Love and Mercy II

Matthew 22:14 - "For many are called, but few are chosen."

Well, on the surface, this does not hold out much hope, does it? There are some brands of Presbyterianism that believe in double predestination: that some are destined for heaven no matter what and others are destined for hell no matter what. I do not subscribe to this point of view, but this verse would seem to back it up. Truly, this is a difficult verse to think about.

I have been analyzing this parable verse by verse, more or less ignoring the parable as a whole. Yet, if we think back to the man who had no robe, and we think about the robe as symbolizing love and mercy, then we need to ask, "Who lacked love and mercy that this man had no appropriate attire?" His wailing and gnashing of teeth may not have been due to his own lack of love and mercy, but the lack of such in society in general. Many are in this boat. Many were invited to the banquet, but not all were chosen.

Chosen by whom? I have said that love and mercy are the key, yet our life circumstances are affected by much more than our own attitudes. Black people in America today have been affected negatively by the attitudes of white people and continue to be oppressed in many ways. It is not their lack of love and mercy that has affected them, but rather the lack of love and mercy on the part of white people in power. What if it is not God who is doing the choosing, but us? Elsewhere, Jesus has said that the kin-dom of heaven is near. If we believe that we are called to work toward that kin-dom, then our actions can cause others to miss it.

That is a deep burden. I myself can easily recall times when I have not been loving or merciful. In truth, I had no love or mercy to give then. There was too much pain; it overwhelmed me. That was a living hell caused by my own actions as well as the actions of others. Hurt people hurt people. People who are hurting inside do not always act in loving ways. It's hard to have empathy when one's pain is so overwhelming and it seems no one understands. In such a situation, we want to protect ourselves from further harm, so we keep people at a distance and close our hearts. Sadly, this includes God.

Yet, Jesus calls us to (eventually) love and forgive those people who have hurt us. This doesn't mean we have to be with them - that might be dangerous. No, he calls us to understanding and empathy. To get there we must start with our own healing. We will not be able to forgive until we are able to begin healing. There is no time limit, which is good because in some cases this healing can take decades. Yet, Jesus promises it will be worth it. We'll get to a place of peace, a heaven of sorts. A place more peaceful than where we may be now. If we look around at all the hurt and anger that people are harboring, we can see that few are willing to do such work; a testament to its difficulty.

What about you and me? Will we, like the invitee without a wedding robe, go through life without love or mercy? or will we be able to open our hearts to the healing that comes from Jesus' love for us?

Come to the table. All is ready.