Not in wedding clothes. Friend! how did you come here not wearing wedding clothes?

Based on Gospel. from Matt. 22:1-14.

Parable about wedding clothes reveals to us a lesson of the highest importance. Marriage symbolizes the union of humanity with Divinity; The wedding garment symbolizes the character that must be possessed by all who are to be considered a worthy guest for marriage.

In this parable, as in the parable of great evening, illustrates the gospel invitation, its rejection by the Jewish people, and the call of grace to the Gentiles. But to those who reject the invitation, this parable brings to mind a deeper insult and a more terrible punishment. The call to the feast is an invitation from the king. It comes from the one who has the power to command. It is a great honor. And yet the honor is not appreciated. The royal authority is despised. While the owner's invitation was viewed with indifference, the royal invitation was met with insult and murder. They treated the servants with ridicule, mercilessly beating and killing them.

The host, seeing that his invitation was ignored, announced that not one of the people who had been invited would partake of his supper. For those who have caused annoyance to the king, more than exclusion from his presence and from his table is determined. He “sent his troops, destroyed their murderers and burned their cities.”

In both parables the feasts were filled with guests, but the second shows that those present at the feast had to prepare for it. Those who neglected this preparation are expelled. “The king went in to see those reclining, and saw a man there, not dressed in wedding clothes, and said to him: friend! How did you come here not wearing wedding clothes? He was silent. Then the king said to the servants: having tied his hands and feet, take him and throw him into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The call to the feast was conveyed by the disciples of Christ. Our Lord sent out twelve and after that seventy more, proclaiming that the Kingdom of God was at hand and calling people to repent and believe the Gospel. But the call was not accepted. Those who were invited to the feast did not come. Later the servants were sent out to say: “Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my bullocks, and what is fattened is slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.” This was the message brought to the Jewish nation after the crucifixion of Christ, but the nation, which called itself the special people of God, rejected the gospel brought to it in the power of the Holy Spirit. Many have done this in highest degree in a mocking way. Others were so irritated by the offer of salvation, the offer of forgiveness for rejecting the Lord of glory, that they turned on the bearers of this message. This was the “great persecution.” Many men and women were thrown into prison, and some of God's messengers, like Stephen and Jacob, were put to death.

This is how Israel sealed its rejection God's grace. The result was predicted by Christ. The king, “sending his troops, destroyed their murderers and burned their cities.” What was spoken came upon Israel in the form of the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the people.

The third call to the feast is the preaching of the Gospel to the pagans. The king said: “The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. So, go to the highways and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.”

The royal servants, who came to the crossroads, “gathered everyone they found, both evil and good.” It was a mixed society. Some of them had no more correct view of the giver of the feast than those who rejected the call had. The class of men called first were not, as they thought, in a position to sacrifice any worldly advantage for the sake of being present on the royal pier. And among those who accepted the invitation, there were some who thought about their well-being. They came to share the food prepared for the feast, but had no desire to honor the king.

When the king came to the guests, then the real character of everyone was revealed. A wedding robe was prepared for each guest. This robe was a gift from the king. By wearing it, the guests showed their respect for the host of the feast. But one person was wearing his usual dress. He refused to put on the clothes that had been prepared for him at great expense. By doing this he insulted the owner. To the king’s question: “How did you come here not wearing wedding clothes?” he couldn't answer. He was condemned by himself. Then the king said: “Having tied his hands, take him and throw him into outer darkness.”

The work of the court is represented by the royal inspection of the guests at the feast. The guests at the gospel feast are those who openly declare themselves to serve God, those whose names are written in the book of life. But not everyone who calls themselves Christians are true disciples. Before the final reward is given, it must be decided who is qualified to receive a share in the inheritance of the righteous. This decision must be made before the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven, because when He comes, His reward will be with Him, “to give to every man according to his works.” Before His coming, therefore, the nature of each man's work will be determined, and each of Christ's followers will be assigned a reward according to his works.

While people are still living on earth, the investigative judgment in heaven is already taking place. The lives of all who call themselves His followers pass before God. All are examined according to the record of the heavenly books, and according to their deeds, the destiny of each is sealed forever.

Through the wedding garment, the parable represents the pure, unblemished character that true followers of Christ will possess. The church was given “to be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright; and the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints”; it must be “not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Rev. 19:8; Eph. 5:27).

