On this day, I was the guest preacher at Trinity Episcopal Church in Reno, Nevada.
Matthew 22:1-14 (Click on the scripture to read it)
Jesus told stories to help us ask questions and to help us understand what he wanted us to learn. Today, I’m going to begin with a story.
One day a police officer is called to assist in directing traffic around a stalled car. The information the dispatcher had given the officer did not include a description of the stalled car…..only the location of the intersection. As the Officer approached the four lane intersection the traffic light was RED and there were 3 cars in front of him. The light turned green and cars in his lane did not move so he knew he was in the right spot. The cars in the line in front of him slowly pealed off one by one into the free lane.
The car directly behind the stalled vehicle was a fairly new, mid-range model, nothing flashy, just your everyday run of the mill car. The driver in that car was obviously very disturbed about the car in front of him not moving. The officer witnessed this man flashing his lights, honking his horn, and yelling at the lady whose car had stalled…. The upset driver realizes the officer is behind him so he pulls around the stalled car, gives one more shake of the fist and he slips through the yellow light just in time.
Now…
Police officers are trained to look beyond normalcy. They are trained to look at things from a different perspective so they can detect things that are out of place…things that just don’t fit into a given situation. This officer was at the top of his class in surveillance so there was not much that got past him.
The officer flips on his lights and siren… follows the irate jerky driver through the intersection and does a full blown felony traffic stop. You may have witnessed such a stop on a reality cop show… or maybe even on “Reno 911”.
There were multiple officers called in, guns drawn, and stern commands being barked out over a loud speaker. It is needless to say, but this was a grand spectacle of superb police work.
While the man is handcuffed and searched he repeatedly professes his innocence and mumbles something about the traffic light being yellow….and he asks why he was being arrested?
The officer compares the drivers ID with the auto registration form in the glove box then walks back, un-cuffs the man and says, “You’re free to go”. The man threatens to sue the officer for false arrest and the officer says, “I apologize for the mistake, but after seeing the way you treated the lady whose car had stalled and after seeing your “Jesus Loves You” bumper sticker, I just knew the car had to be stolen.
Believe it or not, this story actually does have something to do with today’s Gospel reading.
When we first hear today’s Gospel story, we may find ourselves confused and maybe even a little angry about what we think we hear. I know I do.
Throughout the gospels Jesus teaches and lives a life of love, compassion and mercy…his teachings are just…his teachings are fair….
The ending of today’s Gospel story does not seem just or fair… it leaves a bad feeling in our guts and in our hearts…what is going on here?
In the Gospel the king sends his slaves out into the main streets to invite everyone they can find to the wedding banquet.' 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.
This part fits our understanding of the kingdom of God, but not what follows….
The scripture reads, "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. 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.' For many are called, but few are chosen."
How is it that the king openly invites everyone out on the streets to come to a party and then gets mad and punishes one of them for not being dressed properly?
What we are not told is that it would have been the custom of the time to provide guests with the proper attire for a wedding banquet. Each person would have been given a wedding robe before they entered the party. The man who was not properly dressed, chose not to put on the proper robe, which in turn brought dishonor to the King. When a king was dishonored there had to be some weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This relates to us in relation to our baptisms. It was a custom in the early church to be given a special robe after being baptized. The newly baptized were being clothed in righteousness and then were expected to live in relationship with Christ. As we prepare for baptism we are invited to the feast… in our baptism we put on a robe of Grace… and as we live in Grace we live in Christ, celebrating a life of gratitude and feasting at the banquet.
We are not to be hypocrites. We are not to profess to be a Christian and then act as if we are not.
We are not to wear big crosses and have Jesus bumper stickers on our cars if we are not going to live in this world as Christ did.
For me the best part of my baptismal covenant is that is says, I will do these things with God’s help. It does not expect perfection, but it does expect hard work and an active relationship with Christ.
With that said...
If being a Christian was a crime, would there be probable cause to arrest you?
If being a Christian was a crime, would there be enough witnesses and evidence to convict you?
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