Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
This was not some ordinary wedding. We are not talking about two regular kids from town getting hitched. This was the wedding of a prince, the son of a king. Even though the role of royalty today is much different than it was centuries ago, anyone receiving an invitation today to such a wedding would certainly feel honored. Only a select few would be chosen to share in the festivities, with the guests being notable people themselves. Not just anyone gets invited to a royal wedding. Yet, those guests declined the invitation. It seems absurb, especially since so many would love to receive such an invitation, but that is what the Father encountered when He presented his Son to his chosen people.
The concept of being chosen has layers to it. We know that Israel was God’s original chosen people, but we also know that their leadership rejected Christ as Messiah. The wedding banquet had no guests, so the king sent out for new guests to be recruited. That is where we come into play. We had not been chosen as we are gentiles, but we are chosen now. Of course, not all who are invited are chosen, as this scripture tells us. Many will receive the invitation and try to enter the banquet dressed in something other than required. They will come in filthy rags that should have been traded for robes of righteousness, for fitting attire. That is how it will be clear that they are not part of the chosen.
Those who are chosen will have a stamp of approval on them. They will have exchanged their filthy rags for the robes of Christ’s righteousness. The wedding banquet is not some pretentious event where appearances matter, but there is a certain formality and decorum that is required. In fact, the King is the one who provides these precious vestments. They are reserved for the guests who have been chosen, and their status is evident by their transformation for that event. God calls us to dine, and the hope is that we would prepare for the banquet. Father, thank You for the invitation to the wedding feast, and thank You for choosing us to be a part of your royal priesthood.