It is the righteousness of Christ, His own blameless character, which is imparted through faith to all who accept Him as their personal Savior.

The white robe of innocence was worn by our first parents when they were placed by God in holy Eden. They lived in perfect harmony with the will of God. All the power of their love was given to their Heavenly Father. Beautiful, soft light, the light of God, enveloped the holy couple. This robe of light was a symbol of their spiritual robes of heavenly innocence. If they had remained faithful to God, it would have continued to envelop them forever. But when sin entered, they severed their connection with God, and the light that surrounded them withdrew. Naked and ashamed, they tried to replace the heavenly garments with a covering made from fig leaves.

This is what the breakers of God's law have been doing since the day of Adam and Eve's disobedience. They sewed together fig leaves to cover the nakedness caused by the violation. They wore their clothes own invention, their own affairs they were trying to cover their sins and make themselves acceptable to God.

But they will never be able to do this. Man cannot invent anything that can replace the robe of innocence he has lost. Neither fig leaf clothing nor worldly civil dress can be worn by those who will sit with Christ and the Angels at the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Only the clothing that Christ Himself has prepared can make us ready to appear in the presence of God. This robe, the robe of His own righteousness, Christ will lay upon every repentant, believing soul. “I advise you,” He says, “to buy from Me... white clothes so that you may be clothed, and so that the shame of your nakedness may not be seen.”

This garment, woven on the loom of heaven, has not a single thread of human invention. Christ, in His earthly life, developed a perfect character, and He offers to impart this character to us. “All our righteousness is like filthy rags.” Everything we can do on our own is tainted by sin. But the Son of God “was revealed to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.” Sin is called "iniquity." Christ was obedient to every requirement of the law. He said about Himself: “I desire to do Your will, O My God, and Your law is in my heart.” While on earth, He said to His disciples: “I have kept My Father’s commandments.” Through His perfect obedience, He made it possible for every human being to obey God's commands. When we submit to Christ, our hearts are united. With His heart, our will is absorbed by His will, our mind submits to His mind, our thoughts are captivated into obedience to Him; in a word, we live His life. It means to be clothed in the robe of His righteousness. Then, when the Father looks at us, He sees not the garment of fig leaves, nor the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own garment of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah.

The guests at the wedding feast were examined by the king. Only those were accepted who obeyed his demand and put on the wedding garment. So it is with the guests at the gospel feast. All must pass the test of the great King, and only those are accepted who are clothed in the robe of Christ's righteousness.

There is righteousness right life, and this means that everyone will be judged by her deeds. Our characters are revealed in what we do. Actions show whether our faith is sincere.

It is not enough for us to believe that Jesus is not an impostor and that biblical religion is not an elaborate fable. We may believe that the name of Jesus is the only name under heaven by which man can be saved, and yet this belief will not make Him our personal Savior. It is not enough to believe in a theory of truth. It is not enough to make a profession of faith in Christ and have our names written on church book. “Whoever keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know that He abides in us by the spirit which He has given us.” “And by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.”

This is true proof of conversion. Whatever our profession may be, it counts for nothing unless Christ is revealed in works of righteousness.

The truth must be implanted in the heart. She must control the mind and calm passions. The whole character must be imprinted with Divine words. Every jot and tittle of the Word of God must be brought into daily life.

He who becomes a partaker of the Divine nature will be in harmony with God's great standard of righteousness, with His holy law. This is the rule by which God measures the actions of people. This will be a test of our character at the trial.

There are many people who claim that the law was abolished by the death of Christ, but in this they contradict in my own words Christ: “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets... until heaven and earth pass, not one jot or one tittle shall pass from the law” (Matt. 5:17-18). To atone for man's violation of the law, Christ laid down His life. If the law could be changed or abolished, Christ would not have to die. With His life He glorified the law of God. By His death He established Him. He gave His life as a sacrifice, not in order to break the law of God, not in order to create more low sample, but that justice may be upheld, that the law may be shown unchangeable, that it may stand firm for ever.

Satan declared that it was impossible for man to obey the commandments of God; and it’s true that ours by my own strength we cannot obey them. But Christ came in human form, and by His perfect obedience He proved that if humanity and Divinity were united, they could obey every command of God.

