Title : Fit for the King

A person almost would have to live in the Garden of Eden not to know the name, Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple computers, who died a few days ago.

To say that Steve Jobs was creative and successful only begins to compute who he was. He held over three hundred patents. His inventiveness was behind so many popular devices that I wouldn’t be surprised if over ninety-percent of you either own at least one or have used one: the Macintosh computer, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad.

In Friday’s USA Today was a cartoon that showed Jobs, arriving in heaven. God says, "To be honest, Mr. Jobs, the last time an apple caused so much excitement around here involved Adam, Eve, and a snake . . ."

How many Americans do you think believe that Steve Jobs went to heaven, because he was a man who provided so much good stuff for the world, employed thousands of people, and, by all accounts, was a very nice man? It’s got to be a pretty high percentage, right?

Several years ago, Steve Jobs picked the Buddhist religion for himself, which he practiced the rest of his life. Thus, not only is it sad that this fine person had his life cut off by cancer, at age fifty-six, but he also has had his life cut off, forever.

In the context of today’s Gospel lesson, what would teach us that Steve Jobs’ soul is not in heaven? "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. . . . But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment." Steve Jobs was wearing the wrong clothes. He wore the clothes of a Buddhist, not of a Christian. God the Father—the one who throws the wedding feast for His Son, Jesus Christ—only admits those who are wearing the right clothes—wedding clothes. And, a person can only get the wedding clothes from Him.

Steve Jobs wore the clothes of an inventor, a savvy businessman, and a Buddhist. We are always trying to award heaven to people, because of the clothes they are wearing.

We say about the person who wore the clothes of one who suffers terribly in life, that he deserves to go to heaven because of how badly he suffered. Or, the one who clothed himself as a generous person deserves to go to heaven because he did so many good things for others.  Or, the one who clothed himself as a nice person deserves heaven because he was so nice. Or, the one who fill in the blank with whatever thing it is that impresses people deserves heaven because of how he clothed himself in life.

Are these the clothes which get us into heaven—the clothes of our works? Is there any person, who is able to impress God so much that he deserves heaven because of the clothes that he makes for himself in this life?

Is that how people get into a wedding banquet? If a person showed up at the AmVets for a wedding reception, would he be allowed entrance simply because of what kind of person he is? Isn’t it only the family and friends of the couple who get in? Isn’t a wedding by invitation only? Isn’t it only the host who determines who is invited?

Back in the Lord’s day, the common people didn’t have the wardrobes that we have. Today, even the most average among us have clothes that we can wear to a wedding reception.

For the wedding banquet of our Lord Jesus’ parable, the clothes have to be just so. No ordinary clothes will do. Indeed, no clothes will do that come from your own closet. You have to be wearing the king’s clothes. You have to be dressed just so. You have to cover your own clothes with his. You have to accept his gift. You have to acknowledge that your clothes are not good enough to be worn into his wedding banquet.

There it is. Your clothes are not good enough to be worn into his wedding banquet. Even a Steve Jobs, as impressive as he was, did not wear clothes that were good enough—that is, did not have accomplishments that were good enough—to be fit for the King’s eternal, heavenly wedding banquet.

For anyone to be dressed properly for God the King’s eternal, heavenly wedding banquet, he cannot be dressed in the clothes of his life’s work, his personality, his suffering.

God the King calls many to His eternal, heavenly wedding banquet, but many who are called don’t come. In the parable, the Lord Jesus says, "‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ 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."

Well, it seems that we have more than one problem. In one case, we have those, who think they can get into heaven by their own good works—in the clothes of their earthly accomplishments. In another case, we have those, whom God invites and will gladly clothe, who find better things to do—those, who should be Christians except that they turn away from the Christian Church. And, in yet another case, we have those, who not only reject the king’s invitation, but who reject the king to the point of killing his servants—those, who don’t simply walk away, but who are outwardly hostile to the Christian faith.

Who are you? Which are you? Are you openly hostile to the Christian faith? Apparently, you are not.

Do you find better things to do than accept God the King’s invitation? Apparently not. However, appearances are only vision deep. Simply because you are worshiping, today, does not mean that you sometimes, or even often, reject His invitation.

Do you think that you can get into heaven by your good works—in the clothes of your earthly accomplishments? This one, we can’t see, at all. Only you and the Lord know if you are humbling yourself, accepting His invitation, and wearing the gift of His clothes. Don’t be fooled. The old sinful nature is impressed with those who do big things, and with those who suffer, and with those who are so good. We think it about others. We think it about our own family and friends, who never worship the Lord, but of whom we say, "Oh, he believes. He’s a good person." And, we think it about ourselves: "God must really be impressed with me, how many hours I put into the Harvest Home Dinner, and how I’ve served so many years on this church board, and how generous I am in my offerings."

If you think you can get into heaven by wearing your own clothes, listen to Jesus: "‘Friend, how did you get in here without the 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.’"

There is only One, who impressed God the Father with the clothes He wore: Jesus Christ. Jesus wore to perfection the clothes of humanity. He wore the clothes of humility with the sin of the world. He wore the clothes of victory in His resurrection from the dead.

He invited you to the eternal, heavenly wedding banquet by the call of the Gospel. He clothed you, so that you are fit to be in the presence of God the King’ wedding banquet, when He baptized you. Galatians 3:27: "All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."

The righteousness of Jesus Christ is the garment which makes you fit for the King, and Jesus has fitted you with it; with Him. You are here. You are at the eternal, heavenly wedding banquet. Come and eat, the feast which Christ has prepared for you! Amen.