Matthew 22:2-3, 9-14 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come…Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.  Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’  Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so 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 a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  For many are called, but few are chosen.”

While the beginning of this parable speaks particularly of the refusal of the nation of Israel to accept Jesus as the Messiah, the rest of the story portrays the mercy Jesus offers to all.  Everyone was invited to the feast.  Good and bad alike.

But there’s a catch. 

In those days, wedding guests had to wear special wedding clothes, referred to as a wedding robe.  And if the guests did not have this, the host provided one.  So when the King in the parable noticed a man not wearing the robe, it was not because the man didn’t have access to one.  He just refused to wear it.

When we come to the banquet, we need to let the King clothe us.  We cannot show up just as we are, clothed in the filthy rags of our own righteousness.  (Isaiah 64:6) 

God’s mercy and salvation are not earned; they are freely offered to everyone. But we have to accept this costly gift, recognizing that these robes of righteousness came at a great price.  We just aren’t the ones who paid it.

Lord Jesus and patient Savior, who does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance, keep my eyes on the cross when I am tempted to see other people as “good” or “bad.”  Remind me that everything I have – a clean slate and a fresh start, and any right thinking and right living  – comes by way of You.  Amen.  (Based on 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Corinthians 1:30)