Matthew 22:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

You may argue that you have not been granted as many blessings as the Jews. But, in truth, you have been endowed with even greater blessings. What was set aside for them over time has been entirely given to you, despite your unworthiness. Paul also states that the Gentiles will praise God for His mercy (Rom. 15:9). You have been given what was due to them. Consequently, severe consequences are in store for those who are negligent. By indulging in a life of immorality, you provoke God just as they did by refusing to turn to Him.

One must be cleansed through Baptism and also wear the wedding garment, representing a life that is adorned and worthy of the future celebration. This garment symbolizes a life of purity and virtue. A person lacking the wedding garment can be seen as anyone who approaches the wedding feast unprepared. The absence of this garment signifies a life that is impure and lacking in holiness.

You came and observed the gleaming garments of those reclining at the table; should you not have learned from what you witnessed? Should you not have ascended in a timely manner to ensure a worthy departure? However, by not reaching the feast on time, you shall likewise face an untimely expulsion. He instructed the attendants, ‘Bind his feet, who dared to enter here; bind his hands, who could not don a radiant robe, and cast him into utter darkness. For he is not deserving of the wedding's illumination.’ Do you perceive what has transpired? Heed this warning. We, the servants of Christ, welcome all, and like sentinels, we leave the door ajar; consequently, it is possible for you to enter with a sinful soul and impure desires. You have ascended, and you are honored, your name is recorded. Witness the significant order of the Church; observe the structure and good arrangement present. The reading of Scriptures? The presence of clergy and the continuity of teachings? Reverence this place and learn from what you observe. Depart today in a timely manner, and rise again tomorrow in a fitting spirit. If your soul is clad in the rags of greed, ascend dressed differently: cast aside the old garment; do not conceal it; shed the attire of covetousness and impurity, and don the radiant robe of purity. I urge you, before the Bridegroom of souls, Jesus, who will assess the garments. You have time for this. You have forty days for repentance—a sufficient period to strip away the old, cleanse, and re-clothe yourself for the ascent. But if you persist in your wickedness, the one who instructs you shall bear no fault, and you should not expect to receive grace. While the waters may embrace you, the spirit will not. If you recognize a wound within yourself, apply a healing balm; if you have stumbled, rise once more. Let none among you be a Simon (Acts 8:13); let there be no hypocrisy or undue curiosity in this matter.

For one may participate in the wedding banquet, yet be excluded for lacking the wedding garment; this pertains to anyone who, although included within the Holy Church, possesses faith but not love. Love is rightly called the wedding garment because our Creator embodied it when He chose to unite with the Holy Church. It is through God's love alone that His only-begotten Son brought the souls of the chosen to Himself. Thus, John proclaims, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). Consequently, He who approached humanity through love has designated this love to be the garment of marriage. Therefore, each of you, as members of the Church, may have reached the wedding feast, but you have not donned the wedding garment if you do not embody the grace of love. Indeed, dear brothers, if anyone were to attend a physical wedding feast without changing their attire, they would demonstrate through their inappropriate garments a stark contrast to the joy shared by the bride and groom, feeling ashamed to stand among those celebrating in such shameful attire. We arrive at the marriage of God yet are reluctant to transform the garments of our hearts. The angels rejoice when the elect ascend to heaven. With which attitude, then, do we approach these spiritual celebrations, we who lack the wedding garments of love that alone render us honorable?

