Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

No special Ambon Prayer

The Holy Martyr Anthimus, Bishop of Nicomedia, Our Venerable Father Theoctist, Companion of St Euthymius the Great; The Holy Deaconess Phoebe of Cenchrease

Title

Grace and Judgment

Outline

People often wrongly contrast grace and judgment

If God is a God of love and grace he cannot judge, or so it goes.

God indeed seeks our good, which is love, and offers his favor, which is grace, yet he created us with freedom so we could love, which means he accepts our choice to reject his grace and his love

Look at our gospel

The king has given grace and love in inviting people to his son’s wedding banquet - come celebrate with the heir to the throne.

The people have every reason and enough time to be ready, but when the call comes that all is ready, they refuse to come.

The king offers more grace in the face of this insult, for he renews his “all is ready invitation” including informing them about how splendid it is. The invited people, however, either ignore the banquet for their own business or insult, mistreat, and kill the king’s slaves, which is insulting or rebelling against the king. The king gives them their choice by sending his armies and destroying them, but also extends grace by inviting travelers of whatever status, many of them non-citizens passing through. His grace has fulfilled its goal, even if the first called were not “worthy” having rejected the king and his call.

But the travelers also have to accept his grace. The king finds a man without a wedding garment. Than means that he has snuck in instead of presenting himself and receiving the king’s grace in the form of a wedding garment. This is no excuse for the rejection of grace, so the interloper ends up outside, in one of the images of hell.

We conclude with the oft-repeated saying, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

What do we make of this?

First, we see here the Pauline theme, to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. The Jews are God’s chosen people, invited first as his people, and example to all the other peoples, and then those who ignore or reject the king’s invitation or even rebel against him are judged appropriately. Notice it is a city, not the whole people, who are judged, like a symbol of the destruction of Jerusalem.

Second, the Gentiles are invited into the kingdom; they are found when they were not even realizing that they were lost. But in being found they must recognize grace, give their sign of allegiance, and put on the wedding garment. The guy who tries to sneak into the king’s banquet, sneak into the church celebration, without this is cast out.

So we must ask what group we are in, those who ignored or rejected the king’s invitation or those who fully accepted and did not try to steal the benefits on their terms.

Paul shows something similar in 2 Corinthians, for he had made a visit to Corinth that had been so painful he had withdrawn. Then he had sent a tearful letter, not to punish, but to bring them to repentance. He had cancelled a second planned visit until he knew the result of the letter, for he wanted reconciliation rather than confrontation. There was indeed reconciliation, the person who had opposed Paul had been punished, and Paul was able to come in peace and grace and extended full forgiveness to the unnamed person who had opposed him. His goal was always grace and love, seeking their good, but when God’s message is refused he has to, with tears, write severely. Yet his goal is not control, but repentance, so as soon as he knows of the good result he is eager to embrace them again.

So, brothers and sisters, in a world in which we have freedom, grace and love go together with judgment, often slow and reluctant judgment, for grace and love can be rejected, and, for the good of the whole, then there are consequences.

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 9-6-2026: Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

EPISTLE

2 Corinthians 1:21–2:4

21 But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; 22 he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

23 But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith; we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

Chapter 2

1 For I made up my mind not to make you another painful visit. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 9-6-2026: Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

GOSPEL

Matthew 22:1–14

1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a marriage feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.’ 5 But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (9-3-2023: Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2023 | OCTOECHOS

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 9-6-2026: Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Matins Gospel Mark 16:9–20

Epistle 2 Corinthians 1:21–2:4

Gospel Matthew 22:1–14