What a strange mix of readings we have this morning! From Paul’s letter we hear of a God of peace, from Isaiah we hear praises of a God who has made the fortified city a ruin, yet spreads a table of rich abundance, and then here in the Gospel of Matthew we have another parable that ends with weeping and gnashing of teeth! It’s no wonder people get confused about God when we’ve got images like this all over Scripture!
Not that I’ve got it all figured out, either. I may have a degree that’s called a “Master of Divinity,” but I do believe that sort of title is more of an oxymoron. If we could master Divinity, fully understand the Divine, we’d be gods ourselves, and I shudder to think of what would happen if our world had the kinds of gods we’ve seen people try to be throughout history.
So taking a look at the Gospel reading, which is always a good place to start: The kingdom of heaven has been compared to a king. A human king. The best illustrations we have are from our own experience. So in our experience, this king behaves just as any human king would. When he throws a party and the invited guests snub him, he goes all slash-and-burn on them and gathers in as many people from the leftovers as possible to make sure all of that great feast doesn't go to waste. Of course, those who enter his party have to play by his rules, have to wear his brand, and when that one guy shows up at the party - and there’s always one at every party - who just doesn’t agree to the terms… Matthew’s Gospel often uses the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” To the point that after awhile it’s almost comical. I listened to the Gospel of Matthew on my drive to the 8-mile run yesterday, and by the last time they used that phrase, the voice actor just took this big pause “where there will be weeping and … gnashing of teeth.” Like he was tired of saying it over and over again.
And I think we’re tired of hearing it over and over again. Tired of the threats of fire and brimstone, threats of punishment, threats of human kings who go on senseless rampages when their feelings get hurt. The kingdom of God has been compared to a king like this for so long, we’ve forgotten what the king of the cross looks like.
So far in Matthew, this series of parables has over and over again made the religious leaders look bad, and the son of the vineyard owner, last week, was killed by the tenants. Today, then, it looks like the one guest who gets thrown out where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth might also be the son. It would fit with the pattern so far. Otherwise we have a story that will leave all of us terribly paranoid that we’ve somehow ended up ourselves as that one unlucky dog who just didn’t get the memo about a black-tie affair when all we own is denim.
The king of the cross, however, is a king who intentionally goes where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, who travels with us through the valley of the shadow of death, who remains silent before those accusers who put him to death, and knows what it is to feel abandoned. The kingdom of heaven has been compared to an earthly, human, king with a touchy temper, and the way we have seen the church behave throughout history, it’s no wonder. But no more. Now the smaller victories, the quieter reconciliations and healings, the sacrifices made day to day out of love for the neighbor, these are the images we try now to use in sharing what God is like.
Images like shepherds. Quiet, outdoorsy care-givers, willing to fight off the coyote or bear to save the sheep, able to tend and shear as needed so the sheep may safely roam. As Isaiah gives us the image: [God] will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all people, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that say, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
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