Our Lord told the people who listened to Him many wonderful stories, or
parables, which were meant to sink deep into their hearts, to warn them
lest they should sin, or to encourage them to be good.
He often told them stories about "the Kingdom of Heaven," for He
wanted all who heard Him to enter into that Kingdom, and to share its
everlasting joy.
The parable I am going to tell you to-day is one in which the Kingdom
of Heaven was likened to a certain great King who made a marriage feast
for his son.
He invited a great many guests, and when all was ready, he sent his
servants to call them all to the wedding.
But the guests who were invited were so busy about their own affairs
that they did not trouble to come to the King's house!
Then the King sent some more servants, with the message that everything
was prepared for the feast, and to bid the guests to come to the
marriage.
But they made light of the invitation! One went to his farm, and
another to his business; and the rest treated the King's messengers
very badly, and even killed some of them.
Then the King was very angry, and sent his armies against the men who
had murdered his messengers.
Then the King said to his servants, "The wedding is ready, but those
who were invited were not worthy: go instead into the highways, and bid
all that you can find to come to the marriage."
So the servants went out, and gathered all they could find, and brought
them to the King's Palace, both bad and good. And this time there were
plenty of people who came to accept the invitation.
Then the King came in to see the guests, and his eyes fell on one of
them who had not on a wedding garment.
I think it is plain from the story, as our Lord told it, that this man
might have had a wedding garment if he had chosen to do so.
Doubtless the servants had beautiful clean garments ready in another
room, which the King had provided for every guest to put on.
But this one guest had no wedding garment!
Then the King said to him: "Friend, how did you come in to the banquet
without having a wedding garment?"
But the man was speechless; he had no answer to make; he had no excuse
to offer. Perhaps he thought his own clothes were good enough for any
wedding feast! Perhaps he had been angry with the servants for offering
him the King's garment!
We are not told—we only know that unless he had that garment which had
been provided, he could not taste of the King's feast.
The King ordered him to be sent away; and, in the dark night outside,
how earnestly he must have wished that he had not been so proud, or so
careless; and how he must have wept when he realized all he had missed.
I think that the Lord Jesus told this story as a solemn warning against
some things which prevent people from entering the "Kingdom of Heaven."
These things are just as likely to prevent people now, as they were in
the time that our Lord gave this parable to the multitude.
The chief danger is carelessness.
People say:
"Oh, I haven't time!"
"Oh, I can't take the trouble to be religious, I do very well as I am."
They think it is all very well to be invited to the Wedding-feast in
the Kingdom of Heaven, but they have other things to do; and they
esteem the servants of the King, who bring the message, as very
troublesome persons, who had better mind their own business!
Those are some of the people who miss getting into the Kingdom of
Heaven.
[Illustration: THE KING ORDERED HIM TO BE SENT AWAY.]