Pentecost 18

November 2, 2014 in Sermon by R0s3m@ry

Matthew 22:1-14

1 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ 5 But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so 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 a wedding robe, 12 and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

In the gospel passage assigned for today we find Jesus still thundering away at the crowds there in Jerusalem.
He tells this parable after he had just delivered the one about the wicked tenants that we heard about last week. We also heard last week about the reaction of his audience and how they wanted to have him arrested and killed. It is important to understand that it wasn’t just the religious elite hearing Jesus’ words. The non-religious were also listening to his sermons. They no doubt liked what they were hearing. All the big wig, hypocrite, God thumpers were finally getting it from Jesus and the crowds loved it. That’s why the chief priests and the elders were afraid to have Jesus arrested. I’m sure the crowd really got into this strange parable. The king in the story had a weird idea of how to deal with rejection. Since the ones he wanted to come to the party didn’t want to come the king goes out and drags in anybody he can find. He just flings open the doors to the palace and invites everyone to come to the feast regardless. Jesus’ words were not lost on the non-religious in the crowd. They understood perfectly that the Jewish religious elite were the ones presumed to be invited to the party. They also got Jesus’ point that the chief priests and the elders were more interested in their wealth and power than they were in truly obeying God. In other words, they didn’t want to go to the party. Then the juicy part, in another great reversal, the non-religious got an invite and the religious were excluded. They concluded, and so have many others, that God just lets people off the hook. God isn’t wrathful and judgmental. He is affirming and loving. It seems the unpardonable sin is being a hypocrite so don’t be one. Just be who you are rather than being a lie and God will accept and affirm you and then you can in turn accept and affirm others. Love, love, love; it is a marriage feast after all you know. Things are just going along swimmingly for the crowd until the very end of the parable. There we find some poor sap after having been drug into the party getting called out by the king for not being clothed properly. Not only does the guy get thrown out of the party, he gets thrown into hell where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. And then those ominous, chilling words; “For many are called, but few chosen.” Suddenly things aren’t so cheery anymore for the Johnny come lately. Suddenly the religious and the non-religious are in the same boat. Suddenly all that clap trap about acceptance and affirming just went out the window. Because you see this parable has always been about the king not the party. This king chooses. He has an opinion. He is free. Suddenly this parable begins to pinch as it turns on us. Our presumption about God is exposed. Our ideas about what will get God off our backs are stripped away. Our idols that we have fashioned about what God can and cannot do no longer protect us from him. And we are speechless just like underdressed wedding crasher. Indeed God is a choosing God and that is why you and I are here this morning in this place. We are here because we have been called but that really isn’t what is most important is it. Many have been called. No, we are here because the free God is doing what only he can do and that is choosing people for his kingdom. You are the person but do not think for one minute that God simply let you off the hook. It was for you that Christ was born. It was for you that Christ hung on a cross. It was your sin that Christ bore. It was your sin that killed him. It was your sin that went into the grave with him. But your sin did not come out the other side of the grave with Jesus. It stayed in the tomb dead. You are the one who is forgiven unconditionally by the Father for Jesus’ sake. Christ is your wedding robe. He is your righteousness. He is your justification. So enjoy the feast; it lasts for eternity you know! Amen.