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Short Stories of Yeshua • Sermon • Submitted
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The Short Stories of Yeshua
Backdrop of Series:
We are in the last message in this series on the parables of Yeshua. Next week, we are starting a new message series called Compassioning.
Have you ever noticed that it is hard to start working from a new playbook emotionally and relationally? Do you ever find yourself apologizing for others mistakes just to keep the peace
In this new series, More than we want to be right, or best, or tops, we just really want to be loved on a deep level. But, we are often blind to our own behaviors and patterns that push others and ourselves away. In this series, we will see how to update outdated relational blueprints and chart a path for lasting and wholesome healing.
2. In this new series, More than we want to be right, or best, or tops, we just really want to be loved on a deep level. But, we are often blind to our own behaviors and patterns that push others and ourselves away. In this series, we will see how to update outdated relational blueprints and chart a path for lasting and wholesome healing.
Today, we are finishing our last message in this series.Remember, last week we said that a parable is what you need to hear but don’t want to hear. And that the early followers of Yeshua with no army, no power, no political standing threatened empire with the short stories of Yeshua. I like how my friend Frederick Buechner says parables are short stores that pack a big punch.
3. Today, we are finishing our last message in this series.Remember, last week we said that a parable is what you need to hear but don’t want to hear. And that the early followers of Yeshua with no army, no power, no political standing threatened empire with the short stories of Yeshua. I like how my friend Frederick Buechner says parables are short stores that pack a big punch.
Against all odds, a group of Jewish blasphemers and recent convicts by Jewish law, somehow started a movement so powerful that nothing anyone could do could stop it. Listen, they had no buildings, no military, no political authority but despite all the odds being stacked against them there movement took the world like a fire to dry hay in west Texas. There movement was so powerful it made ruler, actually generations of rulers, from the most powerful Empire in the Rome sit up, pay-attention and feel threatened by this movement. The people who had biggest buildings, largest military, and most influential political machine in the world were threatened by a group that had none of this.
Against all odds, a group of Jewish blasphemers and recent convicts by Jewish law, somehow started a movement so powerful that nothing anyone could do could stop it. Listen, they had no buildings, no military, no political authority but despite all the odds being stacked against them there movement took the world like a fire to dry hay in west Texas. There movement was so powerful it made ruler, actually generations of rulers, from the most powerful Empire in the Rome sit up, pay-attention and feel threatened by this movement. The people who had biggest buildings, largest military, and most influential political machine in the world were threatened by a group that had none of this.
Me: I love being picked to be part of something meaningful. When I am picked, then I know I have a place and if I have place, I have permanence and if I am permanence then I can put in my opinion on who things should be done.
When I am picked, I have a place.
Recently, I was picked to be part of an elite athletic group called “Mind Right Endurance Sports.” I was so happy to be invited to be part of this group and I could not wait to meet with my coach. I was all in, ready to put in the work, had some really great thoughts and plans about what I needed to do.
If I have a place, I have permanence.
My first meeting with my coach started off great. The usual kudos on runs I had accomplished and the references that other runners and coaches had given about me. Then I was asked my goals, I started to rattle off impressive numbers I wanted to hit for race times, etc. The coach looked at me and said, “So, you raced Chevron injured?” How did that happen?” I knew how it happened, I ignored the advice of my former coaches. But I was not going to say that, so I just made up the first two or three excuses that came to mind.
If I have permanence, then I can put in my opinion.
Besides, I had been picked, I was in the club, what did it matter? He said to me, “If we are going to do this, you will need to do it my way.” Then he told me to go and watch or read the story of this runner who could be one of the world’s greatest but because he ignores his coaches training, he is always injured and slower on race day then he should be.
I don’t like the idea that I could be rejected after being chosen, that could be invited but have that invitation revoked. This feels like a Jr. High relationships, ughh.
Okay so I get it, do what I am told but I have some thoughts. NO, you don’t. So then he tells me what I am going to do. Rest, lots of rest, Rehab, lots of rehab and you are going to run slow, real slow. Long runs at really slow paces, the kind of paces that make me feel like I am speed walking around the mall kind of pace. “You have to trust me, this will make you faster, stronger for longer” these were his words or “I could keep doing what I have been doing and get the same results.”
So Choosing is a condition of being chosen. This was not the reality that I wanted, I wanted my opinion to matter, my plans to count. If I was a chosen then I wanted to be more like a Tenured Professor, you know having a post is an indefinite and only can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances, such as financial exigency or program discontinuation.
We all want to be unconditionally chosen.
Wether we want to admit it or not, we all like the idea of being chosen.
And the opposite is also true, no matter how confident you are, not being chosen or being rejected feels awful.
We’ve all experienced being rejected by someone we wanted to be chosen by. Maybe they didn’t want a relationship with us after all. Maybe they were a seriously skilled player who had us believing for a time that they wanted us, only to pull the rug out from under us. Whatever the reason for them choosing us and then not choosing us, it leaves a mark.
And then there are those other times, the ones that are harder to admit, that the reason a person stopped choosing us is because we stopped choosing them, we started making excuses, we started to hate the very things we once loved, we started looking in other directions. While it is easy to claim victim status, “I was rejected” maybe the reality was the opposite, “You rejected” and you stopped choosing to be part of a chosen relationship.
