He Was Speechless

In our family scripture reading last night I read this passage, I read the parable of the marriage of the king’s son. It ends this way: “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. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 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” (Matthew 22:10-13). It was one of those times when I felt that nobody was really listening to what I was reading, but as I continued reading past these verses my seven-year-old daughter stopped me and said, “Why couldn’t they let him repent?” I wasn’t sure what she meant at first and she elaborated, “Why couldn’t they let the man who didn’t have the clothes repent?” I thought it was a profound question and one worth considering given the repeated gospel teaching that we can always repent when we make mistakes. Why was the king so harsh to this man who was not wearing the wedding garment?

                Elder Bednar spoke about this parable recently in general conference and gave us some insight into what was happening in this story. He summarized, “He did not simply lack a wedding garment; rather, he chose not to wear one. He rebelliously refused to dress appropriately for the occasion…. The king’s judgment of the man is not based primarily upon the lack of a wedding garment—but that ‘he was, in fact, determined not to wear one. The man … desired the honor of attending the wedding feast, but … did not want to follow the custom of the king. He wanted to do things his own way. His lack of proper dress revealed his inner rebellion against the king and his instructions.’” Elder Bednar also quoted an explanation from Elder Talmage who focused on the fact that the man was speechless: “The king at first was graciously considerate, inquiring only as to how the man had entered without a wedding garment. Had the guest been able to explain his exceptional appearance, or had he any reasonable excuse to offer, he surely would have spoken; but we are told that he remained speechless. The king’s summons had been freely extended to all whom his servants had found; but each of them had to enter the royal palace by the door; and before reaching the banquet room, in which the king would appear in person, each would be properly attired; but the deficient one, by some means had entered by another way; and not having passed the attendant sentinels at the portal, he was an intruder.” Perhaps then, we can consider the king’s question to the man as an invitation and opportunity to repent: “Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?” It may be that if the man had at that moment wanted to confess and seek forgiveness and repent, this king who called him “friend” would have accepted his remorse and allowed him to mend his ways and get on a proper wedding garment. But he was speechless, meaning that he made no attempt to seek forgiveness or own up to his actions. A brief opportunity for repentance was granted, and the man chose not to take it.

                This story then may be a reminder that while repentance is offered us in this life, our opportunities to repent will not last forever. If like the man in this story we remain “speechless” and choose not to repent for long enough, we will day find that these words of Samuel the Lamanite have become true for us: “But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure” (Helaman 13:38). And so this parable highlights the fact that repentance is urgent—we should do it now and bring our will in line with that of our Heavenly King’s. We must not remain “speechless” when we need to repent and bring our lives in conformity with His gospel.