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The King then noticed one of the invited guests (the Jews back then, the Christians now) was not dressed properly for the celebration (the guest’s ACTIONS were inappropriate) and he threw him into darkness. The guest was at the party, but his understanding of what was expected of him was inappropriate.

I guess you could INTERPRET this way if you wish; but the TEXT says his CLOTHES were wrong - NOT his ACTIONS.

  1. Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
  2. "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
  3. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
  4. "Then he sent some more servants and said, `Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'
  5. "But they paid no attention and went off--one to his field, another to his business.
6. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.
7. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8. "Then he said to his servants, `The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.
9. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.'
10. So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11. "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
12. `Friend,' he asked, `how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.
13. "Then the king told the attendants, `Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
14. "For many are invited, but few are chosen."
15. Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.

Much is said in the OT about clothing: so; just what do the wedding clothes indicate?

I interpret the wedding clothes to symbolize actually putting on the signs of a life wedded to Christ’s teachings. I think he was invited to the wedding (union with Christ) and he showed up but didn’t look or act as he should (he should have taken the action of putting on the clothes, putting on the attitude and demeanor of Christ). Because his actions were inappropriate (he should have dressed properly for a wedding) he was held to rather harsh judgment.

Of course, it also is about the Jews and the fact that they are the Chosen People, the invited guests. God sent prophets who were rejected and His own Son who was killed. The Gentiles are the people invited randomly off the street. Notice God invited the people, “BOTH GOOD AND BAD” to the wedding. The man who was not dressed properly symbolizes the pharisees, but also those today who do not do what God expects and asks of them.

I do interpret this because it was a Parable. Parables are symbolic stories used to illustrate a point. Isn’t that what Christ did all through the Gospels? And if you insist on being literal, how do you get around the time Christ said, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53). “

The wedding clothes represent the Righteousness of Christ, the covering of His blood. Not our actions.

The wedding guest tried to get in without the appropriate covering, the blood of Christ.

It has nothing to do with actions or our “works”, it is about our Faith in the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

Those who fail to appear at the judgment clothed in the Righteousness of Christ (not OUR “righteousness”) will be cast to Hell.