It is also critical to recognize that just as garments are draped over two trees, the higher and the lower, so too does love encompass two commandments: the love of God and the love of our neighbor, as it is written: “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength — this is the first commandment. The second is like it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:30-31; see Deuteronomy 6:5). Observe that in our love for our neighbor, there is a measure involved when it states: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” However, our love for God is boundless, expressed in the command: “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.” It does not prescribe a specific quantity of love, but demands totality when it instructs us to love “with all;” for the true lover of God is one who holds nothing back for themselves. Therefore, it is imperative for anyone desiring to acquire a wedding garment for the marriage to fulfill the commandments of love. This is why the Prophet Ezekiel reveals that the gate to the city built upon the mountain measures two lakotas (Ezekiel 40:9), underscoring that entry into the Heavenly City is forbidden without love for God and neighbor within this Church, referred to as the gate since it remains external to the city. It is commanded that the coverings of the Tabernacle should be dyed twice (Ex. 26:1). These pillars of the Tabernacle, dear brothers, represent those who, by faith, conceal the heavenly ordinances within their hearts. Yet these Tabernacle pillars must be adorned purely in scarlet paint. Scarlet paint resembles fire, and what is love if not fire? This love must be rendered in its purest form, encompassing love for God and love for neighbor. For whoever loves God in such a way that in their contemplation they disregard their neighbor, despite being colorful, lacks ‘purity.’ Likewise, whoever loves their neighbor in such a way that, for their sake, they forsake the contemplation of God also lacks ‘strictness.’ Thus, for your love to be ‘purely’ colored scarlet, it must be fueled by both love for God and love for your neighbor, ensuring that neither your devotion to God diminishes your compassion for your neighbor, nor does your compassion for your neighbor divert you from your intense reverence for God. Therefore, each individual must strive towards the One whom they long for, ensuring they do not abandon the one they are fleeing together with; while providing help to this latter, one must not neglect their closeness to the One they pursue.

Additionally, it is necessary to understand that love for one’s neighbor is divided into two commandments, as a wise man states: “What you hate, you shall do to no one” (Tob. 4:15). Furthermore, Truth Himself proclaims, “Therefore in everything, as you would have men do to you, so do you also to them” (Matt. 7:12). If we give to others what we wish to receive and refrain from doing what we would not want for ourselves, we uphold the rights of love unimpeded. However, one should not presume to possess love merely because they profess it; they must first realize the genuine force of their love. If one loves another yet does not love for God's sake, they have no true love, merely an illusion of it. Authentic love exists when a friend is cherished in God, and even an enemy is loved for God's sake. The latter truly loves for God's sake those whom he holds dear, aware that he also loves those who may not love him in return. Love is often affirmed only when opposed to hatred, which is why the Lord instructs, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). Therefore, those who sincerely love for God’s sake also extend love to those who do not reciprocate it. This understanding is vital, lofty, and challenging for many, yet it defines the wedding garment. He who lacks it, when the King arrives, must tread carefully lest he be cast out. “The king came in to check those who were reclining and noticed a man without a wedding garment.” We, beloved brothers, who are already nourished by the faith within the Church, partake of the union of the Church with God, fed by the spiritual sustenance of Holy Scriptures. I urge you to evaluate whether you have come to this wedding feast in your wedding garments, and to scrutinize your thoughts diligently. Inspect your hearts on all fronts, ensuring you harbor no hatred, do not begrudge the joy of others, and purge any hidden malice geared toward causing harm.

Paul: do not deceive yourselves; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor wrongdoers nor thieves nor greedy individuals—who are also identified as idolaters—nor swindlers or extortionists, nor anyone who harbors hatred or envy towards a fellow believer, shall inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10) and will have no share in the wedding feast of our Lord Jesus Christ. Observe how every vice and sin tarnishes the garment of our souls, expelling us from the heavenly kingdom.

