Ohh.... Matt 22! You do not clearly make your references in shorts posts like this adequately known.
If you will actually talk about this, I will deal with that.
But see how your posts are disjointed? I am not sure what points you refer to since you don't quote them, but merely tersely refer to them. Too tersely.
Here is what I believe.
Mat 22:1-12 KJV And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, (2) The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, (3) And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. (4) Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. (5) But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: (6) And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. (7) But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. (8) Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. (9) Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. (10) So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. (11) And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: (12) And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
First of all the context is from
Matthew 21' s dealings with Jerusalem's rejection of Jesus as King, and His reaction to that.
The people that were bidden were the religious Jews, just as they were the husbandmen of the vineyard in chapter 21 and the brother who initially said he'd work in the field in the same chapter 21. It's the same principle repeated in parable after parable. It regards those called to the Kingdom who rejected Christ as King and who lost the kingdom so the last they'd expect instead receive it.
It's not about judgment day as if we go to the wedding by dying and being judged and sitting at the wedding supper. It's about a warning t those who do follow Him.
Two things Jesus referred to in these parables after the rejection of Himself as King.
1) Israel and the religious lost the kingdom.
2) The least they'd expect receive it instead. But those who received it are also warned to stay faithful lest they be judged as well.
The judgment was impending destruction of Jerusalem in their lifetimes. That's the city burned with fire
The one without a wedding garment stands for one who received the kingdom while the élite rejected it. And that one backslid later and did not hold on. He corresponds to the same warning Jesus gave to those who DID accept Him as we find here:
Mat 24:44-51 KJV Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. (45) Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? (46) Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. (47) Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. (48) But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; (49) And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; (50) The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, (51) And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The wedding garment stands for the Christianity that must be maintained after one receives the kingdom properly. It's like robes of righteousness GRANTED (mind you) to the bride in
Rev 19.
Rev 19:8 KJV And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
That's righteousness not worked for but granted by the work of the cross.
It's the Christianity that we should be demonstrating about which I've always agreed with you, only to see you put that cart of good works before the horse of salvation without works that grants righteousness.
In other words, we get the white robes without earning them. We just need to KEEP THEM WHITE by DOING what is good. Doing good works does not earn us the robes, BUT KEEPS THEM CLEAN and retains them, which the unadorned guest failed to do.
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