A Wrong Robe

Matthew 22:2

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son.

A wedding is usually a momentous event. A Jewish wedding was a very important event. A great deal of time and planning went into the preparation for the wedding. The young lady and young man really had almost nothing to do with selecting each other. The parents made the selection of a mate for their children and managed the wedding arrangements. The future bride and bridegroom would be engaged for a year. During this time, elaborate plans were made for the wedding. Everybody in the neighborhood and the community had a standing invitation to go. The wedding was a great celebration, often lasting for many days with feasts and music.

Even so, there were very strict rules and regulations concerning weddings. For instance, in Matthew 22:2-7, the king expected all those who attended the wedding to wear a special wedding garment. One fellow decided to crash the party by showing up without his garment. The man was thrown out because he had neglected to put on the proper garment. No exceptions were made. Luke 15:8-9 speaks of a woman who lost one of her ten pieces of silver. This was a crisis because if she did not have ten pieces, her wedding would be canceled. The ten silver pieces were part of the wedding apparel. They would be worn around the tail end of the wedding garment or the coins would be used as a necklace at the wedding. Losing just one piece meant her wedding was canceled; that is why she swept all day and all night. She lit her lights, looking and sweeping the house until she found that lost piece of silver.

The Lord places great importance concerning details and requires our obedience to His ways. The man without the wedding garment represents a person who tries to be part of the kingdom of God without receiving Christ.