years later, Jerusalem was completely destroyed, and God judged them according to their own words. Those who bring God’s wrath upon themselves cannot find escape, for His power is absolute.

This is why God has His messengers who proclaim the Gospel to the world; He wants to save people from judgment. The choice, however, belongs to each individual; those who do not accept His love will face punishment, but those who turn from their sins to God will live.

Because His people had refused the invitation to the wedding, the Lord goes after the poor, the drunkards, and those living depraved lives, and calls them to His wedding. He has the power to free any person from any sin, no matter how great it may be. The Lord’s messengers gather all who accept His invitation to fill God’s wedding hall. Only those who truly repent and see themselves through God’s eyes—full of sin and lawlessness—will enter His kingdom. Those who justify themselves by thinking they are good and moral people, failing to acknowledge themselves as lost sinners, will have no part in His Kingdom. One may come before God only with one’s face to the ground and with tears of repentance.

The man in the parable who was not wearing the wedding garment was cast out and thrown into the place of eternal torment. This is the man who believed he could present himself before God in any way he pleased. The wedding garment is mandatory at the Lord’s wedding. This is the white robe given by the Lord Jesus to those who are cleansed of their sins: “And one of the elders spoke up and said to me, ‘Who are these who are clothed in white robes? And where have they come from?” “Lord,” I replied, “you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”^[5] “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”^[6]

Whoever does not enter through the gate of repentance is considered by the Lord to be a thief and a robber.^[7] “Behold, I am coming soon; and My reward is with Me, to give to each person according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city through the gates! Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood!^[8] This is the blessed person who has the right to enter the city of God—the one who is washed in the blood of the Lord, cleansed of all sins, and clothed in the white wedding garment.

            On this earth we weep, suffer, and experience all kinds of pain. The child, born with a sinful nature, weeps from the moment of birth. This earth is the valley of tears. However, we must mourn our sins in order to receive forgiveness and to experience the moment when our weeping will end. In hell, however, there is weeping and gnashing of teeth—pain that will never end. Whoever rebels against God will not see happiness, but will end up in this place of eternal torment.

Only if we have the white wedding garment and keep it clean until the moment of our meeting with Him will we take part in the Lord’s wedding. These garments can be stained again by sin; therefore, every person who repents and lives a life of faith must remain constantly vigilant, so as to be ready for the wedding at any moment.

^[1] Matthew 22:1–14.

^[2] Examples of this include: the fig tree that withered, and the waves of the sea that subsided at the sound of His voice.

^[3] Romans 5:2–4.

^[4] Hebrews 2:2, 3.

^[5] Revelation 7:13, 14.

^[6] 1 John 1:9.

^[7] John 10:1.

^[8] Revelation 22:12–14.