My Enduma (The Re-do)

** I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago, titled "Don't be the one without proper attire!," but my heart has been unsettled with it, so I'm calling for a re-do. :) **

I'm in love. It's true. I'm madly in love. After reading the Parable of the Wedding Banquet in Matthew 22, I fell in love with Jesus all over again. I truly felt like His beautiful Bride, but not because of anything I've done. It's all Him, I tell you!

I'm pretty sure I hadn't ever really read this parable. I didn't remember it at all. In fact, I was highly shocked the first time I read it! I had my own ideas about how the King would treat one of His guests... and then the King had His own ideas!

Here's Stephanie's brief summary of the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, just in case you were like me and hadn't read it:

The king's son is getting married, so the king invites "all those who had been invited" and was rejected - even after a 2nd invitation! He destroys all those people for mistreating his servants who were sent with the invitations, and then the king sends out an invitation to anyone the servants could find. The servants gather all the people in from the streets and escort them to the wedding banquet. The king came in to see all the people and noticed one man not wearing wedding clothes. After questioning the man, who was speechless, the king had him thrown into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In Stephanie World, when I first read about the king finding the man without wedding clothes, I got really excited. I thought, "Oh wow, the king is going to take him under his wing and give him new clothes, and just really give him the royal treatment!!" And then I continued reading..... And found that instead the man was actually thrown out into utter darkness...?!!! Ok, so not exactly a happy ending. What gives?? My God is not mean, so I had to do some research.

Turns out that what I found swept me off my feet! Since the servants had gathered people straight in from the streets, no one had proper wedding clothes. If proper attire was expected of them, it had to be provided for them, which is where the king comes in: He provided the wedding clothes. He had to! He mentioned to his first invitees that "everything is ready" (vs. 4) for the wedding banquet which leads me to this idea that He was the provider of the proper attire. The Greek word used for "clothes" in these verses is transliterated "enduma" which means an "outer garment." The fact that it's an outer garment is awesome because that means the guests' own stained, tattered and torn street clothes were covered by this beautiful enduma, fit for a wedding, given to them by the king himself. Oh, I love that!

This symbolism Jesus uses here sings to my heart, y'all! As you know, we are all invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. (I am giddy just thinking about that day! I just really can't wait!!) In order to attend this Feast, though, we must be covered by Our Enduma, Jesus Christ. And I love how He covers us so my God will not be able to see these tattered, old clothes I've been wearing all these years! Oh, how great is our God!

"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
'Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.'"
Revelation 19:6-8