The Unauthorized Homily

By Bill Dunn

A commentary on the Scripture readings from the Sunday Lectionary

(Gospel reading for Sunday, October 12th: Isaiah 25:6-10; Philippians 4:12-20; Matthew 22:1-14)

GOD SHOWS NO FAVORITES – WE’RE ALL THE SAME

In this week’s gospel reading, Jesus once again verbally jousted with the “chief priests and elders of the people,” that is, the religious leaders in Jerusalem. He told them a parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.”

Jesus went on to explain that the invited guests refused to come to the banquet. So the king said to his servants, “The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.”

Jesus’ message to the religious leaders was clear: the chosen people, the Israelites, rejected God’s invitation when they rejected the Messiah. Because of this rejection, the invitation was offered to the Gentiles.

Needless to say, the religious leaders were incensed to be told that the lowly Gentiles were now being viewed favorably by God. In their view, the Israelites were God’s chosen people (true). They also thought this meant God hated all the other pagan people (untrue). Their problem was a limited, self-centered understanding of God’s love and mercy. They just couldn’t imagine that God would want to save the very people that they hated.

This parable—along with a few others in the Gospels—has been used by some people over the years as evidence that God completely rejected the Jews and now favors the Christians. But these people are making the exact same mistake the religious leaders of Jerusalem made: a limited, self-centered understanding producing a misunderstanding of God’s love and mercy for all of Mankind.

As part of God’s remarkable plan of history, He selected a tiny group of people through whom He would reveal Himself to the world. He chose Israel (hence the expression, “The Chosen People”). God did it not because of how wonderful they were, but more likely because of how obscure they were. This way, whatever notoriety and success they achieved would be attributed to God rather than to their own abilities.

This is yet again more evidence that God is real. Where are all the other nations which were much more powerful than the Israelites? Seen any Jebusites lately? How about Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, or Romans? All these powerful nations have been washed away by the sands of time, and yet tiny Israel still survives, with the Jewish people exerting a disproportionate influence on the notable achievements of Mankind. If God had not chosen them, they surely would have vanished millennia ago.

The religious leaders in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago exhibited the same sinful pride that has plagued the human race ever since Adam and Eve said, “We can be just like God? Really? And all we have to do is disobey his command? Cool! Serve me up a slice of that forbidden fruit!”

The chief priests and elders, well-versed in the law and the prophets, conveniently forgot such Scripture passages as, “Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him” (Genesis 18:18), and, “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

In the same way, far too many Christians during more recent centuries have condemned Jews as being out of favor with God. Again, sinful pride is the root cause of this behavior, which, if we were talking about children, would be along the lines of, “Nyah, nyah! We’re special, and you’re not! Nyah, nyah!” But since we are talking about adults, the results instead have been more along the lines of the Inquisition, Auschwitz, anti-Semitic skinheads, and the hateful rantings of Jimmy Carter.

These so-called Christians conveniently forgot such Scripture passages as, “Salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22), and, “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25-26).

It’s human nature to form little cliques with those who are similar to us while rejecting anyone who is different. It may be the way of man, but it’s not the way of God. In God’s eyes we are all the same. He created each and every one of us, and He loves us all—each and every one—so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins.

The apostle Paul explained it best in the tenth chapter of his letter to the Romans: “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.”

God is not into denominations, ethnicity, or any of the petty things that bog us down. Instead, He is into love and mercy. That’s what Jesus was trying to explain to the Jewish leaders. It’s what Jesus was trying to explain when He spoke the most famous verse in the Bible: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The love of God is offered to everyone. The invitation to the heavenly banquet in not limited to those folks born into the proper lineage. We’re all invited. All we need to do is accept this glorious offer by faith.

©2008