PROPER 23
Worship
Scripture Notes
For use with Common, Lutheran and Roman Catholic Lectionaries
The message conveyed in the Matthew 22:1-14 parable is basically that "When God invites, if you are wise you will put on the appropriate garment and come!" All of the other texts selected for use on this occasion can be related to Matthew 22:1-14 through that theme statement. The theme statement also provides ample resources for the proclamation of the good news and of judgment and for parenesis.
Common, Roman Catholic: Matthew 22:1-14
Lutheran: Matthew 22:1-10 (11-14)
Comparison with the parallel text in Luke 14:16-24 indicates that the Lukan text may more closely resemble the parable as Jesus told it than the Matthew 22:1-14 account resembles it. The Matthew 22:1-14 account, therefore, probably tells us more about the beliefs and teachings of followers of Jesus in "mainline" Christian communities of faith than Luke 14:16-24 does. Both kinds of information are highly important and helpful to us today.
We have every reason to think that the Jesus of history talked much about God and about how important it was to let God rather than Caesar rule the lives of the Israelite people of Palestine at that time. The evidence seems conclusive that Jesus used parables and specifically parables about God and God's "kingdom" in which God's rule and God's kingdom were sharply contrasted with Caesar's rule and Caesar's kingdom. The success of Caesar and of Caesar's kingdom was obvious. Caesar ruled over most of the inhabited world known to the Israelites of Palestine of that time. If an Israelite in Palestine during the first half of the first century wanted to be prosperous and "successful" in matters such as purchasing a field or oxen to plow larger fields, or marrying a wife and expecting to be able to provide for a family, such an Israelite would be "wise" to cooperate with the Romans who ruled the land and even to support them openly. This would involve also being faithful to Caesar and honoring Caesar publicly. Israelites who responded in that way to the political situation at that time were undoubtedly rewarded financially in various ways. They were given a favored status by the tax collectors and were the only Israelites in that setting who had any possibility of becoming rich. Some of them probably thought that they could honor Caesar in the necessary ways and still be considered to be religious Israelites if they also honored Yahweh. The parable of Jesus that lies behind Luke 14:16-24 and Matthew 22:1-14 was probably directed against such Israelites.
The Jesus of history urged his fellow Israelites to believe that Yahweh would soon intervene to end the power of the rulers of this "evil age." When Yahweh would call to invite the Israelites of Palestine to the great banquet that would celebrate their freedom from Roman oppression, those who were wise would put on the appropriate garment of faithfulness to Yahweh that they always wore and come promptly to Yahweh's great banquet. Jesus felt called by God to give hope to his fellow oppressed Israelites and to help them to get ready for Yahweh's great banquet. This Jesus did. He did this so successfully that the Roman oppressors and those Israelites who cooperated with the oppressive Romans became worried that their political position would be jeopardized. When they had the opportunity at the conclusion of a Passover festival in Jerusalem to act against Jesus, the most important leader of the oppressed Israelites of that time, they seized their opportunity. They took Jesus into their custody, tortured him nearly to the point of death privately and then crucified him publicly. They had done that before to any leader who would emerge among the oppressed Israelites of the land and they would do it again as often as they considered it to be necessary. It certainly succeeded in keeping the oppressed people of the land
under control.
In this political situation the Jesus of history apparently used many parables of the Kingdom of God in order to give hope to his oppressed fellow Israelites. Followers of Jesus later in the first century repeated many of these parables of Jesus as they and their spiritual children remembered them and they apparently modified them to some extent to make them applicable to their changing political situation. The Matthew 22:1-14 text that was eventually canonized and transmitted to us contains evidence of some of these changes. Many of these changes involved further allegorization of the parable of Jesus and the inclusion into the parable of some anti-Jewish polemic. Matthew 22:7 is the most striking example of this in this text. Ironically, the giver of the great banquet (Yahweh in Jesus' original parable) became in this verse Titus, the Roman military commander-in-chief in the campaign to suppress the Jewish revolt of 66-70 C.E. who in 79 CE. became the Roman "king" (Caesar).
