Yesterday afternoon, as on many a Saturday afternoon over the years gone by, there was a
wedding held in this sanctuary. The couple involved began planning this event over a year and a half ago. In addition
to all the time and money spent in preparation there are always certain things that remain outside of anyone's
control. Weather for example, or the compliance of all those invited, traffic conditions that might effect everyone's
arrival on time, illness, and perhaps even the behavior of a particular guest. In that sense weddings have not
really changed much over the centuries!
In Biblical times a "wedding" was simply the public affirmation and celebration of a relationship that
had been sealed by an exchange of money or property between two families many years before. At that time the girl
was often as young as six and the boy no more than thirteen. Once the "bride price" was agreed upon and
exchanged, the "betrothed" couple were bound to each other in every legal sense, and even though they
may never have actually met, the dissolution of their relationship would require a divorce initiated by the boy
or his family.
"Betrothed" couples could be well into their late twenties with a child or two and never have had the
seven day feast required for an actual "wedding." Such a celebration, on top of the betrothal arrangements
was seen as a great luxury, much to be desired, but not always possible. After all, if you think that planning
a four hour reception following a one hour ceremony is difficult, imagine the planning involved in hosting your
guests for a week.
Since such feasts were great community events, and tended to be rather clannish, precautions were taken to keep
gate crashers from a neighboring village from consuming the bountiful foods and beverages you'd worked so hard
to provide. After all, it's hard to keep an eye on everyone for all that time. Remember that the first time we
meet Jesus in his public ministry it's at a wedding, and he has arrived not only with his immediate family, but
with a host of disciples that he's gathered from around the area. It may help to explain why they "ran out
of wine."
A "wedding robe" or wedding garment" was little more than a strip of homespun cloth, but with a
particular pattern and color unique to the host family, distributed in advance to each and every guest. Much like
our wedding invitations today, every guest would be expected to have one tied to their arm, or worn in their hair.
To have left it at home, or lost it somewhere along the way was inexcusable. When Jesus shared this parable, actually
two separate parables which Matthew has put together, it was not a question of being pointed out by the dreaded
fashion police, but about proper behavior, legitimate expectations, and as in last week's lection, about doing
one's duty.
A "wedding" is the perfect celebration symbol, appropriate as the kind of event which would mark our
entrance into the Kingdom of God. What we "put on" in response to God's call; righteousness, or repentance,
or whatever, is the necessary response…not just a "nice thing to do," but the expectation! Just as you
wouldn't show up at a wedding reception without bringing some kind of gift or thinking about what you were going
to wear (though today that sometimes seems hard to believe that people do), you can't just "show up"
at God's feast. There has to be some outward sign that you are taking the invitation seriously, and showing respect.
Perhaps that is why even at weddings today, when all the guests have gathered in the sanctuary, there is still
one last moment when the opportunity is offered "does anyone object?" in order that the certainty of
conviction can be determined.
In the parable we are told that many people were "called" or invited to God's feast, but that at least
one person was not "chosen" to stay, because, for whatever reason, he wasn't prepared and he didn't act
respectfully.
Early Christian symbolism often speaks of conversion as donning new clothing. Paul for example encourages believers
to "put on Christ," clothes that are comprised of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
The first part of the parable, like the tenants being cast out of the vineyard in last week's story, involved the
loss of the Reign of God by Israel and its bestowal on the new community of faithful believers drawn from the main
streets, both good and bad. In truth that Kingdom had been "stripped" of it's power. The war waged by
the king would have been seen as a not- so-veiled reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD, an event that
had already happened when Matthew recorded this story. His Jewish-Christian audience would have been affirmed by
the first story, but chastened by the second.
The "New Israel" was being warned that just "showing up" is not enough. The Reign of God may
have been given to them because others didn't deserve it, but not all the "newbies" deserve it, either.
They need to guard themselves against the same self-righteousness and apathy that they felt they saw so clearly
in the previous religious institution from which they sprang.
Parables are not cozy moral lessons, but stories used by Jesus to illustrate or describe the Reign of God. Barbara
Brown Taylor says in "Tales of Terror, Times of Wonder," that "the Bible offers us more than just
consolation and encouragement. Its pages are also filled with terror, violence, and the knowledge that we are ultimately
in God's hands." What makes Scripture terrifying is that it points to a Sovereign God who is radically different
than us, whose mind we can't read, whose decisions we can't predict, and whose actions we can't control. The one
thing we must not do is to take refuge in the fact that simply because we know we were invited to be part of the
"group" we need not worry about fulfilling our responsibilities to live our lives in such a way that
bears witness to the fact that we have been.
