Parable Math 22 Why was the wedding guest punished for not wearing wedding clothes?

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I can’t figure out this parable. The king seems desperate for guests and invites everyone off the street, and yet one guy gets thrown out for not wearing the proper wedding clothes, and he is bound and thrown out. Is there some historical Jewish significance about the proper wedding clothes? What does Jesus mean when he tells this parable?
 
ccallbeck said:
I can’t figure out this parable. The king seems desperate for guests and invites everyone off the street, and yet one guy gets thrown out for not wearing the proper wedding clothes, and he is bound and thrown out. Is there some historical Jewish significance about the proper wedding clothes? What does Jesus mean when he tells this parable?
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People were generally supplied with appropriate garments, if they didn’t bring them themselves, at events like this.

That someone would be so lax as to not put on what was supplied is certainly cause for them to be thrown out of the celebration, don’t you think? 🙂

The meaning then follows pretty easily: Even the seemingly unworthy are called but they STILL have to do their part to be finally found worthy of the gift.

:shamrock2:
 
ccallbeck said:
I can’t figure out this parable. The king seems desperate for guests and invites everyone off the street, and yet one guy gets thrown out for not wearing the proper wedding clothes, and he is bound and thrown out. Is there some historical Jewish significance about the proper wedding clothes? What does Jesus mean when he tells this parable?
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Please consider:
Ephesians 4:21-24

21 If so be that you have heard him, and have been taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 To put off, according to former conversation, the old man, who is corrupted according to the desire of error. 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind: 24 And put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth.
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This goes hand-in-hand with the parable of the wedding garment. The one who did not come with the appropriate garment did not “put on the new man”. i.e., In spite of being called by God, that person chose not to take the path of holiness laid before him.

This is yet another proof against Sola Fide.
 
Our pastor said in his homily that this never made sense to him either until theology school when it was explained these were actually two seperate parables run together. Not sure I liked his explaination. It seemed kind of loose to me, but perhaps someone with theology background can better explain what he meant?
 
ccallbeck said:
I can’t figure out this parable. The king seems desperate for guests and invites everyone off the street, and yet one guy gets thrown out for not wearing the proper wedding clothes, and he is bound and thrown out. Is there some historical Jewish significance about the proper wedding clothes? What does Jesus mean when he tells this parable?
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It means there is more involved with accepting God’s invitation than simply showing up. The first group rejects God’s invitation by refusing to abandon their own agenda. God chose the Jews, but the Jews had other plans. Fine, then, invite the Gentiles.

The man who was thrown out is like those who are willing to accept the invitation and drop their other plans in principle, but who aren’t willing to make the least exertion to pay reverence to the occasion and the person who invites them. These are those who only pay lip service to accepting the invitation, but in reality show up in body only, yet expect all the benefits of doing the full duty of a guest.

Now mind you, the king asked the man to explain himself, and the man had nothing to say for himself. This isn’t someone who would have liked to have done better, but did not have the means to do so. This is someone who couldn’t be bothered to avail himself of the means that were available to him. He could have shown up properly dressed, but didn’t bother himself to do it.
 
maybe this from the Haydock Bible Commentary

Ver. 12. Not having a wedding garment. By this one person, are represented all sinner void of the grace of God. (Witham) — To enter with unclean garments, is to depart out of this life in the guilt of sin. For those are no less guilty of manifesting a contempt for the Deity, who presume to sit down in the filth of an unclean conscience, than those who neglected to answer the invitations of the Almighty. He is said to be silent, because having nothing to advance in his own defence, he remains self-condemned, and is hurried away to torments; the horrors of which words can never express. (St. Chrysostom, hom. lxx)
 
Lucky me! Our associate pastor gave a homily on this, when it was the Gospel reading a couple of weeks ago. It opened up my understanding.

Yes, there are two parts, but they go together, When most of God’s chosen people ignored His invitation, made through His son, and injured and killed His prophets, then He invited the rest of us in.

But to participate in the feast, we have to put on the proper garment. That garment is reconciliation with God - yes, the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

By my personal extension, it means obedience to God.

By my further extension, it means that saying “I accept Jesus as my personal Savior” isn’t enough! That’s accepting the invitation, but not putting on the garment.

From my experience, I’d say that most Non-Catholic Christians agree with the above, though they may disagree with the garment being the Sacrament.

