Today in the Spirit: Proper 23A
The Gospel of Matthew sets up the narrative of our Lord’s final week in Jerusalem before the Last Supper as a one-two strike: first, a prolonged, direct attack on the hypocrisy of the religious leaders in Jerusalem (21:23–23:36); then, a set of urgent exhortations directed to his disciples for perseverance in the faith and to make a good end in heaven (24:1–25:46).
For Proper 23A, the church assigns Matthew 23:1-14 as the Gospel reading, the third in the series of parables Jesus delivers to the religious leaders, after which they will be compelled to kill Jesus immediately. In Matthew’s version (compared with Lk. 14:16-24), the parable of the wedding feast highlights the contrast between the generosity of the king, who has carefully prepared his wedding feast, and the forcefulness with which the first set of privileged guests reject him. The king orders the destruction of the most violent offenders and orders the invitation of all others that can be found. Matthew’s version includes an encounter between the king and a guest who has managed to crash the party “without a wedding garment” (11), and his end is no better than those who refused to come in the first place. “For many are called but few are chosen” (14) is the lesson of the whole story.
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In our worship, the assigned Old Testament reading from Isaiah 25:1-9 will prepare us to hear the parable with a prophetic vision of YHWH making for all peoples a feast of rich food and wine on Mount Zion: “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined” (6).
The church assigns Psalm 23 here for the third time in Year A (Lent 4A and Easter 4A earlier), this time with our meditation tuned to the final verses beginning with, “You shall prepare a table before me, in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full” (5).
The assigned New Testament reading from Philippians 4:4-13 (a portion of which is also appointed at Advent 3C) is the last in the Year A series from Philippians. In his final exhortations in the letter, Paul appears to encourage everyone to move past a serious conflict between two women in the church, Eudia and Syntyche, which has affected the whole body. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand” (4-5).
Thomas Cranmer translated the assigned collect from medieval Latin liturgical texts for use in his BCP 1549. Using language inspired by Psalm 46, the prayer pleads with God, “our refuge and strength,” to supply “effectually” (in exact form) what we pray for by faith.
The Collect
O God, our refuge and strength, true source of all godliness: Graciously hear the devout prayers of your Church, and grant that those things which we ask faithfully, we may obtain effectually; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
You Have Been…You Will Make (Isaiah 25:1-9)
1 O Lord, you are my God;
Isaiah 25:1-9
I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
2 For you have made the city a heap,
the fortified city a ruin;
the foreigners’ palace is a city no more;
it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor,
a stronghold to the needy in his distress,
a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat;
for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
5 like heat in a dry place.
You subdue the noise of the foreigners;
as heat by the shade of a cloud,
so the song of the ruthless is put down.
6On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
7And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
At the end of chapter 24, the prophet receives a glorious vision of the eternal reign of YHWH on Mount Zion, which appears to have inspired Isaiah to compose the song of praise in chapter 25 we have assigned in our worship. One important observation in this song is the exceeding confidence for the future based on the experience of God’s deliverance in the present: So, “For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress” (2) produces the inspiration for the expansive promise, echoed in Revelation, “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken (8).
Devotionally, as Christians we can look at the coming of Jesus and the cross as the beginning point of a fulfillment of the vision of the feast. Friends, while the height of our height of our revelry is yet to come, we are intended, like Isaiah in this passage, to allow the deliverance of Jesus’ death and resurrection to work in us a hunger for more, much more, from our God. You have revealed the Son, and we will reign with him forever.
Here in a letter from C.S. Lewis about the right attitude for celebrating Easter, we grasp the concept:
Away with tears and fears and troubles! United in wedlock with the eternal Godhead Itself, our nature ascends into the Heaven of Heavens, so it would be impious to call ourselves “miserable.” On the contrary, man is a creature whom angels—were they capable of envy—would envy. Let us lift up our hearts!
C.S. Lewis
Today, Holy Spirit, work in my heart what we see evident in the prophet Isaiah here and many saints in Scripture. Grateful to you for what you have done, in union with the Father and the Son, give me a taste for the banquet to come.
Surely Goodness and Mercy Shall Follow Me All the Days of My Life (Psalm 23)
1 The LORD is my shepherd; *
Psalm 23, New Coverdale Psalter (BCP 2019)
therefore I can lack nothing.
