Crying Our Anger Into Sorrow, and Our Sorrow Into Love

The Rev. Brad Sullivan
Lord of the Streets
October 15, 2023
Proper 23, Year A
Philippians 4:1-9
Psalm 23
Matthew 22:1-14

Crying Our Anger Into Sorrow, and Our Sorrow Into Love

“How did you get in here without a wedding garment?” The king asks. Jesus told a story about a king who invited people to a wedding banquet for his son. The invitees didn’t show up, so God sent servants into the streets, and they invited any random people they could find. Then, with the wedding feast going great, the king sees someone without a wedding garment and kicks that person out for not wearing a wedding garment.

Like last Sunday, we have Jesus giving a parable of the kingdom of God, and like last week, we may be tempted to assume an easy interpretation of Jesus’ parable with an in-group, an out-group, and ourselves, of course, being with the in-group. Such cut and dried, easy interpretations certainly make our brains happy, and placing ourselves on the side of the in-group makes our brains even happier. Jesus didn’t tell this parable, however, just to make certain people’s brains happy.

Jesus’ parable speaks to the complexities and challenges we face in this life in which the good guys and bad guys, the in-groups and out-groups, aren’t quite as easy to determine as we’d like. Also, if we take Jesus’ parable seriously, we need to take seriously the reality that we’re often in and between both groups.

The nation of Israel is about to begin a ground invasion into Palestine because a week ago, Hamas slaughtered over 1300 Israelis. Hamas’ actions were those of a terrorist group, not a legitimate government. What Hamas did was unconscionable, so it seems pretty easy to determine who the in-group and the out-group is in God’s kingdom, right?

Then we look at how Israel has continually pushed Palestinians off of their land since the formation of Israel. We look at the people Israel has killed, the oppression of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. From that perspective, it seems pretty easy to determine who the in-group and the out-group is in God’s kingdom, right?

Nope. As much as our brains would like the simplicity of it, we can’t just easily say, “You guys are the ones who refused to go to the wedding banquet, and you guys are the ones who God went out and sought who did come to the banquet.” We find instead, that both groups are often the one at the wedding feast who refused to wear a wedding garment.

See, the person without the wedding garment was again no easy solution for determining an in-group and an out-group. The wedding garment represented living life according to God’s will and God’s ways. The person in Jesus’ parable who was kicked out for not wearing a wedding garment was one who wanted all the joys and pleasures of life in God’s kingdom but who refused to live according to God’s will and God’s ways. They really wanted the feast and the great food, but they didn’t want to care all that much about others. They didn’t want to trust in God. They didn’t want to change their ways of life when they heard God calling them to, and so they created their own misery and suffering or continued their own misery and suffering.

The person who refused the wedding garment shows us that what we do in this life matters. Regardless of our faith, the way we treat one another matters. If we’re going to take Jesus’ parable seriously, we don’t just get to place ourselves among the in-group. We have to admit that we are the ones who refused the king’s invitation and didn’t come to the banquet. If we’re going to take Jesus’ parable seriously, we also have to acknowledge that we are the second group of people whom the king then invited who did come to the wedding banquet. If we’re going to take Jesus’ parable seriously, we also have to admit that we’re often the ones who come into the banquet without a wedding garment.

No amount of being in God’s in-group can change that. No amount of being part of team Jesus or team anything else can change the fact that how we treat one another matters.

We’re all messed up sinners in need of grace. We’re also all beloved and wonderful people made as blessed by God in order to be blessings to others. So, how do we bless others in the face of the horrors of terrorism and war like we see in Israel and Palestine?

Well, a way not to bless others is to simply choose a side and feel righteous. We can stir up strife against the other, hoping our team will win. We can add discord and division to the lives of people around us because of a conflict happening on the other side of the world, but that’s not wedding garment kind of life. It’s easy, and it may feel good, but it’s not being a blessing to anyone. Besides, we can each do nothing to change the outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Responding with division and strive, will only add more harm to the world, while helping the side we like not at all.

The best we can do is to respond with love, prayer, compassion, and kindness. We can respond with sorrow. We can respond with anger, when that anger is tempered by tears into love.

Many are going to see the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, pick a side out of their anger, and decide they don’t like Jews, or they don’t like Muslims. Muslims in our country are already fearful for the attacks they are going to receive, and Jews in this country are fearful for the attacks they are going to receive by people upset about a conflict on the other side of the world. That’s responding with anger, not love. Love doesn’t make an easy determination of an in-group and an out-group. Love sees the horrors around us, sheds bitter tears for the tragedy of human hatred and contempt, and then love chooses to love people.

That’s the best response we can have. That’s wedding garment response. Paul knew this when he wrote to the church in Philippi. Knowing there is strife and horror always around us, Paul encouraged the people with these words.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in [Jesus], and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)