“To those who received Him, to those who believed on His name, He gave power to become children of God.” This power is not human. This is the power of God. When a soul accepts Christ, it accepts the power to live the life of Christ.

God demands perfection in His children. His law is the expression of His own character, and it is the pattern of all character. This infinite, perfect example is shown to everyone, so that there is no mistake in looking at the type of people from which God will form His Kingdom. Christ's life on earth was the perfect expression of the law of God, and when those who call themselves children of God become like Christ in character, they will be obedient to God's commands. Then the Lord can trust them to be among those who make up the heavenly family. Dressed in the glorious attire of Christ's righteousness, they are given a place at the royal banquet. They have the right to join the blood-washed multitude.

The man who came to the feast without a wedding garment represents the situation of many in our world at this time. They call themselves Christians, and claim the blessings and advantages of the gospel, and yet they feel no need of a change of character. They never experienced true repentance for sin. They did not realize their need for Christ and did not exercise faith in Him. They have not overcome their hereditary or self-acquired inclination to evil deeds. And yet they think they are good enough in themselves, and they lean on their own merits instead of leaning on Christ. Ministers of the Word, they come to the feast, but do not put on the robe of Christ's righteousness.

Many who call themselves Christians are simply human moralists. They have refused the gift which alone can enable them to glorify Christ by presenting Him to the world. The work of the Holy Spirit is a strange thing to them. They are not doers of the Word. The heavenly principles which separate those who are one with Christ from those who are one with the world have become almost obscure to the latter. Those who call themselves followers of Christ are no longer a separate and distinct people. The line of demarcation cannot be discerned. People submit to the world in its actions, its habits, its selfishness. The church came over to the world in violation of the law, when the world should have come over to the church in obedience to the law. Every day the church reaches out to the world.

All these people expect to be saved by the death of Christ while they refuse to live His life of self-sacrifice. They extol the riches of free grace and try to cover themselves with an appearance of righteousness in the hope of covering up the defects of their character, but their efforts will be in vain in the day of God.

The righteousness of Christ will not cover any cherished sin. A man may be a lawbreaker at heart, and yet, if he commits no outward act of lawbreaking, he may be regarded by the world as having great integrity. But the law of God looks into the recesses of the heart. Every action is judged according to the motives that caused it. Only that which is in accordance with the principles of God's law will stand in judgment.

God is love. He showed this love by giving us Christ. “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” He withheld nothing from His redeemed possession. He has given all the heavens from which we can draw strength and prosperity, so that we may not be defeated or defeated by our great rival. But God's love does not lead Him to excuse sin. He did not excuse him from Satan; He did not excuse it in Adam or in Cain; Nor will He forgive him in any of the other children of men. He will not condone our sins or overlook our character flaws. He expects us to overcome them in His name.

Those who reject the gift of Christ's righteousness also reject special properties character, making them sons and daughters of God. They reject that which alone can qualify them for a place at the wedding feast.

In the parable, when the king asked: “How did you come here not wearing wedding clothes?” the man was speechless. So it will be on the Day of Judgment. People may now make excuses for their character flaws, but in that day they will offer no excuse.

The churches of Christ in the present generation are raised to the highest eminence. The Lord has revealed himself to us in ever-increasing light. Our advantages are far greater than those of the people of God of old. Not only do we have a great light given to Israel, but we have a greater proof of the great salvation brought to us through Christ. What was a symbol and type for the Jews is a reality for us. They had a history Old Testament, we also have New Testament. We have confidence in the Savior who came, in the Savior who was crucified and resurrected, and who declared over the tomb of Joseph: “I am the resurrection and the life.” In our knowledge of Christ and His love, the Kingdom of God has been erected among us. Christ is revealed to us in sermons and sung to us in hymns. The spiritual feast is set before us in rich abundance. The wedding garment, prepared at infinite expense, is offered freely to every soul. The righteousness of Christ is presented to us by His messengers, as well as justification by faith, then the exceedingly great and precious promises of the Word of God, free access to the Father through Christ, the consolation of the Spirit, the sure assurance of eternal life, in the Kingdom of God. What more could God have done for us that he did not do in preparing the great supper, the heavenly banquet?