The harsh treatment of the man who had no wedding garment (Matthew 22:11-14) may also be an embellishment of Jesus' parable in the Matthean church. It may be evidence of the measures taken within the Matthean church to insure the purity and religious orthodoxy of that community of faith. It has some of the characteristics of cult mentality and praxis. These four verses are also used by some well-meaning church people today in their attempts to force young people to wear "more appropriate" clothing than some young people often wear when they "come to church." We should probably read only verses 1-10 as the Gospel text next Sunday.
Lutheran: Isaiah 25:6-9
Roman Catholic: Isaiah 25:6-10
When a prominent person invites you to a banquet, a feast such as you have never had, an opportunity that you probably will never have again, and the prominent person who has invited you is a good, compassionate person, is it not likely that you will go to the feast? In this Isaiah 25 text, there is no suggestion that anyone would even consider not attending this banquet, especially when participation involves the end of death and no more tears or reproach. The parable of Jesus included in the Matthew 22 text, therefore, is different in important ways from this Isaiah 25 account. The accounts are similar, however, in that in both instances if you are wise you will put on the appropriate garment and come to the feast.
Common:
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
This final chapter of the book of Deuteronomy and of the Torah (Pentateuch) is basically a Deuteronomic redaction of the Numbers 27:12-23 text considered last Sunday. It has the Deuteronomic interest in prophecy and in Moses as a prophet. Moses answers the invitation of the Lord. Moses went up with the Lord to the high mountain, was shown the promised land, "feasted" his eyes on it, and then died as an old man in peace, not senile and decimated, but still alert and vigorous. There the Lord buried him. That is certainly as much as anyone could ask, particularly at a time when the hope for individual resurrection had not yet been developed.
Common:
Psalm 135:1-14
This psalm invites the servants of the Lord to praise the Lord for all creation, for divine providence, and for redemption from Egyptian bondage and the gift of the land of Canaan as a heritage for Israel. It is assumed in this psalm that the Israelites would be foolish indeed if they were not to respond affirmatively to this invitation and come to praise the Lord. With the necessary modifications of the psalm to make it apply to our situation as Christians, we too can say that it would be foolish if we were not to respond affirmatively to this invitation and come to praise the Lord.
Lutheran, Roman Catholic: Psalm 23
When the Lord, the Good Shepherd, invites the sheep and offers them green pastures, still waters, and protection from all harm and danger, would they not be foolish if they were not to come to follow the Lord? Most sheep under those circumstances will stay with the shepherd and with the flock, enjoying the security that the shepherd and the flock provide.
Common:
Philippians 4:1-9
Lutheran: Philippians 4:4-13
Roman Catholic: Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20
In the Common Lectionary selection, the emphasis is on the invitation to Euodia and Syntyche to settle their differences, to work together in the service of the Lord, and to join with the other followers of Jesus in the house-churches of Philippi in confident trust in the imminent coming of the Lord that shall mark the end of their fear and oppression by the advocates of Roman Civil Religion.
The Lutheran selections emphasize the closeness between Paul and the followers of Jesus in Philippi. They share a common threat to their continued existence. Paul has already been arrested and is awaiting trial on charges that he is proclaiming Christ Jesus raised from the dead rather than Caesar as "Lord and Savior," which is indeed what Paul has been doing. The enthusiasts for the imperial cult are simply deciding whether detention of Paul, perhaps for an extended period of time, will be sufficient to silence Paul or whether they should silence him permanently. The followers of Jesus in Philippi are under this same threat, or at least the most prominent and vocal among them are. In this situation, Paul encourages them by letter to remain true to the Lord Jesus and to do that which is honorable, even to the point of death by martyrdom if necessary. The Lord invites them to remain faithful. They will be at peace with God if they come.
