Content Warning: This article contains references to Terrorism, War, and Anti-Jewish Sentiment
My initial reaction to being on sabbatical and not having to preach on this Sunday's Gospel (from Matthew 22.1-14) was intense relief at being able to avoid a homiletical minefield. But the more I've thought about it, the more I've realised that someone needs to say something about it, especially given the current situation in Israel/Palestine.
In the Gospel, Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who invites dignitaries to a wedding feast for his son. First they ignore the invitations, then they abuse and kill the messengers. In response, the king starts to invite anyone and everyone to the feast, but not before getting angry, and sending his troops to kill the murderers and destroy their city. This is a horrific response, and seems way out of proportion. It's even more horrific when seen in light of the war in Israel and Gaza.
This passage has been read as a condemnation of the Jews, claiming that first they ignored the Law, then abused and killed the Prophets, and that the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE was divine vengeance being wreaked on them. That might have been the point Matthew was trying to make while composing the Gospel. It might have been the way his initial audience understood the story. But it is deeply problematic today, and that reading needs to be challenged.
What if we're meant to be deeply troubled by the king's response? The point of the parable is much more about the Kingdom of Heaven being like a lavish, indiscriminate invitation for everyone, good and bad alike, to be part of the celebration of God's goodness. The king's capricious temper tantrums seem to get in the way of that kind of welcome, but they're very human responses. Some might say that the first wedding guests started it when they ignored his invitation and killed his messengers. Surely they must have expected some kind of retaliation.
I don't know how things work in your house, but I've been invited to wedding receptions that I didn't want to go to, and was able to RSVP 'No' without killing anyone or inciting more violence! How messed up must the relationship between the king and these dignitaries have been for them to think their actions were appropriate? What kind of response might their friends and allies be planning in retaliation for the king's attack?
Perhaps the message is that violence will always beget violence, and that vengeful responses, however human, will always be incompatible with God's love and reign on earth as it is in heaven.
This kind of reading avoids the anti-Jewish sentiments that have plagued the church for centuries, and that we have been trying to overcome, particularly in the Anglican Church's adoption of 'A Prayer for Reconciliation with the Jewish People.' At a time when terrorists fire rockets into Israel with the specific aim of killing innocent civilians, and Palestinian civilians are being killed as Israel defends itself, now we need to focus more on Jesus's message of peace rather than our 'natural' reactions that escalate strife.
The story ends on a troubling note as well. Coming to see his mixed-bag wedding guests, he finds someone who has chosen not to wear a wedding garment, who has chosen NOT to fully embrace the joy and festivity of the occasion. The king orders the man to be bound hand and foot and thrown into outer darkness. It's perhaps another disproportionate response, but at least the king didn't have the offender executed and his home and family destroyed. 😒
What if this story is not saying that God is like a capricious and volatile king, but that God's reign coming into the world works through distressingly human stories like this? What if the Kingdom of Heaven is like people gradually tempering their responses and becoming less vengeful and murderous while they learn to become lavishly generous and welcoming like God is? What if the consequences of our actions are still important, but God doesn't rely on threats or fear to keep us in line? What if the punishment for turning down God's invitations was not getting to go to God's parties? What would it look like if we lived our lives with those kinds of values?
O GOD, who has chosen Israel to be your inheritance: Have mercy on us and forgive us for violence and wickedness against our brother Jacob; the arrogance of our hearts and minds has deceived us, and shame has covered our face. Take away all pride and prejudice in us, and grant that we, together with the people you first made your own, may attain to the fullness of redemption which you have promised; to the honour and glory of your most holy Name. Amen.
