Mt 22:1-14 the wedding feast - Lectio Divina?

'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?", Mt 22:12."

Parable of Marriage Supper

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Donald ...
To: William J ....
Sent: Sunday, 9 October 2011, 19:19
Subject: Re: Mt 22:1-14 the wedding feast - Lectio Divina?

Dear William,

Congratulations as you lean back in your chair.

Another pasture of Parable.

Minted for the Blog.
Thank you.

Meanwhile I have been busy putting the episodes of the General Chapter in Order.

I wonder if we can illustrate them also?

Yours,

DonaldPS. My "thoughts flow free" also, as I listened to the Abbot's Homily, contrary thoughts, "'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?", v. 12."

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From: William J ...
To: Donald ...
Sent: Sunday, 9 October 2011, 14:01
Subject: Mt 22:1-14 the wedding feast - Lectio Divina?

Dear Father Donald,

 

The hidden basis of this parable is expounded with great sublety by Joachim Jeremias in his 'The Parables of Jesus' (p 176) of which Pope Benedict XVI makes approval in his own writings 'Jesus of Nazareth'.  It would seem [again] that the allegorical features of the parable in Matthew's Gospel come from the re-telling, rather than from the origin [recorded in the ancient text of the Gospel of Thomas]. Apparently Jesus uses a story of common knowledge at that time of a fabled tax-gatherer achieving great wealth who puts on a sumptuous banquet for the great and the good to finally win their acceptance but has all of his invitations spurned; and in a rage, throws the party open to all the poor of the city in order to snub those very nobles! [Jeremias] "That the man's motive was just as selfish and ignoble as that of the judge who yielded to the importunate widow simply in order to be left in peace, has not in any way disturbed Jesus, but has rather induced him to choose just these persons as examples... to illustrate both the wrath and the mercy of God".

 

Joachim Jeremias' analysis of the parable ends with this remark:"This parable... is not fully understood until attention is paid to the note of joy which rings through the summons: 'everything is ready' (v.17). [As St Paul says] 'Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation' (2 Cor 6:2). God fulfils his promises and comes forward out of his hiddenness. But if the 'children of the kingdom', the theologians and the pious circles, pay no heed to his call, the despised and ungodly will take their place."

 

So it would seem that "the parable of the Great Supper has been so drastically edited by Matthew that it has been transformed into nothing less than an allegory of the plan of salvation". BUT - I wonder! - is not one of the joys of discovering the text of the original story as told by Jesus that of enabling us to appreciate all the more Matthew's own inspired interpretation of Jesus' words, his apostolic Lectio Divina that brings us so beautiful an iillumination of the parable in his Gospel!

 

Leaning back in my chair, words fall short and thoughts flow free!

 

... in Our Lord,

William