Jesus calls our attention to a strange parade--a parade that makes its way into the kingdom of heaven right through the front gates. At the head of this parade, in the place of honor, are some unlikely candidates.
There's a line attributed to Thomas More that the nobility of England would have snored through the Sermon on the Mount. But there’s nothing sleep inducing here.
Tony Campolo has a famous sermon for Good Friday entitled "It's Friday, but Sunday's Coming." Again and again, his voice rings out, "It's Friday, but Sunday's coming."
I'll never forget the time I dropped by the funeral home to pay my respects. I was wearing a pair of bright pants and a colorful dress shirt. Everyone else wore black. The funeral director met me at the door with a glare to stop a locomotive.
Forgiveness is the essence of Christian love. Forgiveness is not restricted to overlooking petty faux pas or even gross insults. Forgiveness is the transcendent courage to absorb a despicable blow without being consumed by a blood-lust for revenge.
The king sends more messengers to invite everyone to this party. The people waiting in line for the ATM--at the laundromat--at the bus-station--at the emergency room. That's who the king declared to be worthy of this banquet. Cool.
Peter asked Jesus how many times he ought to forgive. I’ve asked that question, haven’t you? A co-worker spreads gossip about you, then apologizes and of course you forgiver her. The second time, you also forgive her. The third time....
When Anthony Campolo wrote, “The Kingdom of God is a Party,” the religious right was offended. They believed the Kingdom of God was a courtroom where the guilty are condemned. “Not so!” says Campolo. “The Kingdom of God is a party where the guilty are set free!”
For Jesus' sake, God forgives all our sins. So far, so good. But the parable goes on and the story becomes more uncomfortable. We are called to forgive others as we have been forgiven.
Did today's Gospel make you uncomfortable? The parable does not pack a dose of sweet comfort, but challenges us outrageously in a spot where we are most tender: the trouble that we have with forgiveness.