In heaven, the ministering angels say: the service that was entrusted to us to perform has been fulfilled by us. We pushed back the army of evil angels. We sent clarity and light into the souls of people, reviving their remembrance of the love of God expressed in Jesus. We have drawn their eyes to the cross of Christ. Their hearts were deeply touched by the meaning of the sin that crucified the Son of God. They were defeated. They saw that steps must be taken towards conversion; they felt the power of the Gospel; their hearts became tender when they saw the sweetness of God's love. They saw the beauty of Christ's character. But with many it was all in vain. They did not want to give up their own habits and character. They did not want to take off the clothes of the earth in order to be dressed in the clothes of heaven. Their hearts were given over to greed. They loved friendship with the world more than their God.

The day of the final decision will be solemn. In the prophetic vision of Ap. John describes it: “And I saw a great white throne and Him sitting on it, from whose presence heaven and earth fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged according to what was written in the books, according to their deeds.”

It will be sad to look at the past on the day when people stand face to face with eternity. All life will appear as it was. Worldly pleasures, riches and honors will not seem so important. People will then see that the righteousness they despised was the only thing of value. They will see that their characters have been shaped by Satan's deceptive deceptions. The clothes they chose are the distinctive sign of their loyalty to the first great retreat. Then they will see the consequences of their choices. They will learn what it meant to break God's commandments.

There will be no time of trial in the future to prepare for eternity. It is in this life that we must put on the robe of Christ's righteousness. This is our only opportunity to form character for the abode that Christ has prepared for those who keep His commandments.

Our days of temptation will soon be over. The end is near. We are given a warning: “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with gluttony and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and lest that day come upon you suddenly.” Watch, otherwise he will find you unprepared. Beware, or you will find yourself at the king's banquet without your wedding garment.

“At an hour you think not, the Son of Man will come.” “Blessed is he who watches and keeps his clothes, lest he walk naked, and lest they see his shame.”

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Today we heard the words gospel parable about the wedding feast.

The description of the feast, the image of this festive gathering, is often used in the Holy Scriptures. But these descriptions are different.

We know the description by the prophet Daniel of the feast of King Belshazzar, a crazy celebration on the eve of troubles and misfortunes. We remember the feast organized by King Herod on the occasion of his birthday, and everything that happened afterwards. We remember both the rich man who feasted every day, and the beggar Lazar who sat at the threshold of his house.

These are all examples of the celebrations of the wicked, which, according to Holy Scripture arranged by people for fun, where wine makes life fun; and silver is responsible for everything(Eccl. 10, 19). The words “silver is responsible for everything” mean that the basis of this rejoicing is not an abundance of sincere and pure heart, close to his Creator, but the desire to please his belly, and the hope that the more money and silver is spent on this pleasure, the more happiness and fun can be acquired, the more the soul of the organizer of the festivities is pleased with vanity.

Is it not about such celebrations that the Psalter says: Let their table be before them in a net.

But there are other examples of feasting.

One of them was brought to our spiritual attention. The Lord addresses the Pharisees, priests, his disciples and us, saying:

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man king, who held a wedding feast for his son and sent his servants to call those invited to the wedding feast.

Of course, first of all, the words of this parable were addressed at the time to the high priests and Pharisees, i.e. to the most righteous and zealous guardians of the law of that time. But carried away by conceit and pride in preserving its letter, they stopped preserving its spirit, essence - they stopped listening to the words of the Truth - the son of God, who came to them for a calling from the old law to the new, to a calling for marriage, union with the Kingdom of Heaven through the acceptance of His teachings . That is why the word of the Gospel continues:

But they, having neglected[invitation] , some went to their field, and some to their trade; the rest, seizing his slaves, insulted and killed them.

So the pettiness in the performance of even the most holy work overshadowed them spiritual vision and hearing and they missed the great calling of unity with God.

And those who were beaten for calling to the feast are the prophets and all subsequent disciples and followers of Christ, his apostles, holy martyrs, everyone who piously wants to spend their lives, pleasing God.

Go[says the great steward] to the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast. And those slaves, going out onto the roads, gathered everyone they found, both evil and good; and the wedding feast was filled with those reclining.

It is us, all Christians who once did not know God before baptism, who are being called by the Lord to the feast of faith.

