“My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?” (Matt. 22:12) Such is the parable’s critical question, the critical question for those to whom Jesus first spoke, the critical question for us.

In Jewish and Christian imagination, the kingdom of God was dreamt of as a banquet, full of wine and food and the whole of creation, “a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines,” Isaiah wrote (Is. 25:6). That Christ had come into his temple meant that the banquet of the kingdom of God was about to commence and that all were invited. This is the drama and tragedy of the parable and its context: that Jesus announced the kingdom and banquet of God, but the people who should’ve bought it didn’t buy it, they didn’t want to come.

And so, they were banished not because they weren’t welcome but because they didn’t want to come.

To belong to the kingdom and banquet of God one must wear the “wedding garment.” This, in scripture and tradition, is the garment of baptism, the garments one keeps clean by belonging to the Church one’s whole life. No one familiar with the Book of Revelation can fail to miss these allusions. For us, this means very simply that to remain close to Jesus, we must live out our baptism, which is to live out our lives faithfully in the Church. At baptism we’re dressed in a wedding garment, dressed for the banquet of God. Getting to heaven is simply a matter of staying dressed and clean in that same garment. It’s a matter of staying Christian.

Images and metaphors aside, the point is this: Do you accept Jesus as Lord, and do you live like it? Could you be credibly convicted as a Christian if the faith were outlawed today? Does the faith really matter to you? When eternal accounts are settled, what will that look like for you? Will you be reduced to silence too? Will you be dressed for the party? Will Christ recognize you as one of his?