In the Roman Catholic selection more emphasis is placed on Paul's own response to the invitation of the Lord. Paul uses his own example as evidence that God will supply also every need of the Philippians if they, like Paul, remain faithful to the Lord Jesus rather than submit to the demands of the advocates of the imperial cult.
Common, Roman Catholic: Matthew 22:1-14
Lutheran: Matthew 22:1-10 (11-14)
Comparison with the parallel text in Luke 14:16-24 indicates that the Lukan text may more closely resemble the parable as Jesus told it than the Matthew 22:1-14 account resembles it. The Matthew 22:1-14 account, therefore, probably tells us more about the beliefs and teachings of followers of Jesus in "mainline" Christian communities of faith than Luke 14:16-24 does. Both kinds of information are highly important and helpful to us today.
We have every reason to think that the Jesus of history talked much about God and about how important it was to let God rather than Caesar rule the lives of the Israelite people of Palestine at that time. The evidence seems conclusive that Jesus used parables and specifically parables about God and God's "kingdom" in which God's rule and God's kingdom were sharply contrasted with Caesar's rule and Caesar's kingdom. The success of Caesar and of Caesar's kingdom was obvious. Caesar ruled over most of the inhabited world known to the Israelites of Palestine of that time. If an Israelite in Palestine during the first half of the first century wanted to be prosperous and "successful" in matters such as purchasing a field or oxen to plow larger fields, or marrying a wife and expecting to be able to provide for a family, such an Israelite would be "wise" to cooperate with the Romans who ruled the land and even to support them openly. This would involve also being faithful to Caesar and honoring Caesar publicly. Israelites who responded in that way to the political situation at that time were undoubtedly rewarded financially in various ways. They were given a favored status by the tax collectors and were the only Israelites in that setting who had any possibility of becoming rich. Some of them probably thought that they could honor Caesar in the necessary ways and still be considered to be religious Israelites if they also honored Yahweh. The parable of Jesus that lies behind Luke 14:16-24 and Matthew 22:1-14 was probably directed against such Israelites.
The Jesus of history urged his fellow Israelites to believe that Yahweh would soon intervene to end the power of the rulers of this "evil age." When Yahweh would call to invite the Israelites of Palestine to the great banquet that would celebrate their freedom from Roman oppression, those who were wise would put on the appropriate garment of faithfulness to Yahweh that they always wore and come promptly to Yahweh's great banquet. Jesus felt called by God to give hope to his fellow oppressed Israelites and to help them to get ready for Yahweh's great banquet. This Jesus did. He did this so successfully that the Roman oppressors and those Israelites who cooperated with the oppressive Romans became worried that their political position would be jeopardized. When they had the opportunity at the conclusion of a Passover festival in Jerusalem to act against Jesus, the most important leader of the oppressed Israelites of that time, they seized their opportunity. They took Jesus into their custody, tortured him nearly to the point of death privately and then crucified him publicly. They had done that before to any leader who would emerge among the oppressed Israelites of the land and they would do it again as often as they considered it to be necessary. It certainly succeeded in keeping the oppressed people of the land
under control.
In this political situation the Jesus of history apparently used many parables of the Kingdom of God in order to give hope to his oppressed fellow Israelites. Followers of Jesus later in the first century repeated many of these parables of Jesus as they and their spiritual children remembered them and they apparently modified them to some extent to make them applicable to their changing political situation. The Matthew 22:1-14 text that was eventually canonized and transmitted to us contains evidence of some of these changes. Many of these changes involved further allegorization of the parable of Jesus and the inclusion into the parable of some anti-Jewish polemic. Matthew 22:7 is the most striking example of this in this text. Ironically, the giver of the great banquet (Yahweh in Jesus' original parable) became in this verse Titus, the Roman military commander-in-chief in the campaign to suppress the Jewish revolt of 66-70 C.E. who in 79 CE. became the Roman "king" (Caesar).
