The kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain king which made a marriage for his son. Matthew 22:2
During a recent wedding ceremony, after the vows were exchanged, and after the happy couple had signed all the papers necessary, a young man got up and delivered an excellent Gospel message. When he had finished, and after the bride and groom had been formally introduced to the audience and had made their way down the aisle, I asked our eldest grandson what he thought of the ceremony. Like any nine-year-old boy, he just grinned and shrugged. But then he stated that it was much different from another wedding ceremony he had been at, that of his school bus driver. I asked him what the biggest difference was, and he said the biggest difference was there was no Gospel at the bus driver’s wedding. That is a huge difference! So is the difference between the weddings of the world and the wedding that the Lord Jesus is describing in our parable today.
For most of the weddings that we attend, other than our own, they make very little difference to the rest of our life if we decide not to go. We might offend a few people, but they’ll get over it in awhile. But the marriage that our Lord is describing is of critical importance to attend. Everything for time and eternity depends on our acceptance of the invitation and our attendance at the ceremony. It makes a wonderful Gospel illustration, as we consider how the invitations are the Gospel, and our attendance at the ceremony and reception refer to our salvation. We appreciate the truth of the need for the wedding garment, and its message that those who lack the garment of salvation are barred from the reception. We have all heard this illustration used effectively in the Gospel, and we are likely to hear it again. The parable focuses on the guests at the wedding, and we know who the Bridegroom is, but have you ever wondered about the bride?
Our parable does not mention the bride, but we can find the bride identified elsewhere. The bride, the Lamb’s wife, is found to be the Assembly, or church as the King James Bible has it, that is made up of all those who have trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Just as every wedding must have a bride, so the Lord Jesus has purchased for Himself a bride who will be His joy for eternity. That is why our future home in Heaven will be so wonderful. We will not be there simply as guests and audience, but as the very bride that fulfils the promises and purposes of God.
To be a part of the bride of Christ is an honour, a joyous expectation, and a tremendous responsibility to live up to as we wait for that coming wedding day. -Jim MacIntosh