• "What is the Appropriate Wedding Attire"
• Sermon for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity
• October 24, 2004
• The Reverend David A. Brounstein

In our gospel lesson, Jesus is telling this parable of a special wedding feast to the chief priests and Pharisees. Weddings are a fairly common celebration of joy attended by an interesting assortment of guests. I was reminded of this only a few short years ago. Our only son, Matthew, called on the telephone one day and asked both his mother and me to listen together. He was excited and told us of his engagement and wedding plans. After breaking the news, the line went silent for a few moments. He took a deep breath and asked if we would attend. Our response was that nothing in our power could keep us away.

Immediately, we began to re-schedule work commitments, seminary studies, and vacation plans. Reservations were made for airline tickets, hotel accommodations, and local transportation. The logistics of the 21st century are quite different from those to whom Jesus was speaking, but weddings were, and still are, a commonly understood event and time of celebration.

One way to interpret a parable and unpack its meaning is to understand who the participants represent. Jesus begins by telling us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. There is a certain king who represents God. There is a son to be married who represents Jesus. The wedding banquet itself represents the Kingdom Age. There are invited guests who have found an excuse for their negative RSVP - God's chosen people Israel. There are the servants sent by the king - prophets who were ignored, abused, and killed by the leaders of Israel over many centuries. Finally, there are those gathered from the street corners and elsewhere - both good and bad - which fill the wedding hall. Many see these as Gentiles who quite unexpectedly found themselves as guests at the banquet.

This brings us to the special significance of the wedding garments. For my son's wedding, I mailed a return postcard to the tuxedo shop in Minneapolis. It had the measurements for my shirt, trousers, jacket, and shoes. Not quite a one-size-fits-all robe of Biblical times, but nonetheless, it was fully pressed, set aside, and waiting for me when I arrived. Things were not so simple for the mother of the groom, my wife, Diane. She was mailed a swatch of colored cloth and was on her own to find an appropriate gown, matching shoes, accessories, along with countless details of which I found myself thankfully ignorant. After many frustrating and seemingly endless days of shopping, it was finished. She packed the garment bags and luggage for the trip and unpacked everything once we arrived. Our garments were prepared and ready for the big day. The disparity of our circumstances did not go unnoticed. Diane would have gladly sent off her own postcard to have everything fitted, pressed, ready and waiting for her when she arrived!

Our parable concludes with the king circulating among his guests at the banquet. He is astonished to find in attendance someone who has refused to put on the wedding garment provided for the feast. The guest is bound and removed from the festivities - thrown into utter darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. It appears to be a high price to pay for being etiquette challenged. This guest was apparently not dressed for success.

Common Jewish custom of the 1st century required that the wedding host provide special clothing for their guests. It was understood that a wedding banquet was a foreshadowing of the Kingdom Age. But what is the point that Jesus is trying to make in this parable? The Scriptures abound with numerous instances of God providing clothing that is accompanied by a consistent theme. In the third chapter of Genesis, God provided animal skins to Adam and Eve to replace their fig leaves. In doing so, he extended mercy to fallen humanity through the shedding of blood. In Zechariah, the prophet had a vision of the high priest who had been clothed in filthy garments. The angel of the Lord appeared and said to those with the high priest, "take off his filthy clothes... see how I have taken away your guilt from you; and I shall clothe you in fine vestments" (3:4 REB)

In the context of our parable, Jesus is making the point that our clothes represent an attempt to achieve righteousness in the sight of the king through our own efforts. They are our fig leaves and filthy garments; human attempts to clothe our selves in righteousness. The only acceptable garments must be a gift from the king. It does not matter how hard we strive to co-ordinate our wedding attire: by postcard to the tuxedo rental store or by shopping until you drop. To be accepted at the king's wedding banquet, we must wear the clothes of righteousness that the king has provided for us.

In Isaiah, the prophet makes a remarkable offer on behalf of God. "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord: "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (1:18 NKJV). On the cross, Jesus made this exchange possible for us. He took our sins upon himself that we might become reconciled with God. This is the heart of the good news of the Gospel proclaimed continuously for 2,000 years. It speaks of a life evidenced by repentance. Of turning to God and submitting to his kingship over all the things in our life. It is a believing faith in God's provision for our sins through his son Jesus Christ. This alone will provide us with the appropriate wedding attire. Only then will we be truly ready and dressed for success.

Our personal wedding invitation from the King has already been sent out. It was postmarked on a Good Friday afternoon from the Cross of Calvary a long time ago. Don't be left out. Make your plans now to attend the wedding and the reception that follows.