“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:11-14

            Jesus, in this parable, was not addressing wedding etiquette, but God’s righteousness.  The wedding symbolized the marriage feast of heaven, bringing together Jesus (the groom) and believers (the church/bride).  Everyone is invited to that wedding.

            However, in the story, someone had not chosen to repent of their sins and surrender themselves to the groom.  They did not follow the steps to prepare for the feast.  All believers receive a “robe of righteousness,” clothed not in street clothes they have chosen, but purified clothes given to them by God.

            The man in the parable did not make a fashion error, but a spiritual error, thinking he could come to wedding his own way (like the Pharisees).