I have a beautiful niece who is a complete fashionista. She always seems to have an attractive, fashionable outfit for every occasion. Clothing is one of the primary ways we express ourselves, and though we may not want to admit it, our clothing reveals what is in our hearts.
Not many of us think about covering ourselves primarily for survival purposes, like shelter from heat, cold, or the elements. For most of us, it’s all about style in our present culture. Have you ever considered that your clothes could get you killed?
Clothing for the Wedding Feast
In Matthew 22, Jesus compares heaven to a king hosting a marriage celebration for his son. His servants called people to this wedding feast, but no one would come. The king again sent servants to advertise: it was a free, all-you-can-eat buffet celebration. But the people, busy with farming or housework or buying and selling, didn’t pay much attention; nevertheless, he sent still other servants into the highways and byways to invite everyone: good people, bad people, the outcasts, the homeless, and anyone who would respond. Finally, the wedding was furnished, the guests had arrived, and it was party time!
Weddings showcase beauty. The guests wear stylish clothes. Sometimes, I’ll buy a new dress, for I consider looking my best a way of honoring the host. At this marriage feast, however, one of the attendees wasn’t wearing the right clothes: the wedding garment. I imagine he was wearing something unacceptable, like a dirty, smelly T-shirt with ripped jeans.
Genesis 2 tells another story about improper clothing. Eve, tempted by the serpent, chose to disobey God and invited Adam to join her in sin. When the fruit opened their eyes, they realized they were naked and covered themselves with fig leaves to avoid shame. Verse 21 says that the Lord God clothed them with coats of skins. Adam and Eve were wearing the wrong outfit. Be careful what you are wearing!
In both accounts, a critical point is revealed. The only way to get salvation and eternal life is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ; this is our wedding garment. When (like us) Adam and Eve sinned, the only covering that will protect us is the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Just as God killed an animal to clothe the shamed pair in Eden, we, like the wedding guests, need the blood of Jesus to be saved. Hebrews 9:22 says, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” In other words, the only way to cleanse our sins is confession: asking that the blood of Jesus take them away. This is righteousness by faith: counting on (having faith that) Jesus’ blood will cover our sins—that is what makes us righteous. That is what gives us the correct “clothing” for heaven. 1 John 1:7-9 says, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Notice that the man without the wedding garment was bound hand and foot and cast out into outer darkness where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 22:13). That is the consequence of having on the incorrect garment. Christ is our righteousness. He is our salvation, and we can only enter heaven by depending on Him!
Call to Action
Let us take the time to make sure we are wearing the right clothing: faith that Jesus’ blood will cleanse us from sin. Will you join me in praying that God will help us live a life of obedience?
All scripture taken from the King James Version.
