Clothed in Christ

Clothed in Christ

The 20^th Sunday after Trinity – 10/18/2026

Matthew 22:1-14

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer

That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew in the twenty-second chapter with special emphasis on verses eleven through thirteen which read as follows:

[Jesus said,] “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

    There are few things more insulting to a host than receiving an invitation and refusing to attend. Imagine that a king invites you to the wedding feast of his son. Everything is prepared. The food is ready. The celebration is about to begin. And you simply refuse to come. Some of you might even be offended that the king expects you to attend. You have more important things to do. You have a business to run, a field to work, a family to care for, and a life to live. The king’s invitation can wait.

This is precisely the picture Jesus gives us in today’s Gospel. A king prepares a wedding feast for his son. He sends his servants to summon the invited guests, but they refuse to come. He sends other servants, explaining that everything is ready. The feast is prepared. The oxen and fat calves have been slaughtered. The table is set, everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!

But the invitation is rejected. Some guests ignore it. Others go about their business. Still others seize the king’s servants, mistreat them, and kill them.

This is a parable about the kingdom of heaven, and it is a parable about us. The King is God the Father. The Son is Jesus Christ. The wedding feast is the salvation and eternal life that God gives through His Son. The servants are those sent to proclaim the Gospel. And the invited guests are those who have received God's Word and heard His gracious invitation. God has prepared everything. He has sent His Son into the world to save sinners. Jesus has taken upon Himself our flesh, borne our sins, suffered under Pontius Pilate, died on the cross, and risen from the dead. The feast is ready because the sacrifice has been made. The price has been paid. Forgiveness has been won. Eternal life is offered freely.

And yet people refuse to come. Some reject the Gospel outright. Others do not openly despise Christianity, but they have other things to do. The farm, the business, the family schedule, school sport, the pursuit of pleasure, and the concerns of this world can become more important than the gifts of God. The invitation is heard, but it is treated as though it can wait.

We should be careful before pointing our fingers at those who reject God's invitation.

We, too, are sinners. We, too, have treated the gifts of God as though they were less important than our own plans. We have neglected His Word, despised His commandments, and trusted our own judgment rather than His promises. We have acted as though the King should be grateful to receive whatever scraps of our time and attention we are willing to give Him.

The remarkable thing about this parable is that the King continues to invite. When the original guests refuse to come, the King sends His servants into the roads and gathers everyone they find, both bad and good. The wedding hall is filled with guests. This is the grace of God in action. The invitation does not depend upon the worthiness of those who receive it. The King does not send His servants out to find people who have already made themselves righteous. He gathers sinners. He calls those who have nothing to offer Him. He brings in the bad as well as the good.

That is how the Gospel comes to us. We do not first make ourselves acceptable to God and then receive His gifts. We do not clean ourselves up, overcome our sins, and prove ourselves worthy before the Lord will have us. Rather, God comes to us in His mercy. He calls us by His Word. He forgives our sins for the sake of Jesus Christ. He gives us what we could never earn.

And this is where Holy Baptism is especially important. In Baptism, God does not merely invite us to consider becoming His people someday. He acts upon us with His Word and water. He joins His promise to a visible, tangible means. He washes away our sins, gives us new birth by water and the Spirit, and makes us members of Christ's Church. As St. Paul writes in Galatians, chapter three, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Notice those words: put on Christ.

This brings us to the most unsettling part of Jesus' parable. The wedding hall is filled with guests, but the king notices a man who is not wearing a wedding garment. The king asks him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?” And the man is speechless. He is bound hand and foot and cast into the outer darkness. Why is this man condemned? He was invited. He came to the feast. He was inside the wedding hall. And yet he is not properly clothed.

The point is not that the man needed to purchase an expensive garment or earn his place at the feast through good works. The king himself has graciously supplied the invitation, and the wedding garment represents the righteousness that belongs to those who receive the King's gracious provision which is handed to them in holy Baptism. The man wants the feast without the garment. He wants to be present on his own terms rather than receive what the King provides.

This is a warning for us. It is possible to be outwardly present among God's people while refusing the righteousness God gives in Christ. It is possible to hear the Word and yet despise its promises. It is possible to claim the name Christian while refusing to repent of sin or trust in Christ.

Baptism must never be treated as though it were a magical charm that guarantees salvation regardless of faith. Nor should we imagine that Baptism is merely a symbol of something we have already done for God. Scripture teaches us something far greater. Baptism is God's gracious work and promise, by which He gives forgiveness, life, and salvation. Faith receives and trusts that promise.

The Small Catechism teaches us to ask, “What benefits does Baptism give?” And the answer is that it works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare. The power is not in the worthiness of the person being baptized. The power is in God's Word and promise. An infant cannot boast of choosing God, and an adult cannot boast of having earned God's favor. Both are sinners who need the same gift: Christ and His righteousness. Baptism is therefore not a reason for pride. It is a reason for faith and thanksgiving. We have been clothed in Christ. Our sins are not covered by our own achievements, our moral record, our church attendance, or our good reputation. They are covered by the righteousness of Jesus, who died and rose for us.

And what does this mean for our daily lives? It means that when our consciences accuse us, we do not look inward for some hidden worthiness that might persuade God to love us. We look to Christ. We remember His promises. We return to the gifts He has given us. We confess our sins and hear the absolution. We receive the Lord's Supper according to His institution. We remember that the God who placed His name upon us in Baptism has promised to be our God and to make us His people.

The Christian life is a life of daily repentance and faith. The old Adam in us must be drowned through contrition and repentance, and a new man must daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever. This is what it means to live in our Baptism. We are not baptized into a life of indifference toward sin. We are baptized into Christ's death and resurrection. We therefore strive to live as those who belong to Christ, not to earn the garment He has given us, but because we have received it by grace. Good works do not purchase our place at the feast. They are the fruit of faith in the One who has welcomed us.

Dear Christians, the invitation has been delivered to you today. The King has prepared His feast. Christ has died and risen for you. The forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. The promises of Baptism remain sure, because they rest upon the faithfulness of God rather than the strength of your memory or the perfection of your life.

Do not despise the invitation. Do not seek to enter the feast wearing the rags of your own righteousness. Do not trust that being near Christian things is enough while refusing the Christ who gives them their meaning.

Instead, cling to Jesus. Remember that you have been baptized into Him. Repent of your sins and receive His forgiveness. Put on Christ, who is your righteousness, your holiness, and your salvation. The King has invited you to the wedding feast of His Son. In Christ, the garment is provided, the forgiveness is given, and the promise is sure. For many are called, but few are chosen.

Remain steadfast in the faith, trusting not in ourselves but in the mercy of the King, who has called us by the Gospel, enlightened us with His gifts, sanctified and kept us in the true faith, and promises to bring us at last into the eternal joy of His Son's wedding feast.

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Matthew 22:11-14 English Standard Version