Speechless

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling                

Matthew 22:1-14:    Once more Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Speechless

We’re hearing a lot of speeches these days by people in power, by people with strong opinions, and by people who have become harsh in their criticism of others. Sometimes, I wish they would just shut up. There is an acronym “SMH” which means “shaking my head.” Sometimes we’re rendered speechless. We see things we can’t believe. We hear things we wish we hadn’t. Tempted, we may respond in kind. Enraged, weeping and gnashing our own teeth in disgust, we want to throw people into the outer darkness, or under the bus. Sometimes, I can only SMH.

It’s always a question in my mind as to whether or not I should speak up or remain silent. Is it anger or fear or gratitude or amazement that opens or shuts my mouth?  Like the king I can become enraged, most especially at “isms”, injustices, prejudice, and inequalities. “Do I need to hit the mute button before I react?” I ask myself. Am I afraid of retribution? Is this the time to speak up even though my knees are shaking and my voice is quivering?

In this parable told by Jesus, I wonder who “he” is. Was it the king who was speechless, after he had invited his friends and honored guests to the wedding banquet, and they didn’t come? Perhaps the king was angry that his generosity had been met with disrespect, that people were “too busy” to come to the party, and that his slaves had been killed? They made light of this significant event; and now this man from the streets wasn’t wearing the right clothes. Was the king speechless in his disbelief?

Or was “he” the man without the wedding robe? The one who had been invited by the king’s servants to join the party? I imagine that he was delighted to be there, enjoying a feast of royal delights and well-aged wine! Why then might “he”, the man without a wedding robe, be rendered speechless at the appearance of his host? I would think that he would gush with praise, bow down with respect, and offer words of gratitude, unless of course his mouth was full of fatted calf. Or he was afraid. Then he might be speechless.

People in royal garb can intimidate us. Some call it “power-dressing” others call it “fitting clothes” for their leadership positions. Powerful people can render us cautious as well as speechless. Suddenly in their presence, we may find ourselves bowing and scraping, fawning and obsequious, kissing rings and kissing up. We offer effusive words of praise, that are as empty in nutritional value as cotton candy, or we just stay silent.

When asked a simple question, like “how did you get in here dressed like that?” the man at the wedding banquet couldn’t answer. Perhaps he never expected to see the king at all, and when he suddenly found himself in his presence, he choked. Maybe he was rendered speechless out of fear. Or maybe it was the mystery and awe of this royal power that had him shaking in his boots, dropping to his knees, and silencing his quivering heart.

Apparently, this guest stood out in the crowd because he was dressed differently than the others. The king “called him out” but why did he call him "friend"? “Just go out on the streets and invite everyone to the party,” the king had told his servants. What exactly did he expect? Who did he think was coming to dinner? The good, the bad, and the ugly, Jesus told us. In light of that, doesn’t the king's response to this man’s wardrobe seem a little harsh?

Here’s what I think. I believe that God does become enraged by our bad behavior; and yet, in the end, God preserves our life. Stretching out his arms of love on that hardwood of the cross, Jesus invited everyone to the party. Then, when we find ourselves in that royal  banquet hall, on that holy mountain where there is a rich feast of select foods and choice wines, our disgrace will be removed, and our tears will be dried by God. “Don’t worry about what you’re wearing,” Jesus will say to us, as we will kneel in wonder, love, and praise. With hearts filled with love, we will be speechless in the presence of God.

Matthew 25:27-28:    Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you.

Isaiah 25:6-8:    On this mountain, the Lord of heavenly forces will prepare for all peoples a rich feast, a feast of choice wines, of select foods rich in flavor, of choice wines well refined. He will swallow up on this mountain the veil that is veiling all peoples, the shroud enshrouding all nations. He will swallow up death forever. The Lord God will wipe tears from every face; he will remove his people’s disgrace from off the whole earth, for the Lord has spoken.