A line from Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” (and
attributed to Augustine) could be the epigraph for today’s readings: “Do not
despair; one of the thieves was saved. Do not presume; one of the thieves was
damned.” The ill-dressed man who was invited to the banquet and then tossed
into the outer darkness should serve simultaneously to wake us up and to give
us confidence. The called-out ones, the ekklesia,
are invited to the banquet but we are to approach the table with awe and
humility.
The sermon focus might be that faith comes through need
rather than acclaim or accomplishment. What does such a focus look like in your
community?
Matthew 22:1-14
Set within the growing conflict
between Jesus and the religious authorities, this parable condemns Jesus’
enemies for failing to receive and honor him as the Son of God. . . Matthew
used it to intensify his condemnation of Jesus’ adversaries.
The text is similar to Luke
14:15–25, but differences suggest that Matthew has shaped the story to address
two settings at the same time. First, the parable recalls Jesus’ conflict with
the representatives of the religious establishment. By rejecting him and his
message, they have refused to participate in the feast of God’s reign. With
barely veiled images, Jesus announces that God’s judgment will fall on them and
the city of Jerusalem. Matthew also has in mind how missionaries from his
community experienced persecution. . .
The imagery of the parable—a king
giving a wedding banquet for his son—is suggestive of the messianic banquet.
Matthew may in fact, on one level, intend that the story be seen as a picture
of the end of history and the celebration of God’s triumph. However, elements
within the story also tell of the life and mission of Jesus’ followers now. . .
The appearance of a guest without a
wedding robe at the parable’s ending is unique to Matthew. The lack of a proper
garment has been taken as a metaphor for many different things, among them a
lack of love, righteousness, or good works. . . The presence of the man without a wedding robe
reminds believers that “God’s judgment comes upon all, including those within
the ecclesia” (p. 208). –– Aaron J. Couch
Isaiah 25:1-9
Isaiah 24–27, known as the “Isaiah
Apocalypse,” probably does not come from the hand of Isaiah of Jerusalem.
Chapter 25 celebrates God’s goodness, first in a song of thanksgiving for God’s
judgment against the proud and then in a vision of all people feasting for
God’s triumph over death. The destruction of “the city” may be a reference to
Babylon, or stand as a symbol for all human power and pride opposed to God. The
feast for God’s victory evokes and overturns imagery from ancient Canaanite
religion.
Texts from Ugarit depict Mot, the
god of death (from the same root as Hebrew mawet, death), as swallowing all.
Isaiah declares that death himself shall be swallowed up, finally and forever,
by the LORD. At the unfolding of such glad news there will be no more tears. ––
Aaron J. Couch
Philippians 4:1-9
Because Christ gives peace, Paul
calls for God’s people to demonstrate that peace. Paul urges reconciliation
between two believers who are at odds with each other. He instructs all of them
to stop worrying, and instead to know the peace of God that guards their hearts
and minds.
With a list of virtues recognized
by the wider Hellenistic culture as characteristic of “the good life,” Paul
encourages believers to dwell on those good things, aware that the God of peace
is with them. Paul also describes how he has discovered the secret of the kind
of peace known as contentment. He is able to live with gratitude, regardless of
the circumstances, because he experiences the sustaining presence of Christ. ––
Aaron J. Couch
Aaron Couch is
a co-pastor of First Immanuel Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon.
Homily Service 38, no. 11 (2005): 15-25.
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