Proper 23 (28) (Year A)
Then Jesus spoke to them again in parables. He said, 2“The [Realm] of heaven is like this: there was a ruler who prepared a feast for the wedding of the family’s heir; 3but when the ruler sent out workers to summon the invited guests, they wouldn’t come. 4The ruler sent other workers, telling them to say to the guests, ‘I’ve prepared this feast for you. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything’s ready; come to the wedding.’ 5But they took no notice; one went off to his farm, another to her business, 6and the rest seized the workers, attacked them brutally and killed them. 7The ruler was furious and dispatched troops who destroyed those murderers and burned their town.
8“Then the ruler said to the workers, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but the guests I invited don’t deserve the honor. 9Go out to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find.’ 10The workers went out into the streets and collected everyone they met, good and bad alike, until the hall was filled with guests.
11“The ruler, however, came in to see the company at table, and noticed one guest who was not dressed for a wedding. 12‘My friend,’ said the ruler, ‘why are you here without a wedding garment?’ But the guest was silent. 13Then the ruler said to the attendants, ‘Bind this guest hand and foot, and throw the individual out into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14“Many are called, but few are chosen.”
Other readings: Exodus 32.1-14; Psalm 106.1-6, 19-23 (or Isaiah 25.1-9; Psalm 23); Philippians 4.1-9
Gathering prayer:
Loving God, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus the Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
I admit, this is another tough story. The original intent is aimed squarely at the religious leaders of Jesus’ day (see Matthew 21.45-46). God’s Realm is not like this world’s realm — it’s not about power but about service (John 18.36; Matthew 20.20-28). The religious leaders were all about serving themselves and lining their pockets instead of serving the people and God (Matthew 23; John 19.15). They were so blind (Matthew 15.14) that when God appeared (mystically) in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, they failed to recognize God (John 8.12ff). God sent prophets and poets to steer them back into the proper Way, but they refused. Instead, they tortured and killed them just like their ancestors did (Matthew 23.29ff). Because of this, the Romans would come and destroy the city and Temple (vv.1-7; cf., Luke 19.41-44).
So what’s God to do? God does what God always does — looks to the people the religious business institutions kick to the curb, the marginalized people for whom the religious elite can’t see much less serve (Matthew 21.28ff).
But people can’t stay the way they are. We’ve all fallen short, we’re told (Romans 3.23). Each of us has parts of ourselves that, quite frankly, aren’t our best parts. The ancient Celts referred to these parts as “falseness”[2] — the untrue parts of ourselves to which we’ve become addicted and those addictions have almost changed who we are at the deepest level.
Almost.
Contrary to the teaching of a lot (most) of Western Christianity, falseness (sin) isn’t who we are. Buried deep within the soul of humanity — of creation itself — is the Light of God. Saint John wrote, “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1.4-5; cf., Genesis 4.6-7; NLT; emphasis added).[3]
So Love does what Love always does — it doesn’t leave us in our falseness. Love sets us free from our falseness but Love also requires that we get rid of the false parts of ourselves and express our true selves in all of it’s divinely created glory. Thomas Merton OCSO once said, “The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves.”
For Love to reign, change is necessary. But change is neither pretty nor painless. A lot of us want the Gospel to be that God loves us just as we are; that we’re not required to change our lives in any way; that we can continue on in ways that are contrary to our best, truest selves, our neighbors, and the world. And while it’s certainly true that God does love us just as we are God doesn’t expect us to stay that way. When a person who was blind or lame or demon possessed came to Jesus, he didn’t say, “Thanks for joining us! I’m glad you’re here. You’re perfect just as you are.” No. He healed them all because that’s what Love requires.
God’s Love through Grace is all about looking past all of the falseness to our truest selves, the divine part that is buried deep within us. It’s that part that Grace gives over to Life. It burns within us until it burns out the parts of us that aren’t true. Love causes us to look honestly at ourselves and gives us the Grace to change. It takes courage and strength to make those changes. It’s painful but worth it.
And, this is the part that is hard for us to fathom, if we don’t change in this life, we’ll be forced to change it in the next. That’s what verses 11-14 are about. I’ve always wondered how this could be — how could someone be in God’s Realm but still be addicted to their falseness? In this story we see that it’s possible. But, again, Love doesn’t allow us to stay in that falseness. Saint Paul wrote that each one of us will stand before God and our works will be tested by fire (2 Corinthians 5.10). “If anyone’s work survives,” he writes, “they’ll get a reward. But if anyone’s work goes up in flames, they’ll lose it. However, they themselves will be saved as if they had gone through a fire” (1 Corinthians 3.14-15).
This story, then, isn’t about God sending people to Gehenna (hell). The immediate context of this story is about Jerusalem rejecting the prophets, poets, and finally the Messiah. And, because of that rejection, Jerusalem was put through “hell” by the Roman army. In other words, the judgment wasn’t “eternal” but temporal.
But the Realm of God is not limited to first century Jerusalem. It started there and continues to grow like yeast working its way through all the dough (Matthew 13.33; Galatians 5.9; 1 Corinthians 5.9). God’s Love is changing us every day. It’s calling us to the great feast but we have to prepare ourselves for attendance. We either deal with our falseness in this life or will be forced to deal with it in the next. May we be given Grace, strength, and courage to make these changes and become the very best version of ourselves.
~~~
In the Love of the Three in One,
Br. Jack+, LC
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[1] Scripture quotations marked (TIB) are taken from The Inclusive Bible. Copyright © 2007 by Priests for Equality. Used by permission.
[2] Newell, J. P., (1997). Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality, pg. 14. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press.
[3] Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation, Inc. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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