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by Bible League International,
Narrated by Artificial Intelligence, Eric,
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Scripture
The king said, ‘Friend, how were you allowed to come in here? You are not wearing the right clothes.’ But the man said nothing. – Matthew 22:12 ERV
Devotion
A friend is someone you are closely connected to; someone you know affectionately; someone who is trustworthy. A friendship that lasts is a friendship where there’s mutual respect towards each other. Jesus once said He is my friend. He is my friend because I accepted Him, and I believe the Scriptures and apply them by His grace. However, our friendship is conditional because He said, “You are my friends if you do what I tell you to do” (John 15:14). Beloved, friendship has conditions.
Today’s verse comes from the parable of the wedding banquet. Jesus compares heaven to an elaborate wedding banquet prepared by the king for his son. Many people were invited to attend the banquet, but they turned down the invitation with lame excuses. Again and again, the king sent servants to invite people, but they turned him down. Finally, he sent servants to ask anyone on the street to attend. (v. 5-10). So often we make excuses; I tell people, “Never miss the opportunity or make an excuse to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior today.”
During biblical times, when people were invited to a wedding, the host was required to provide the attire, known as the wedding clothes. In this parable, these clothes represent Christ’s righteousness and holiness. God provides salvation to all who believe in His Son.
At this wedding, food was plentiful, and everything was ready for the guests to celebrate the glorious occasion (v. 4). Before the ceremony began, the king came to make his rounds. “When the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in the right clothes for a wedding” (v. 11).
The character of the king in this parable represents God the Father, who wants all mankind to be saved through the son, Jesus Christ. In this world, we have God the Holy Spirit, who seals and attests that believers are children of God. The Spirit makes sure we are convicted of God’s righteousness and living a holy lifestyle. In other words, He is making sure that our garments remain gloriously shining, so that when Jesus, our Master, comes we will be like Him (Colossians 3:4).
While the king was making sure that everyone invited followed the wedding rules, there was just one man who thought his garment was more elegant than the provided wedding garments. He refused to take off his clothes and put on the right clothes for the wedding. Maybe he thought, “The king is my friend, he knows me.” But the friendship did not matter because the man had not met the requirements. He had not held up his part of the deal. “The king said, ‘Friend, how were you allowed to come in here? You are not wearing the right clothes.’ But the man said nothing” (v. 12). He had no response when questioned.
The king’s friend could not defend himself. He had no excuse for not following the rules. The same goes for us when it comes to obeying Jesus. In order to be His friend, we must obey Him. Romans 1:20 says, “So people have no excuse for the evil they do.” We enter heaven by His rules, not ours beloved! Because of his disobedience, the man was thrown out of the wedding (v. 13).
Friend, are you wearing a wedding garment? Make sure that your wedding garment is still pure, and you are living a holy lifestyle. Otherwise you might miss the coming wedding banquet in heaven.
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