Exodus 32:1-14, Psalm 106:1-6,19-23, Philippians 4:1-9, Matthew 22:1-14
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our salvation.
Introduction: Cows
I love cows.[1] I do. I have worked with all kinds of animals and most recently with sheep, pigs and cows. Sheep – when they are not hiding in bushes – are good eggs and have more personality than one would think. Pigs are so smart, they love a good cuddle, but they are not empathetic. Cows are fun. They have big personalities and can be playful or curious or very caring. But I would not want to worship them.
Israel and the Golden Calf
In our Old Testament reading, the impatient Israelites probably did not believe they were going to be worshipping a cow when they asked for the statue of the golden calf. However, they seemed desperate to have a visible, tangible god or a tangible medium to a god, to gods or even to God. Having that statue was important enough to them to sacrifice their golden jewelry.
That makes an impression on me – and not because I wear a lot of jewellery. In the not so distant past, and sometimes even to this day, sailors would wear a golden earring, not out of vanity, but to pay for their funeral. Near Amsterdam, there are several fishing villages, and I had a friend who came from one of them. His golden earrings – he wore two, even though he was not a sailor – were so important to him. They represented security, the knowledge his family would not be burdened with (all) the costs of his funeral when he died.
I always imagine that the golden jewellery the Israelites had brought when they fled out of Egypt was like that. A provision for the future. And yet they were willing to give up this provision for this calf to be made. They were trading in security for the future to have a more secure line to God now.
We can speculate what brought this on, and the reading does give us an idea. The first sentence of chapter 32 begins with, “When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain”. On top of that mountain, the Lord was present in a cloud that looked like devouring fire.[2] Scary stuff. And Moses had been gone for 40 days and 40 nights.[3]
So naturally people were getting restless and anxious and maybe thinking Moses was not coming back. Perhaps Moses had done something wrong. After all, they had seen their God kill Egyptians, their armies and their firstborn, so it was not unimaginable at all that Moses would have met his end.
If Moses was dead, then what? The man who had led them out of Egypt and had been their leader may be dead, and now they were stuck in the wilderness. Not only had Moses been their guide, but he was also their access to knowing the will of God. If Moses had died, there may be no further way of access to the Lord and no method of securing God’s grace.
Seeing that Moses had just gone off and left, and the Israelites needed a guide and way of communication with God, opting for a physical object rather than a living human probably seemed like a good idea at the time.
Another theory is that the people of Israel had given up on the Lord God and now preferred other gods. Baal was often depicted in some bovine way. Maybe the Israelites decided to opt for him instead of the Lord, as a safer option for their worship. That required priests and sacrifices, but Baal was perhaps more predictable.
There is a trust issue here, with the people of Israel thinking they needed intermediaries and earthly guidance to know the will of God and to have His blessing. This insecurity and lack of trust led to the creation of a golden calf.
Gospel
Our Gospel reading in a way has a lack of trust too. A king invites selected people to the celebration of his son’s wedding, but they do not come. They are too busy. Not only do they not come, but they also mock, ignore and kill the messengers. It is more than rude, to say the least. Why would you decline such a gracious invitation for such a joyous occasion from a king and be nasty about it too?
The king responds with instant and total destruction. Then the king invites anyone and everyone to join him. These people do turn up and are welcome. One of them, however, is not properly dressed and is therefore thrown out.
Turning up is enough to be included and welcome. But you do need to come prepared. This does not make for easy reading, and I had questions such as these:
- Where are we in this parable? Are we the called, and have we accepted the invitation? Or are we too busy?
- Are we the outsiders, who get to be guests anyway? Are we properly dressed?
- Are we the servants, who are told to find guests, but then are also told to throw a poorly attired guest out?
- As for the chilling last sentence of the reading: we may think we are among the many who are called… but have we been chosen? And do I want to be chosen by a vengeful king, who utterly destroys enemies and throws out people who are not properly attired?
Context
Well, when readings are tough, context may be helpful. Where was Jesus when he was telling this parable? Jesus has entered into Jerusalem and is encountering the chief priests and pharisees and is telling them various parables. I think Jesus is probably “not in a great place”; he has cursed the fig tree for not blooming even though it was not the tree’s season to bloom, and it is just days before his crucifixion. His own do not realise who he is, and those who have studied scripture openly oppose him. I think Jesus was torn between feeling urgency and despair.
Application
It is not a stretch to think that in the parable, the special people who were initially invited by the king were meant to represent the religious leaders – who even killed the servants sent to them by the king… just as Jesus too was sent and would be executed through the actions of the religious leaders of his time.
The king then invites everyone. So much grace, hospitality and welcome! It is special when royalty invites you – especially when you know you do not actually belong at the party. But we are all invited. Are we responding to God’s generous invitations, or do we too think we are too busy? Whom are we ignoring? What are we not doing? And are we properly attired?
Not dressing up for a momentous occasion or even just any wedding is simply weird. Again, though, there may be more going on than when we take the text literally. Scripture often uses garments to symbolize righteousness. Isaiah 61:10 describes being clothed “with garments of salvation” and “a robe of righteousness.” Revelation 19:8 links fine linen, bright and clean, to “the righteous acts of God’s holy people.” The wedding garment in the parable of the wedding banquet may reflect this symbolism and mean righteous acts.
When we respond to God’s invitation, we must put on righteousness. This requires more than being chosen, more than just showing up, it demands a willingness to let God transform us from the inside out and for us to act accordingly. We are not righteous naturally – righteous acts are hard work, and sometimes we may even need the Holy Spirit to show us the way.
God’s grace is free, but it is not cheap and easy. When we respond to God’s invitation, it’s not enough to say “yes” and go on living as we please. True acceptance of God’s invitation requires repentance, faith, and a commitment to live according to God’s ways. And that means that we act in ways that may feel or even be countercultural.
People may think we are a little odd, when we trust the Lord and make decisions that are based on faith and not inspired by worldly wisdom. We are called to welcome the stranger. Feed the hungry. Be on the side of the oppressed. Be humble. Be joyful.
Last week’s reading included Micah’s call[4]: Act justly. Love mercy – meaning we forgive, like Jackie preached, even when it hurts. Walking humbly means we do all this without boasting, always aware that we can only do all these things because we are blessed by being invited, blessed by being beloved children of a merciful God, who became one of us to save us.
God’s invitation to each of us is just that, an invitation. We are not forced into believing, having faith, coming to Church or acting holy. But we are welcome. Responding by acting with love is evidence and a logical result of having accepted God’s gracious invitation, and from then on we are called to walk in the footsteps of Christ and become part of His kingdom.
Philippians and Conclusion
Paul in his letter to the Philippians refers to this kingdom when he tells us what his wish is for believers: Rejoice! And I say again, Rejoice![5] Being gentle; not being anxious; bringing our worries, our thanks and our praise to God in prayer; thinking about good and noble things – if we do these things, then peace will be our part. Peace follows on from acting by faith with righteousness.
When we go up to communion, we may do so knowing we have been invited by God. We can go up with joy and thanksgiving, assured of being loved by God. We are invited to share in God’s mercy and love, and then we are sent out to act with righteousness. So, at the end of our time together today, let’s go out with joy to love and serve the Lord, so His kingdom where all are welcome at the table may come a little closer today.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[1] How do you count cows? With a cowculator!
[2] Exodus 24 :16-17
[3] Exodus 24:18
[4] Micah 6:8
[5] Philippians 4:4