He calls not for a simple holiday, but a wedding feast, calls for union with God through union through faith with the Son of God - Christ the Savior. Therefore, the life of a Christian, even if it is full of sorrows, deprivations, and sorrows, cannot be filled with despondency, for its goal is union with God, a union so faithful, sincere and pure that the Lord himself calls it marriage. And we strive for it.

And so we really see how the temple, the palace of the Heavenly King, the churches of God, are filled with people, pilgrims - for this is who we are, both evil and good, called to communicate with God, instead of those rejected, who considered themselves righteous. But let’s not think that we have already achieved the desired goal, that we are the chosen ones mentioned in the parable. It is not enough to come to church externally and externally perform church rituals; you must begin to serve the Lord in your heart.

But how? Through repentance.

The king, entering to look at those reclining, saw a man there, not dressed in wedding clothes, and said to him: friend! How did you come here not wearing wedding clothes?

What clothes are we talking about?

About the one about which the Church sings at the end of Lent:

I see Your palace, my Savior, adorned, and I have no clothes, but I will go into it: enlighten the robe of my soul, O Light-Giver, and save me.

By clothing, the “robe of the soul,” we mean the deeds of life by faith, that light, festive clothing that confirms our readiness for marriage, fidelity, union with God in service and love for Him. Clothes that will not be torn off by the wind of evil changes of times and tragic circumstances of our lives.

Do we have such clothing, is it clean, is it not defiled, is it not stained with the dirt of unclean deeds and nasty heartfelt aspirations: exaltation over one’s neighbor, envy hidden or even openly living in the heart?

We often do not want to see our sins, considering ourselves already completely redeemed and forgiven in the sacrament of baptism.

Are we being truthful to ourselves, are we not covering ourselves with lies, an imaginary truth about ourselves, are we not being crooked in our souls, are we not wanting to appear to be someone we are not, just as in the brilliant crowd of those invited to a holiday, under the friendly smiles, coldness of soul and indifference are hidden. There is no reality, but only spiritual laziness.

Vain fears and superstitions are the inseparable companions of an unfaithful heart at all times, empty worries, fussiness from unexpected changes in the world and personal life, don’t they give rise to distrust in us towards God, and hostility and anger towards our neighbors.

Isn’t our heart filled with grievances against our neighbors, against the whole world, against God, from which we withdraw into ourselves out of pride, stubbornness and loneliness.

And we ourselves break the ties of spiritual and blood relationship, and it seems that we remain completely alone in this world.

And suddenly we receive a great invitation - an invitation to the wedding feast of the King. We, all once separated by sin, rush to this call.

But what do we do on the way to this feast, along the life-long road, which is our life itself. Are we not distracted by the bustle? Don’t we want to reach the goal before others, get ahead of them, alone, hoping on our own strength to receive crowns and glory and grace at the finish line?

But it is impossible to become worthy of being invited to the King’s feast without humility of our hearts before our neighbor; we ourselves must become those who invite others to the triumph of faith before the Heavenly King, according to the words of Christ the Savior Himself: “When you make a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind , and you will be blessed that they cannot repay you, for you will be rewarded at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:13). Let us share our joy with them, and not our grumbling, we will strive to console them, to encourage them Christianly, and having done this to the least of these, we will do this to the Lord himself, before the days of judgment come

For many are called, but few are chosen.

Because the complete triumph of grace and power of the Kingdom of God, the indestructible and perfect union of the soul with God will be accomplished only at the second and terrible coming of the Lord, as Christ the Savior Himself says about this:

The king entered to see those reclining, who were in the assembly of believers, will consider the works of faith of each.

Then the word from the mysterious Revelation of the holy Apostle John the Theologian will come true: - blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Then, in the life of the next century, when The Lord God Almighty will reign, judge of the living and the dead. Then the completeness of the union of the earthly church, the church of all the saints who worked for the Lord with the Heavenly Bridegroom will be accomplished. And they will rejoice and be glad and give Him glory.

And all His servants who fear Him, small and great, will rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him.

But what will each of us hear from the Lord of the world?

And woe will be for us who lived unrepentantly, naked and without wedding garments. What abyss and darkness of the wickedness of our deeds will expose us, and what the stench of sins will envelop us, who do not have repentance, but have a proud and arrogant heart over our neighbor.

