Mar
27
2013
Sunday Best Clothes
Posted in Holy Week 2 Comments
Easter was always a time when my mother would buy me a new dress.
A Sunday best dress.
Little white Mary Jane shoes with buttons.
Buttons that needed their own special hook in order to fasten them correctly.
New little pocket book that held just a handkerchief.
To finish off the look…a straw hat with a satin ribbon that matched the dress.
Easter was always the time for Easter baskets.
Candy…that I didn’t eat..little toy chicks…eggs that had tiny scenes inside.
Those eggs were my favorite.
The baskets were wrapped in purple or pink cellophane.
Plastic grass, in the bottom of the basket, always wrapped around the jelly beans.
Churches focus on Jesus and His resurrection.
Stores focus on the outfits, the baskets, and the candy.
And ne’re the two shall meet!
Not necessarily!
Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent some more servants and said, “Tell those who have been invited that I prepared my dinner. My oxen and fatted cattle have been butchered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.” But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.” So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and 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 wedding clothes. He asked, “How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?” The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, “Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
For many are invited, but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:1-14)
In this parable, the king represents God.
The king’s son represents Jesus.
How generous of the king to have such a lavish wedding banquet.
The king provided the place for the banquet, the food, and the drink.
The king even provided the wedding clothes.
Sunday best clothes.
When the king saw a man in the banquet hall, without wedding clothes on, he was furious.
And rightfully so.
Everything was provided by the king.
Not accepting the king’s free gift was incredibly insulting to the king.
The man without wedding clothes wore his own dirty clothes.
This man did not crash the party…he was invited from the streets to come.
It was expected that his clothes would be dirty and smelly.
It was expected that his clothes would be inappropriate for such a feast.
Sitting there with his own clothes, instead of the king’s fine garments, was an insult.
In essence, the man was saying, Thanks…but no thanks. I’m good enough.
Except he is not good enough.
The dirty, smelly clothes are unacceptable for the king’s wedding banquet.
The king has done all the work.
The man needs to acknowledge his pitiful state and allow the king to clothe him.
Only the king could clothe the man properly.
Now Joshua (the first high priest after the exile) was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you. Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him while the angel of the Lord stood by.
(Zechariah 3:3-5)
Forgiveness of sin is always portrayed as changing your clothes.
Dirty garments for garments of righteousness.
HIS righteousness.
New Easter clothes…Sunday best clothes.
The two shall meet.
They meet at the empty tomb.
The King has done all the work!
Are you properly dressed for His banquet?
Gina,
What a wonderful comparison. I remember as a young teen getting dressed for church and my mother send me back upstairs to put on something appropriate for church. I asked my Grandmother, in a surly tone, “Why do we have to get dressed up for church anyway, God doesn’t care what you wear”, in a calm voice she told me “out of respect”. I still love putting on Easter dresses and watching all the little girls and boys in their Easter attire. How amazing that Jesus bought our “Sunday clothes”. Thank you for your insights and for sharing your stories Gina!
Tristie,
We are perfectly dressed when we are wearing HIS clothes!
I look forward to worshiping with you.
Have a Blessed Easter!
Gina