The Kingdom and the Torah
The following parable has a fairly simple beginning, but the ending demands some study. Here, Y‘shua
speaks of a King (YHWH) who was ready to hold a wedding feast for his son (Y‘shua) and sent invites
through his servants (the prophets) to those destined to come (Israel). They (Israel) did not hold this
message in high regard, even killing some of the servants (the prophets). The invitations then went out to a
general audience (the Gentile world), many of whom accepted it.
That's the "easy" part. The difficulty arises with the last section. One of those invited did not bother to put on
a proper wedding garment, and was cast out:
―(1) And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, (2) The kingdom of heaven is
like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, (3) And sent forth his servants to call them that
were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. (4) Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell
them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things
are ready: come unto the marriage. (5) But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm,
another to his merchandise: (6) And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew
them. (7) But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those
murderers, and burned up their city. (8) Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which
were bidden were not worthy. (9) Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the
marriage. (10) So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they
found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. (11) And when the king came in to
see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: (12) And he saith unto him,
Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. (13) Then said
the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (14) For many are called, but few are chosen‖. (Matt 22:1-14)
What is the significance of this wedding garment? We know a bit more about the wedding garment of the
end-time marriage feast, from the Book of Revelation:
(7) ―Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his
wife hath made herself ready.
(8) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine
linen is the righteousness of saints. Rev 19:7- 8
The Greek term for ―righteousness" (as found in the King James Version above), is dikaioma, a noun
meaning ―righteous acts‖. This, of course, would be acts of Torah; prepared for us from before the foundation
of the world (i.e., Eph 2:10). This is consistent with other verses in Revelation that also state that those who
obey YHWH's Torah (including faith in Y‘shua), are the ones who are declared righteous:
―Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus‖. (Rev 14:12)
―Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the city‖. (Rev 22:14)
It would seem, then, that the white wedding garment is directly tied to following Torah. This is also found in
the Hebrew Zohar:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 226b: ―Alas for men that they look not to their foundation, and
neglect the precepts of the Torah. For some of these precepts fashion a glorious garment above, and some
a glorious garment below, and some a glorious garment in this world; and man requires them all‖.
The Book of Zechariah tells of a vision the prophet received, associated with the establishment of the
Kingdom of YHWH. Here, a high priest named Joshua (not the Joshua of Moses' day) was unable to
immediately take his proper place as Satan had an accusation against him (for iniquity - violating Torah). The
angel of YHWH ordered a "change of garments" for Joshua, and charged him to walk in His ways (Torah) in
order to continue on as high priest:
(1) ―And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan
standing at his right hand to resist him.
(2) And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen
Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
(3) Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.