Then they will excommunicate us from the celebration, and

having tied their hands and feet, they will throw them into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

What should we do? To fulfill the ancient and ever new call of the holy prophet:

Wash yourself, make yourself clean; remove your evil deeds from before my eyes; stop doing evil; learn to do good, seek truth, save the oppressed, defend the orphan, stand up for the widow.

Then come and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; if they are red like purple, like a wave, i.e. as clean sheep's wool, I'll make you white.

But not only in the example of today’s Sacred reading do we see two different feasts, but today’s life itself gives us its own images.

Today we have two holidays ahead of us: Sunday, Little Easter, celebrated in churches, and the holiday - This City Day, celebrated in squares and parks.

Calling today's external holiday a city day, does everyone understand why it is celebrated on this day?

Who invites us to today’s city holiday, and in memory of what is it being held?

Initially, in the days of St. Philaret, they wanted to celebrate this holiday in spring days, the year the small town of Moscow was mentioned in the chronicles for the first time. But it was not this day, the day of the birth of the walls and towers and the first grand princely feast, that marked the birth of this city.

By decree of the imperial authorities it was ordered to celebrate the city holiday on the first day of each new year. But this celebration did not mark the day of his spiritual birth and was forgotten over time.

God's providence arranged it in such a way that in the middle of the last century, the government, which set its goal to eradicate the very thought and faith in God, unknown to itself, chose a day for the holiday that was connected with the history of the spiritual formation of our city, its sorrows and joys through the help of God. Having dedicated the first non-working day of this first autumn month to a city holiday, we see that it almost always falls on the day of remembrance of the Council of All Moscow Saints, on the day of remembrance of those who worked the most in the spiritual field of this city, who convened for a spiritual celebration, a feast of faith in the days joys and sorrows of the Orthodox people. There are more than half a thousand names on this list, and by commemorating these saints on one day, the Church honors them as the heavenly patrons of the city of Moscow and prayer books for our earthly Fatherland. Saints, among whom we see one of the first in time, Metropolitan Peter, Saint of God, then by title still Metropolitan of Kyiv, who blessed this city and its inhabitants, and laid the foundation stone for its further prosperity.

But this holiday, like the morning star before dawn, precedes the day of greater celebration - the remembrance of the meeting at the city walls miraculous icon The Queen of Heaven, who from ancient times more than once arranged the salvation of the residents of our city and is its heavenly Patroness.

Saints, shepherds, martyrs, holy fools, confessors and faithful stood with faith and life for the people of God and made this city what it is now - the capital of the Russian state. But do all those who bear the Christian name live in it worthy of their title, and is it the capital of piety, faith and purity? Doesn't the image of piety and faith fade in external splendor and wasteful luxury?

Let us remember the words of today's Gospel: many are called, but few are chosen.

Let us be grateful to the Lord for not despising our wretchedness, but calling us to His fellowship, so that we may become worthy of this invitation, and having received the joy of this calling to the feast, we will invite others to this joy, striving in repentance to find pure wedding garments.

Let us ask ourselves for God's help, protection Mother of God and the prayerful help of the saints of Moscow, may it enlighten our soul and cover it with clothing of joy for the life of the next century. Amen

What are wedding clothes? IN Orthodox tradition This concept has an important meaning - both worldly and spiritual. Its origins lie in the parable of the wedding feast, set out in the Gospel of Matthew.

Parable of the Wedding Feast

An ancient Christian legend tells of a king who arranged a wedding feast for his son and invited guests to this great holiday. However, instead of responding, many people refused to come to the royal celebration. They referred to their more important matters and pursuits and ignored the honorable invitation. And some greeted the envoys with ridicule and even, to annoy the king, killed his servants.

Then the king, seeing that his expectations were in vain, said to the servants: “My house is full, everything is on the tables, everything is prepared. Why should I be alone in an empty house? My holiday will be gloomy. Go down all the streets! Call all the tramps, all the beggars you meet on the road, so that our hall is full.”.

And they went through the streets and called the people, so that the king's house was filled. Of course, each person, out of respect for the king and his holiday, tried to wear his best clothes and get yourself in order. But one guest did not worry about this and, as he was in torn, dirty work clothes, sat down at festive table. Walking around the tables during the feast, the king noticed this man, approached him and said: "Friend! How did you come here without wearing wedding clothes? Why are you calm and don’t do anything, as if everything is fine with you? Where does this boldness come from, what do you hope for? I found you on the side of some road, forgotten and worthless by everyone, I brought you here, and you insult Me with your neglect.”. And he ordered the servants to take this man out and punish him.

