“You’re going to wear that again?” The frustrated mother of a junior higher gave up. It was the third day in a row that her son would wear that unwashed shirt and jeans.

Interestingly enough, Jesus told a story about a man who was improperly dressed, possibly wearing dirty and tattered clothing, not to school, but to a wedding feast! The guy had been given a new outfit appropriate for the occasion, yet he refused to take off the old and put on the new.

How did that work out? The man was thrown out, essentially sent to hell. (Matthew 22:13).

In 2 Corinthians, Paul teaches, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Jesus’ parable of the wedding feast was a depiction of God inviting all people into His kingdom, into a personal relationship. Everyone was invited. Unfortunately, most created excuses as to why they couldn’t come. God continued to send messengers to make sure everyone knew they were welcome. He even provided a change of clothes for those who felt unworthy of attending.

Perhaps the man in Jesus’ story felt he was not worthy to attend the heavenly feast. He misunderstood that He was not invited based on his own merit or works, but on what Jesus did. “God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Once we accept God’s invitation, we are made new and stand before God with the clothing of Jesus’ righteousness.

May we get rid of the old and embrace the new.