Matthew 22:12 “Friend, how did you get in here improperly dressed?”
Then the king said to his servants, “The wedding is prepared, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy. So go into the common streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” So they gathered all they found, both bad and good, until the wedding hall was filled. But when the king arrived to greet his guests, he saw a man who was not wearing proper wedding clothes. The king asked, “Friend, how did you get in here improperly dressed?” The man had nothing to say. The king proclaimed, “Tie him up and throw him into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth!” (Mathew 22:8-13)
The point of this parable is shockingly clear and unpopular in today’s culture. If the people originally invited were deemed unworthy by their responses, then we, who got invited to the wedding by their mistake, must be careful to respond in a manner worthy. A beautiful hymn reads, “Just as I am … I come.” But many have altered this truth into a lie: “Just as I am … I remain and will not change.”
There is nothing we can do to earn this salvation! Yet, the king deserves an outpouring of thanks from our grateful hearts! It is simply arrogance to say, “If my clothes were good enough to receive the invitation, they are good enough for the wedding!” Our response to so great a salvation must be gratitude, and gratitude in action is to do whatever we can to prepare for the wedding feast. We can change. Even a filthy beggar can wash his face. We received the invitation in spite of our appearance. Let us honor the mercy of that invitation with grateful hearts that inspire us to change our ‘clothes.’