Everyday interpretation

If we interpret the parable in an everyday, everyday understanding, then wedding clothes are the most beautiful and neat that a person has. A guest who has been invited to a wedding celebration naturally tries to wear the best attire in order to pay tribute to the hosts of the holiday and other guests and to emphasize the significance of this event. Some people, especially women, even take advantage of such occasions to show off a new chic outfit. Even poor relatives or friends invited to a wedding strive to dress elegantly and beautifully to the best of their ability.

If someone comes to a wedding dinner in torn, dirty work clothes or even ordinary, everyday clothes, then he can offend the bride and groom, offend their relatives and parents. And other guests will probably condemn such a person for indecent behavior and disdain for the hosts and guests.

Some interpreters of the Gospel also have a version that wedding clothes are special ceremonial garments that were given to all those invited to the king for the wedding feast. And whoever did not wear it was defying the customs and traditions of the time. In any case, these interpretations do not contradict each other, and their meaning is that everyone should look their best at the wedding feast.

Spiritual interpretation

In the Christian understanding, God the Father called everyone to the wedding feast of His Son Jesus Christ with the Church. Therefore, people must do everything in their power to appear before God with pure and elegant souls.

In a spiritual and moral sense, wedding clothing means love. Love for God can make even the most notorious sinner beautiful. Virtue changes a person, decorates him: his eyes glow, there is a smile on his face, and his actions are filled with kindness.

Wedding clothing can also be understood as repentance. Such virtue is available to everyone; it covers spiritual poverty and ennobles people in the eyes of God, despite past sins and internal vices.

The second part of the parable, therefore, says that God calls all people to Himself, despite their shortcomings, and one cannot respond to Him with disdain. You need to think about your inner world: Do we have that same love, repentance, kindness and other virtues? Only with a sober look at yourself, having recognized your weaknesses and mistakes, can you begin to “weave” that same spiritual and moral wedding garment that will cleanse the soul and cover up sinful shame.

Word from the Shepherd on the 14th Sunday after Pentecost

The Lord spoke the following parable: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who held a wedding feast for his son and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast and did not want to come. Again he sent other slaves, saying: “Say to those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my bullocks and what is fattened, slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.” But they despised this and went, some to their field, and some to their trade; the others, seizing his slaves, insulted and killed them. Hearing about this, the king became angry, and, sending his troops, destroyed their killers and burned their city. Then he says to his servants: “The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy; So go to the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.” And those slaves, going out onto the roads, gathered everyone they found, both evil and good; and the wedding feast was filled with those reclining. The king, entering to look at those reclining, saw a man there, not dressed in wedding clothes, and said to him: “Friend! How did you come here not wearing wedding clothes?” He was silent. Then the king said to the servants: “Binding his hands and feet, take him and throw him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; For many are called, but few are chosen." (Gospel of Matthew, ch. 22, v. 1-14)

Today in the Gospel the Savior says that the Kingdom of God is like a king who decided to arrange a wedding feast for his son and calls guests to this holiday.

Let's think about what kind of image this is - a “marriage feast”. In ancient times, when a king held a feast for his son, it was an event for which great preparation was made. Especially refined food and wine were prepared. It was both a public and state event. It concerned all people.

It was a great honor to be invited. Not only because what a person could do in the midst of a luxurious feast, but because to be worthy of royal favor is in itself a great honor. In today's parable we hear something strange. The invitees have no desire to go to the king's feast. They don't even show any interest in this feast. How can this happen? In earthly human life this is very difficult to imagine. Maybe people don’t go to the royal holiday because they don’t want this king to rule in their country? This king cares too much about something that is not what they need. And therefore they greet the king’s invitation with anger and insults and kill his envoys.

The Holy Fathers tell us that this parable is about a spiritual feast. Look at how people live today, what worries them, what they strive for. What is broadcast on television, on the radio, what is written in the newspapers. What do people themselves talk about when they meet each other? When we're talking about about money, about fornication, which is now called love, about politics, travel, fashion, sports - they listen carefully. And talk to them about the future life, about the Last Last Judgment, about heaven and hell - boredom appears on their faces. Some of them openly yawn, while others simply greet such speeches with anger and mockery.