Our parable today, is one of the hardest to hear and yet simplest to understand. A parable that feels like a surprise horror movie instead of a redemptive tale but make no doubt it is redemptive, just cautionary redemptive. And, like the other parables it packs a punch where you least expect it.
Ha-foke-bah
Ha-foke-bah
De-Cola-bah
Ha-foke-bah
Ha-foke-bah
Mashiach-bah
Turn-it and turn-it everything you need is in it.
Turn-it and turn-it the Messiah is in it.
God: Many are called but few are choosing.
If I could name this parable it would be, Many are called but few are choosing.
Yeshua answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying,
The context is a series of debates with the religious leaders. Where Matthew tells us that these parables were aimed at the religious leaders.
When the ruling kohanim and Pharisees heard Yeshua’s parables, they realized He was talking about them.
In all there are two stories before this one, and the two short stories before them both give the same message: the religious leaders of the day are facing extinction, their rule is coming to an end.
Please hear me, Yeshua is not calling for a replacement of Israel but a change of leadership. He is calling for the leadership in Israel to change from complacent and often hypocritical religious leaders to the supposed outcasts of Israel’s society.
Not a new institution but new leadership over the old institution.
The religious leaders are nervous Yeshua just entered Jerusalem on a donkey and the crowds loved him, praised him, ushered in his presence. They were so scared of the crowds they would not even act against Yeshua
Although they were trying to seize Him, they feared the crowds, because they regarded Him as a prophet.
Now Yeshua turns his attention to what one author has called the most severe of Yeshua’s parables. And, over the last 2000 years this parable has been used to abuse Jewish people in the name of Yeshua. It has been used to create what is called supersessionism, the belief that the Jews have been permanently rejected and replaced by the church. But, remember, when Yeshua gave this parable there was no church, no pope, no pastors. There were in fact on factions within Judaism and one of which was Yeshua’s faction.
And that faction well it was made up of Jewish tax-collectors, zealots, people with blood issues, the in-firmed and once in-firmed, nice guys, bad buys but almost all of them if not all of them were Jewish.
What Yeshua was proposing was a take over by the left overs of Jewish society.
Matthew
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who made a wedding feast for his son.
This is the most common way to introduce a parable on the subject of God and His Kingdom. This is by far the most common way Jewish rabbis spoke about the coming Kingdom.
Kind
Son
Feast/Banquet
He sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they wouldn’t come.
Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who were invited, “Look, I’ve prepared my meal. My oxen and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!” ’
“But paying no attention, they went away, one to his own farm, another to his business.
He sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they wouldn’t come.
Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who were invited, “Look, I’ve prepared my meal. My oxen and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!” ’
Matthew 22:
This is where the parable starts to take on a theme that most people were accustomed to. It was the theme of honor and shame. Or, What you do when you are shunned by the people who are not supposed to shun you?
But this was not a new theme. Within Jewish tradition there were many such stories or parables that have echoes of what Yeshua taught.
Rabbi Akiva gives one echoing the language of “come to the wedding feast.”
Everything is given on pledge, and a net is spread out over all who live. The shop is open, and the shopkeeper gives credit. The ledger is open, the hand writes, and all who want to borrow, come and borrow. The collectors go around regularly every day and settle accounts, whether the person knows it or not. They have reliable information, and the judgment is true. And all is arranged for the banquet
The Tax Collector is Rewarded on Earth
[F] There were two holy men in Ashqelon, who would eat together, drink together, and study Torah together. One of them died, and he was not properly mourned.
[G] But when Bar Maayan, the village tax collector died, the whole town took time off to mourn him.
[H] The surviving holy man began to weep saying, “Woe, for [the enemies of] Israel will have nothing.”
[I] [The deceased holy man] appeared to him in a dream, and said to him, “Do not despise the sons of your Lord. This one did one sin, and the other one did one good deed, and it went well for [the latter on earth, so while on earth I was punished for my one sin, he was rewarded for his one good deed].”
[J] Now what was the culpable act which the holy man had done?
[K] Heaven forefend! He committed no culpable act in his entire life. But one time he put on the phylactery of the head before that of the hand [which was in error].
[L] Now what was the meritorious deed which Bar Maayan the village tax collector had done?
[M] Heaven forefend! He never did a meritorious deed in his life. But one time he made a banquet for the councillors of his town but they did not come. He said, “Let the poor come and eat the food, so that it not go to waste.”
The Jerusalem Talmud is probably recalling a real historical event that is paralleled in the story of Yeshua.
The Talmud is trying to enshrine the merits of helping the poor and not just catering to the elites of a city.
In Jewish life and culture the banquet feast is often used to talk about issues of honor and shame amongst the classes.
In Luke’s version of this parable he gives the details of the first round of excuses,
“But every one of them began to beg off. The first said to him, ‘I bought a farm, and I’m obligated to go out to see it. I’m asking you to have me excused.’ Then another one said, ‘I’ve purchased five teams of oxen, and I’m going to check them out. I’m asking you to have me excused.’ Still another said, ‘I’ve married a wife, so I cannot come.’
