I can also see instances where we (the church ) are clearly revealed as being candidates for being 'guests' at the wedding. A couple of parables show this...the ten virgins...the underdressed guest etc.
Okay, fair enough. Let's look at the parables. The parable of the ten virgins. What is Christ's main point in this parable? Verses 12-13 tell us:
But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. -Matthew 25:12–13
It's for his people to be ready, and to be truly ready, we need to know we are 'known' by Christ. We may have received an invitation to the wedding, but if we haven't accepted it, Christ will not know us at all.
In the Parable of the Wedding Feast, we find language of the wedding feast, true, but is it the Wedding Supper of the Lamb that is being spoken of? What is Christ's point here?
But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ -Matthew 22:5–9
The parable is about the Kingdom of heaven, to which the Jewish people were invited, as God's chosen. But when they were invited, they consistently rejected those God sent. So, he invited others...the Gentiles. But, that's not the end of the parable:
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.” -Matthew 22:12–14
This is basically echoing the parable of the ten virgins. To be welcomed into the Kingdom, we must be clothed in the white robes that are given to them who have been washed clean by Christ. For that to happen, we have to be known by Christ. Moving through life making Christian noises with our mouths, going to Church, saying we 'believe' in Jesus, will not cut it. If we do not accept Christ as our own, we will not be clothed appropriately when we come into the Kingdom.
And your reference above to those "invited' to the marriage supper...not the marriage itself, but to the supper which traditionally follows the marriage. I also have trouble reconciling our 'brethren' status with our 'groom'.
Well, my first instinct is to say: usually people who come to the supper have already attended the wedding itself. It's only the close friends and family who get to attend the celebrations after the formal affair. If people more periferal to the family were going to attend one, but not the other, it's usally the ceremony, not the celebration. So...if we see people 'at the supper', we can also automatically assume they were also at the marriage itself, the two being so closely connected.
In regards to the other matter, well, if we track the thought through, we do see a correlation running throughout:
..
that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. -Ephesians 5:26–27
he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, -Titus 3:5
I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. -Revelation 7:14
Christ, with his work for us, with his blood that he purchases us with, 'washes' us. But, the imagry goes further, he 'washes our robes ad makes them white, without spot or blemish'.
Where else does it talk about the Church having white robes?
Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. -Revelation 3:4–5
Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. -Revelation 6:11
I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. -Revelation 7:14
And then we finally read:
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” -Revelation 19:7–9
The fine linen is the righteous deeds of the Saint? It's rather odd, isn't it, since we know that really, our righteous deeds are only what Christ gives us grace to do. But, as Ephesians tells us, he HAS washed us, and made us without blemish. He has cleaned us and made us ready to stand firm in the face of persecution, suffering and even death. These are the white robes we have, when we pass from this life into the next, however it comes for us, still keeping our eyes on him. When we do that, we ARE the 5 wise virgins, and those people invited to the wedding banquet off the streets who do have the right attire. But...we are also the Bride, because we are clothed in find linen, and, as Paul says:
For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. -2 Corinthians 11:
We know there is a wedding (19:7). We know there is a bride (19:7). And we know that the groom is the Lamb (21:9). I know there are those here who would argue that the New Jerusalem is not a symbol of the Bride, regardless that's what it actually says, but that's not really the point. The point is, the dots do sort of connect...church...Christ...bride...groom.