God bless us all,

Ruthie
 
Obviously, it means that if you come to Mass in anything other than your best clothes, you will be sent to Hell for all eternity! Mwehehe!!! 😉

Actually, I think it has to do with living up to our potential as God’s children. We have to strive to be holy, not be satisfied with who we are now.
 
Wow, thank-you very much to everyone who replied to this thread- you have helped me so much!!!
 
Ruthie said:
Lucky me! Our associate pastor gave a homily on this, when it was the Gospel reading a couple of weeks ago. It opened up my understanding.

Yes, there are two parts, but they go together, When most of God’s chosen people ignored His invitation, made through His son, and injured and killed His prophets, then He invited the rest of us in.

But to participate in the feast, we have to put on the proper garment. That garment is reconciliation with God - yes, the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

By my personal extension, it means obedience to God.

By my further extension, it means that saying “I accept Jesus as my personal Savior” isn’t enough! That’s accepting the invitation, but not putting on the garment.

From my experience, I’d say that most Non-Catholic Christians agree with the above, though they may disagree with the garment being the Sacrament.

God bless us all,

Ruthie
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What is the “Sacrament of Reconciliation” exactly?
Since both bad and good were brought in,then sin wasn’t the problem. The parable says,In verse ten,“And his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good: and the marriage was filled with guests”.
I take it “bad” equals sinful.
 
I think Saint Paul gives a clue:

Romans 13:14 “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

Galatians 3:27 “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

The wedding garment signifies that you are fully ready to be wedded to Christ, and have prepared appropriately. The man, who was reduced to silence, was hoping to reap the benefits of that which he had not sown - the promise made to all of us. However, he had neither circumcised his heart (Deuteronomy 10:16 & 30:6, Jeremiah 4:4), nor clothed himself in Christ.
 
po18guy said:
I think Saint Paul gives a clue:

Romans 13:14 “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

Galatians 3:27 “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

The wedding garment signifies that you are fully ready to be wedded to Christ, and have prepared appropriately. The man, who was reduced to silence, was hoping to reap the benefits of that which he had not sown - the promise made to all of us. However, he had neither circumcised his heart (Deuteronomy 10:16 & 30:6, Jeremiah 4:4), nor clothed himself in Christ.
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How do we know if we “have prepared appropriately”?
I read the verses you gave about “circumcise your heart”.
Does Deut 30:6 answer the question by saying that to circumcise your heart ,means to “love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul” then we can be “prepared appropriately” ?
Deut.30:6
“And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”
 
It was explained to me this way:

Everyone is invited to become one with Christ in the Eucharist
(Everyone is invited to the wedding)

To do so, it is expected that you are prepared to receive Him worthily…aka no mortal sin
(Everyone should show up in wedding clothes)

Those who receive Him with mortal sin will not go to heaven
(The man was tossed out of the party and suffered)
 
hays1122 said:
How do we know if we “have prepared appropriately”?
I read the verses you gave about “circumcise your heart”.
Does Deut 30:6 answer the question by saying that to circumcise your heart ,means to “love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul” then we can be “prepared appropriately” ?
Deut.30:6
“And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”
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If you achieve that level of love, you are ahead of nearly everyone. Jesus quoted this verse, (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27) as the greatest commandment, so it is the standard we must use for ourselves.
 
I was always really confused with this parable too until our priest explained it during a homily.

Back in ancient times, when there weren’t paved roads, traveling was very dirty and dusty. So the host would have wedding garments for the guests to change into when they got there. That’s why the king throws the man without wedding robes out. The king had given the people clothes to wear, and for some reason this man had rejected them. The man was insulting the hospitality of the king and his son.

God gives us all an invitation to His feast in celebration of His Son Jesus… He gives us the gifts of grace, and when we reject them we are insulting Him and Jesus.

Thank goodness God forgives though 🙂
 
the Lord of the manor envites his first choice guests to his home for a wondrous wedding. unfortunately, these important people have more pressing matters to attend to and in full knowledge decide not to attend. knowingly, the Lord of manor becomes a bit testy and tells his servants to envite EVERYBODY who is about their way. unfortunately, amongst these guests is one who did not investigate what was required of him for such a festivity, and he ended offending his host. naturally he was dealt with accordingly.

know your faith. learn your faith, the LORD envites everybody to his home of many rooms. it is up to us to find out what is required of us.
 
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