And in Luke’s version the three excuses are biblical excuses from that says if he has built a new house, planted a vineyard, or betrothed a wife he is exempt from war lest he die in battle and someone else enjoy those blessings.
“The officers are to speak to the troops saying, ‘What man has built a new house but has not dedicated it? Let him go back to his house—otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would dedicate it. What man has planted a vineyard but has not put it to use? Let him go back to his house—otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would begin to use it. What man has become engaged to a woman but has not married her? Let him go back to his house—otherwise he might die in the battle and another man would marry her.’
The problem is that in v. 3 these guest already had the invitation
He sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they wouldn’t come.
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who made a wedding feast for his son.
They were already invited and they offered what amounted to worthless excuses. They all initially accepted the invitation but then changed their mind, came up with excuses.
Then the story starts to get a little scary
And the rest grabbed his servants, humiliated them, and killed them. Now the king became furious! Sending his troops, he destroyed those murderers and set fire to their city.
Matthew 22:
Worthless excuses and intimidation through violence gets put in check.
The excuses and the abuse of the King’s servants break a major etiquette rule in the ancient world and at this point in the narrative the King is doing what he is supposed to do: answering in kind.
In reality, the king was gracious to keep sending out servants to urge the people to come to the great banquet but there was only so far his kindness could be pushed.
I want you to remember something, Yeshua is definitely thinking about Israel’s history, thinking about the prophets that were all killed in Israel by fellow Jews () and eventually the Syrian and Babylonian armies set fire to the north and to Jerusalem in the south.
But we all have a way of separating ourselves from the sins of our fathers, we surely don’t think if we would have been there we would have done it,
And you say, ‘If we’d been alive in the days of our forefathers, we wouldn’t have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
The religious leaders were getting the message: you shut your ears to God’s servants calling you to the banquet because you don’t like the invitation and in fact you really don’t like the banquet.
Yeshua continues
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. So go into the highways and byways, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.’ And those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was filled with guests.
Again, this is not shocking. We read the story of the tax collector Bar Maayan. This is exactly what we expect the king to do.
There is no real reason to allegorize this parable to indicate a mission to the Gentiles. There were plenty of people on the highways and byways and Israel, there were many people who were both good and bad.
The point was that the King dealt with the elites who shunned him and now has invited the non-elites, the 99% percent to come and join the banquet.
But here is where the punch of the parable comes. This is Yeshua’s unique innovation on the story:
“But when the king came in to look over the guests, he saw a man there who wasn’t dressed in wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he said to him, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was silent. Then the king said to his servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 22:11-1
This was shocking. You have to remember in Matthew’s gospel when Yeshua calls your “friend” it is not a term of endearment.
The king sent out this invitation to a crowd of people who really had no business being at this celebration, the least they can do is put on the proper attire.
It is not like they had to go shopping. There is plenty of evidence from the ancient world that the king would not only supply food but also clothes. He would supply the festive garments for the guests.
In other words, this person had the invitation, the proper clothing, he knew the kind of banquet he was coming to but he refused to dress the part. He is cast out into darkness, which at a minimum means a set of really bad conditions or at a maximum eternal judgment.
This is what was surprising: no favoritism between the rich or the poor.
Rich or poor there is accountability to everyone’s response to God’s invitation to the Kingdom of Heaven. Not everyone who receives the invitation responds out of a desire to join the festivities.
Not everyone who receives the invitation responds out of a desire to join the festivities.
The point is very clear: that anyone, rich or poor, good or bad, who insults God’s gracious offer of the kingdom of heaven by presuming on it without honoring the Son will face judgment.
Yeshua gives this real simple but powerful statement
For many are called, but few are chosen.”
This is a pretty common semitic expression that means “everyone.” Everyone is called to be part of this Kingdom not just an exclusive group of people.
Yet, the counterbalance is that few are chosen.
So Choosing is a condition of being chosen.
Israel was in fact chosen but they would also have to choose to hear the message of the Messiah and wear His wedding garments. The nations of the world would also be chosen, an open invitation to all but the nations would also have to choose to wear his wedding garments. The rich, the poor, the tall, the short, all are invited but choosing is a condition of being chosen.
The words “everything is ready for the feast” is
Let’s go back to what I said in the beginning.
Let’s be honest. Not being chosen hurts.
Let’s be honest. Not being chosen hurts.
But, it hurts in two ways. It hurts the heart of the Father that you don’t choose his Son and it hurts you because by not choosing Him you choose His rejection. It is self-bondage and self-desctruction.
This is a short story to insiders about insiders. Here you sit at a great banquet and the garments, the banquet and the celebration are all gifts given to you. You don’t have to pay for it or pay anyone back for it, you just simply have to receive them as they are as gifts.
Insiders that forget that nothing sucks worse than becoming the chosen frozen.
Insiders who forget that there is no favoritism but there is accountability to all.
Insiders who think that just because I got picked I don’t have to honor the Son nor honor His word.
Insiders who want the position, the power, and the prosperity of the kingdom but don’t want to put the time into practicing the kingdom.