The harsh treatment of the man who had no wedding garment (Matthew 22:11-14) may also be an embellishment of Jesus' parable in the Matthean church. It may be evidence of the measures taken within the Matthean church to insure the purity and religious orthodoxy of that community of faith. It has some of the characteristics of cult mentality and praxis. These four verses are also used by some well-meaning church people today in their attempts to force young people to wear "more appropriate" clothing than some young people often wear when they "come to church." We should probably read only verses 1-10 as the Gospel text next Sunday.
Lutheran: Isaiah 25:6-9
Roman Catholic: Isaiah 25:6-10
When a prominent person invites you to a banquet, a feast such as you have never had, an opportunity that you probably will never have again, and the prominent person who has invited you is a good, compassionate person, is it not likely that you will go to the feast? In this Isaiah 25 text, there is no suggestion that anyone would even consider not attending this banquet, especially when participation involves the end of death and no more tears or reproach. The parable of Jesus included in the Matthew 22 text, therefore, is different in important ways from this Isaiah 25 account. The accounts are similar, however, in that in both instances if you are wise you will put on the appropriate garment and come to the feast.
Common:
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
This final chapter of the book of Deuteronomy and of the Torah (Pentateuch) is basically a Deuteronomic redaction of the Numbers 27:12-23 text considered last Sunday. It has the Deuteronomic interest in prophecy and in Moses as a prophet. Moses answers the invitation of the Lord. Moses went up with the Lord to the high mountain, was shown the promised land, "feasted" his eyes on it, and then died as an old man in peace, not senile and decimated, but still alert and vigorous. There the Lord buried him. That is certainly as much as anyone could ask, particularly at a time when the hope for individual resurrection had not yet been developed.
Common:
Psalm 135:1-14
This psalm invites the servants of the Lord to praise the Lord for all creation, for divine providence, and for redemption from Egyptian bondage and the gift of the land of Canaan as a heritage for Israel. It is assumed in this psalm that the Israelites would be foolish indeed if they were not to respond affirmatively to this invitation and come to praise the Lord. With the necessary modifications of the psalm to make it apply to our situation as Christians, we too can say that it would be foolish if we were not to respond affirmatively to this invitation and come to praise the Lord.
Lutheran, Roman Catholic: Psalm 23
When the Lord, the Good Shepherd, invites the sheep and offers them green pastures, still waters, and protection from all harm and danger, would they not be foolish if they were not to come to follow the Lord? Most sheep under those circumstances will stay with the shepherd and with the flock, enjoying the security that the shepherd and the flock provide.
Common:
Philippians 4:1-9
Lutheran: Philippians 4:4-13
Roman Catholic: Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20
In the Common Lectionary selection, the emphasis is on the invitation to Euodia and Syntyche to settle their differences, to work together in the service of the Lord, and to join with the other followers of Jesus in the house-churches of Philippi in confident trust in the imminent coming of the Lord that shall mark the end of their fear and oppression by the advocates of Roman Civil Religion.
The Lutheran selections emphasize the closeness between Paul and the followers of Jesus in Philippi. They share a common threat to their continued existence. Paul has already been arrested and is awaiting trial on charges that he is proclaiming Christ Jesus raised from the dead rather than Caesar as "Lord and Savior," which is indeed what Paul has been doing. The enthusiasts for the imperial cult are simply deciding whether detention of Paul, perhaps for an extended period of time, will be sufficient to silence Paul or whether they should silence him permanently. The followers of Jesus in Philippi are under this same threat, or at least the most prominent and vocal among them are. In this situation, Paul encourages them by letter to remain true to the Lord Jesus and to do that which is honorable, even to the point of death by martyrdom if necessary. The Lord invites them to remain faithful. They will be at peace with God if they come.
In the Roman Catholic selection more emphasis is placed on Paul's own response to the invitation of the Lord. Paul uses his own example as evidence that God will supply also every need of the Philippians if they, like Paul, remain faithful to the Lord Jesus rather than submit to the demands of the advocates of the imperial cult.
