Read Matthew 22 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Chiastic Structure Teaching Tool for Mat 22:1-14:
And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment; and he said to him, “Friend, how did you come in here not having a wedding garment?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen. Mat 22:11-14
A wedding garment in connection with the wedding of the King’s Son is mentioned another place in Scripture.
“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him; for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Rev 19:7-8
If we apply the Common Theme Teaching Tool and compare the Mat 22 and Rev 19 passages, some things are revealed about wedding garments. I was taught as a young Christian that the wedding garment was the righteousness of Yeshua:
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Cor 5:21
That is, He took the sin of the whole world and “put it on” at the cross, where He suffered the penalty for sin; and we take His righteousness and “put it on,” so that we are counted righteous before God by faith, independent of works. But that is not the only way to look at it.
The Greek in 1 Corinthians says that we might become His righteousness, a process of continuing action. I believe the passage in Revelation clarifies for us, that if we have truly put on the imputed righteousness of Yeshua by faith, independent of works, that act will manifest in growing righteous character and action of the saints. As we have seen many times now, you will know them by their fruits, and faith without works is dead.
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. Pro 4:18
If there are questions, this is a good resource:
The Parable of the Wedding Feast – Christine Miller
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