Don't we recognize in the people who surround us those invited to the royal spiritual feast? We see their complete indifference to what their king offers them. Or much worse: they are ready to tear to pieces and kill those who speak about the Kingdom of Heaven. Today's Gospel reveals to us in simplicity and depth a picture of the life of the human race. What is happening to our people, to all humanity.
Because people greet the sermon about eternal life with such indifference, should the Holy Church become silent and withdraw into itself? No, the Lord does not bless this, and the parable speaks of something else. It tells us that the king sends his servants to the streets and squares and finds people there who seem not yet ready to be invited to the royal spiritual feast. But many of them come. Some - with amazement, with gratitude, with repentance. Others just go - everyone is called, and we go. The Church is called to appeal to human consciousness and human conscience until the end of the world - until sin has become the norm, when there is no longer a need to repent and turn to another, higher joy of life.

What kind of feast is this? What do we, the invitees, know about this spiritual feast? What kind of meal is offered to us by the King? There are also temples on earth, in almost every city and many villages, and in every temple there is a table in the altar, which in many ways resembles every other table, but is different from every other table. This is the table on which the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. The simplest food is offered here - bread and wine, but it is more precious than all the treasures that exist in the world. This table is called the throne of the Lord, on which the Heavenly King Himself sits and feeds with Himself at this spiritual feast.

Those who in ancient times were invited to the Lord’s feast killed not only the King’s messengers, but also Himself. And He, in response to this, offers a new feast, at which He gives them Himself - all His Life, all His love and offers them to partake of immortal food. When the Church prays and the priest blesses the bread and wine, the Holy Spirit descends on the gifts brought and they become the Most Pure Body and the Most Pure Blood of Christ. “Oh, heavenly feast! - say the holy fathers. -Oh eternal treasure! “Oh, divine, oh, your sweetest voice, you have truly promised to be with us until the end of the age.” One crumb of this Heavenly Bread and one drop of this wine, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, contains more than the greatest human mind can contain. There are people for whom deprivation of the sacrament is the greatest disaster that can exist in the world. There are people for whom communion is the greatest blessing, the greatest bliss of entering the Kingdom, which is already present among us today. Behind Divine Liturgy The call of the Lord does not cease to sound through the priests to all invited to this feast: “Take, eat, this is My Body, which was broken for you for the remission of sins”; and “Drink of it, all of you, this is My Blood of the New Testament, even for you are poured out for much for the remission of sins.” What happens to people? What happened and why did such a crash happen in just 1917? Because people - those who were called Orthodox Christians - hearing the call, the ringing of bells, even on Sundays and holidays They went about their business, to their trade or to their amusements and entertainment. Some simply could not wake up because they had been partying all night. There were also those who greeted the invitation to the feast with malice and infected all the indifferent with it, saying that if this holiday of the Church was destroyed, then they would be free from God and would organize their own earthly holiday.

What is happening now? The same thing, only incomparably worse. The indifference that engulfs people is incomparably deeper. Incomparably more furious is the anger of people who hate the sermon. Orthodox Church. But the consequences of all this will be incomparably more bitter. May the Lord grant us to hear today's word and the Lord's call to the royal feast. If only we wouldn’t be among this feast similar to that a man who was not wearing wedding clothes. He was present and is now present at the Divine Liturgy, but his heart is not here. His heart is where all his business is, where his amusement is. He is not in wedding clothing, not in that spiritual joy, not in that purity and love by which the Lord and His saints live. Even while present at the royal feast, He is dressed in that earthly clothing in which all earthly affairs are done. “Friend, what are you here for?” - the Lord says to him exactly the same words as He said at the Last Supper to Judas.

We must understand that for Him the most important thing in the world is that we all feel good. Let us believe in Him and what He says more than in anyone, or anyone, or anything else. Let us be filled with love, which connects man with God. This unity of the human soul with God is the marriage of the Lamb, for which every person was created. When at the royal feast Divine Eucharist the human soul unites in love with God, it learns that everything else is treason and fornication. The fall of a person can be bitter. He can become so accustomed to fornication that legal marriage seems boring and uninteresting to him. But the consequences of this are terrible: deprivation of the Kingdom, earthly joy and eternal joy, which God offers to every person without exception.