Christ, as we have articulated, will be the one to place crowns upon the heads of all the saints. Accepting no alteration yet remaining unchangeable, He will reveal Himself as distinct from each and every one; He will present Himself to each person according to their merit and worthiness. Christ will be a garment for all, as each individual has striven to wear during their earthly life; it is inconceivable for anyone to participate in that sacred marriage without being clothed in that glorious attire. But if someone were to enter clandestinely (which is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility), mingling among the righteous, they would swiftly be expelled. The Lord Christ, intending to illustrate that it is impossible for anyone clad in dark apparel to remain at the wedding feast, conveyed this through a parable, stating: ‘Friend, how did you come in here without the wedding garment?’ He subsequently added: ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness’ (Matthew 22:12-13). I believe that the Lord spoke in this manner not because the man in dark attire secretly entered the wedding and evaded God, for nothing is concealed from God, but rather because the time had not yet arrived to unveil such a mystery. He did not wish to explicitly express that anyone not dressed in the garment of My divine presence could enter the feast; thus, He veiled the truth within this parable. Nevertheless, Apostle Paul has already made this revelation clear, stating, 'As we have borne the image of the earthy, let us also bear the image of the heavenly' (1 Cor. 15:49).

If you truly believe, reflect on whether your thoughts, actions, and the state of your soul align with your faith, which determines how God perceives your readiness for the wedding. It is possible to be well-versed in faith and fervent about it, yet in your conduct, to be consumed by earthly desires, adorning yourself in the disgraceful attire of a sinful soul. Such individuals speak one way, but their hearts convey another; they say, ‘Lord, Lord!’ but internally they have turned away (Luke 14:19). Take time to examine yourselves and determine whether you are rooted in faith and clothed in the virtues of righteousness or ensnared in the dishonorable garments of sin and desire.

The significance of the wedding garment as representing virtue is affirmed by the divinely inspired Paul, who instructs, "Clothe yourselves, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, in the tender mercies, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience" (Colossians 3:12). It is due to this garment that the faithful are deemed worthy of the celestial kingdom. "They that do good shall go away, says the Lord, to the resurrection of life; and they that do evil, to the resurrection of judgment" (John 5:29). Let us now take note of what the King declared to the one who was not adorned with the heavenly garment of virtue.

‘The King entering in to see those who are reclining,’ signifies that the Lord, in His oneness of heart, will discern who is deserving of His kingdom. It is stated of Him, ‘His shovel is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor’ (Matt. 3:12). All guests summoned to the royal feast were given appropriate clothing: those who join the Church of Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism are clothed in the Robe of Truth, adorned in a radiant garment of spiritual purity, and transformed by grace, must therefore maintain this purity of spirit, safeguarding it against sin. The wedding garment represents a life of purity and integrity, akin to a tapestry woven from virtue. ‘Put on therefore,’ the Apostle Paul instructs (Col. 3:12), ‘as God’s elect, holy and beloved, charity, kindness, goodness, humility, gentleness, longsuffering.’ St. Chrysostom explains that ‘the garment' signifies the fruits of one’s life. Although the call to faith and the act of cleansing are works of grace, the responsibility to uphold the clean garment lies with those who have been called. The calling is granted not by merit, but by grace; therefore, obedience to grace is essential, and those who have received such honor should not engage in unworthy behavior. Consequently, severe consequences await the careless. By choosing a life of debauchery, you offend God in a manner akin to those who turned away from Him. To enter in unclean garments equates to living an impure life and being deprived of grace.

Others invited were also expected to don festive attire, as appearing without it was seen as an insult; such an individual would be deemed unworthy of joining the king’s celebration. Similarly, when one is called into the kingdom of Christ, the Lord grants each baptized individual a radiant robe of spiritual purity. Those who disregard this garment and present themselves at the church’s spiritual feast in clothing stained by sin, living a life of transgression, are deserving of condemnation and punishment. While the act of calling and cleansing is an expression of grace, it also relies on the commitment of those called; those who are summoned and adorned in a pure garment must maintain it at all times. The calling is not based on merit but is a gift of grace; therefore, it is essential to respond to this grace with obedience and to honor the gift received, rather than exhibit such wickedness. Consequently, severe punishment awaits those who are negligent. By straying into a life of immorality, you offend God just as those who declined His invitation did. To enter with stained garments signifies a life devoid of purity, leading to the forfeiture of grace. Thus, it is said, “But he kept silent...” Lacking a defense, he condemned himself and subjected himself to dire punishment.