18 Aug 2016
“The king came in to meet the [wedding] guests.” But this wasn’t just a handshake and a
friendly hello; it was something more profound than that. The king came in to “behold” his guests;
that’s what the ancient Greek tells us.
He came in to “behold” his guests, to gaze upon them, to enjoy the sight
of them, to contemplate their beauty.
They weren’t like all the other people who ignored or
rejected the invitation; no, these guests accepted the invitation, and gladly
went to the wedding feast. Their pure
hearts—their willing, docile, peaceful, self-giving hearts—were the wedding
garment they wore. That’s the “beauty”
the king came in to “behold.” And it’s
what our God desires to behold in us.
But that “beauty” isn’t necessarily moral perfection, or
intellectual skill, or human achievement.
It’s the beauty of a human heart that honestly and gladly desires to
share life with God. It’s the beauty of
a bride (the Church) deeply in love with the groom (the Lord). That’s what our God desires to behold in
us—the beauty of a soul in love with him.
Of course, we understand that. I mean, love and affection is a two-way deal;
whether it’s marriage or friendship.
It’s hard to love someone who doesn’t love you; it’s hard to respect
someone who doesn’t respect you. And so,
we see where God is coming from. He
desires to behold in us the beauty of a soul in love with him. And what he’s looking for is that “pure
heart” in each of us which has simply and happily accepted the invitation to
“Come, be with him, and enjoy life with him.”
That peaceful and willing acceptance is the wedding garment
we try to put on. As we come to this
wedding “supper of the Lamb,” what garment do you have on? Is it the garment of a willing and happy
heart . . . or something else?
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