2 He shall feed me in green pastures *
and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.
3 He shall refresh my soul *
and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness for his Name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, *
for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me.
5 You shall prepare a table before me, in the presence of those who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full.
6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
It is the promise of “a table” and anointing with “oil” and a “cup” overflowing (5) that connects Psalm 23 with our Gospel reading this week. These extraordinary images can be distinguished from earlier ones in that they represent “David’s” final destination on his journey: The “green pastures” and “waters of comfort” (2) are no less compelling to us in worship, but they are, as it were, rest stops along the pilgrim’s highway to the glorious temple of God.
Devotionally, it is important for us in today’s worship to arrive at the great feast to which our Lord has invited us, enjoy every morsel and sip on the board, and then look back to the way we have come to get there. Often I just want to get to my destination without stopping to appreciate the gifts God has placed on the “paths of righteousness” (3) for me to get there. Even the pain I feel from the Shepherd’s “staff” used to keep me on the right road or the fright I feel of his “rod” being used to fend off my enemies I must look back and appreciate in praise. Paul’s exhortation in the epistle reading comes to mind here: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Phil, 4:6). Here is the reflection of a saint who has learned to sit under the expectation of joy ahead and appreciate better the blessings of the rest stops along the way.
Holy Spirit, I wait with longing for my arrival at the heavenly banquet. But today, with your help, I will enjoy the grace you have provided for me as I travel. Thank you for the fellowship of family and friends and the saints of the church. Thank you for the good work you have given me to do to collaborate in your cause. Thank you for your word which keeps the path in view, and for the Holy Communion providing both sustenance on the journey and a foretaste of the feast at arrival.
Guard Your Hearts and Your Minds (Philippians 4:4-13)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:4-13
I find two references to the phrase “guard your heart(s)” in Scripture. The only other besides Paul’s here is in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” The Scriptures are a mixed bag of texts as to whether or not it is God or us responsible for keeping watch over our heart, the Hebraic way of labeling that internal seat of thought and emotion and will in all human beings. See on one hand Psalm 141:3-4, a prayer that God would do the guarding for us; and on the other Luke 12:1,15, where we are responsible for vigilance.
There is no real contradiction in the biblical messaging. We don’t have to choose between one side of the coin or the other–both God and we are involved. In fact, the paradox is better illustrated not by a static coin but a coin flip in the air: The head and the tail still exist but in motion become invisible in a beautiful rotating stream. You can’t explain it, nor can you take your eyes off it.
Today, Holy Spirit, inspired by the apostle’s writing, guard our hearts in the church, and make us fit to keep our own watch too, through rejoicing in Christ Jesus and receiving the peace of God which passes understanding.
The King Came to Look at the Guests (Matthew 22:1-14)
[Jesus to the religious leaders in Jerusalem]: 1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 22:1-14
In response to the parables of Jesus there are many places where the audience is meant to say, for instance, “A Samaritan would never act like this” or “a father would never do that.” And these are the places where we need to pay the most attention. “What king,” we might insist at the end of the parable of the feast, “would ever be searching among the guests to see who is wearing “a wedding garment” (12) or not?” No earthly king, perhaps–but Jesus, the master story-teller, would put before us such a striking image of final judgment. The king himself is front and center. The “I myself” language in Ezekiel 34 helps us see the hands-on activity of the LORD God in both his saving work and final judgment: For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out (11); and later, Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep (20).
Devotionally, we can take heart from knowing that both the invitation to enter God’s kingdom and the condemnation leading to exclusion from it is in the best possible hands. Whether you believe the wedding garment in the parable is meant to be the king’s own gift (as in Christ’s righteousness) or every invitee’s own clothes (as in personal faith in Christ), the expectation that everyone should have the garment is equally reasonable. And in either case, the king’s judgment against the man for not having the correct garment is fairly meted out. It is for us to make sure our ticket to remain at the feast is in hand; and, once that is secured, to do everything possible to make sure others know that they too must be prepared for our God and King at judgment.
Today, in the Spirit, thankful for our own faith in Christ we carry with us always, Lord Jesus, show me where I might encourage others to put their faith in Christ alone and go to the banquet, while there is still time to reply to the invitation.
Today in the Spirit
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