The fundamental hope to which all stories of terror drive us is that however wrong they may seem, however misbegotten
and needlessly cruel, God may be present in them, working redemption in ways we are not equipped to discern. I
think this parable speaks to the church today. It urgently reminds us that being part of a Christian community
should make a discernible difference in who we are and how we live. This fellow still dressed in street clothes
must have seen the difference between what he was wearing and where he was at. He was in the great banquet hall
of the king--he was at the wedding feast for the royal son. The finest food. the best wine. The recipient of massive
grace!
Where is his awe...his wonder...his regard for such generosity? The other guests have humbly and quietly traded
in their street clothes for celebration clothes--but he was too busy guzzling the drink and cramming the food in
his mouth. His focus was all wrong. As Thomas Long says, "Just to come into the church in response to the
gracious, altogether unmerited invitation of Christ and then not to conform one's life to that mercy is to demonstrate
spiritual narcissism so profound that one cannot tell the difference between the wedding feast of the Lamb of God
and happy hour in a bus station bar."
Anyone can make a mistake. In response to Moses' pleas about his own inadequacies, God appointed Aaron to be a
spokesman, but in the Exodus passage for this morning Aaron made a terrible decision to comply with the community/culture
that evolved in Moses' absence on the mountain. He spearheaded the construction of the golden calf, and condoned
behavior that was far less than Godly. We are told that God was ready to destroy them all on the spot…but Moses'
pleas for their entitlement to have another chance changed God's mind.
In the end of the parable, all who get to stay in the presence of the king are equalized by the wedding garments
they wear. We say that baptism is the great equalizer, as a symbol of forgiveness, "an outward and visible
sign of grace." None can claim to be any better, nor be judged to be any worse. I remember reading an article
in National Geographic regarding Muslims who make the pilgrimage to Mecca. One thing is required of all. Everyone
must put on the same white garment regardless of wealth or class so that everyone appears equal at Mecca. These
are high ideals…but do we really live them?
Tony Campolo in preaching to a gathering of United Methodists wrote: "The only description Jesus gives of
the judgment day is in terms of how we have responded to the poor and the needy. I wish it was otherwise because
I'm an evangelical. I believe in the four spiritual laws. I believe in the Bible. I believe that salvation comes
through faith in Jesus Christ, and I know that I would have all the right answers if God would just ask the right
questions: "What was the proper form of baptism? Do you believe in the virgin birth? Do you believe in the
second coming? Do you believe in the Apostles' Creed?" But these are not the questions that are asked.
On that day we will be asked: "I was hungry; did you feed me? I was naked; did you clothe me? I was sick;
did you care for me? I was in prison; did you visit me?" If you did it to the least of these my brothers and
sisters, you did it to me. And if you failed to do it unto the least of these my brothers and sisters, you failed
to do it unto me.
I don't like that kind of criteria for judgment. I want it to be theological, but the Bible is quite clear. This
commitment to the poor, this commitment to the hungry is at the very basis of what it means to be a Christian.
If we are to be followers of Jesus, this is the evidence that we are filled with the Holy Spirit." (Christian
Social Action Sept/Oct. 2002)
Our "duty" is not simply to recruit souls for heaven, making sure they are "marked" and have
passed inspection like some final check point at an airport terminal. Our "duty," and the outer sign
of our membership in the Kingdom of God is seen in how we treat one another and change this present world for the
better. How often do we say to one another, and to ourselves…"This is really important, it's a great cause,
a great event"…now "If you're willing,"…"If you're interested,"…That's not good enough!
Far too often we are content to say "What we really have to do is get our hearts in the right place and then
we will do the right thing." And we wait, and we stall, and we never get around to changing anything! Jesus
never said "Where you heart is there will your treasure be." He was more of a realist than that! He said
"Where your treasure is there will your heat be as well," and because of that we can be pretty certain
how our priorities are going to fall.
We have been called to a great event…a transformed life of daily adventuring with God. It comes with it's own set
of priorities, and it requires a commitment that doesn't have loopholes. Once we have responded it is no longer
"If you would be so kind…" but becomes "The expectation is…."
In the end we will all be judged…and the party will continue with some noticeable absentees…may we do our very
best to keep that from happening for others, and for ourselves. For God has been gracious indeed, but God can change!
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