“TRINITY 2, 2023”
Saint Luke 16: 16-24
2nd Sunday after Trinity: 18 June Anno Domini 2023
Fr Jay Watson, SSP
Our Lord’s parable is clear for those who have ears to hear. Your sin causes you at times to misinterpret this story or to ignore and forget it. The emotionalism and softness of your “old natures” your needy Eve and feminized Adam just wants everything nice, safe, comfortable, and, did I say “nice.”
The parable is hard and blunt. But it is also true, good, and beautiful. Gorgeous in the Grace of God!
There are two themes, two revelations of God’s Kingdom that Christ is setting forth to you.
The first point is how one is brought from darkness and death and damnation into the kingdom of Light and Life; How one is saved. In the metaphor, which we see later is not really a metaphor or image at all, the “Great Supper” is the heavenly abode, the Sacred Sheepfold, the Kingdom of The Lord. This great supper is also called the wedding banquet and the great feast.
“A certain man” is The Lord Himself. He made a great supper. This is not a potluck. You are not co-chefs, assistants, bringers of side-dishes, or kitchen staff of any variety or rank. The great supper is from God and from God alone. The Kingdom is His. Salvation comes only by Him and His activities. Arminians and all decision theologians and parishioners need not apply—“no soup for you!”
He sent “His servant.” God works through means. He sent His Patriarchs, Prophets, good Kings, Judges, and Priests. Through their voices and words His good news of the great supper was made known. He “bade many.” For “God so loved the world.” Or, as Saint Paul writes to Saint Timothy: “for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of The Truth” [1 Tim. 2. 3-4]. “Who will,” that is what The Lord desires. Jesus says:
“How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not” [Mt. 23.37]!
Jesus reiterates: “and they all with one consent began to make excuse.” Yes, this is all of the pagans, heathens, non-believing, and anti-believing. And it was everyone of you before your Holy + Washing or being brought to faith by The Word at some later point in your hitherto damned life.
There are three bogus excuses made by those who reject Grace and Mercy, i.e., don’t want the great Supper, don’t want Jesus. Three is fitting for the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I; as well as Satan, the world, and one’s own sinful flesh.
You have all had your own “piece of ground” that you have valued and worshipped more than The Lord; more than The Word—and where it is only found in The Divine Service. Your ground may be “ground” but it is always something material and physical, and controllable by you. It could just be your entertainments and hobbies. There will always be the five oxen of self-works, and personal self-righteous discipline. You and others will used the “Law” of Moses—his 5 Books—to condemn others while all the while thinking you are working hard at keeping your Pharisaical check-lists of “do’s and don’ts.” Oxen don’t save. The Paschal Lamb saves. Works don’t save. The Master’s free great supper saves. One who dallies on his “wife,” i.e., his wife, children, siblings, friends, or any other group in place of, instead of, or to the exclusion of God and His Feast, is married to the beast and not to The Son.
These are all “excused” if by being given free will to continue as enemies of God and going to hell is excusing. These unbelievers excuse themselves, like Judas did at The Last Supper. And yes, God is angry at this. It would seem to be that He is angry not just at their unbelief but at them for being rejectors.
But then, they are out of the parable and quickly forgotten. But The Shepherd continues to search out that lost lamb out of a hundred. The lost sheep are the pagan, dead and dirty lambs that are rescued by God alone and brought back. First the Jews who believed—Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip and Nathanel, and the rest. The other Saints, The Magdalene, Martha and Mary, Tabitha, Lydia and all the others. All the Jews converted at Pentecost and thereafter. These are all the ones from the “streets and lanes of the city.” No one by their works or merits or decisions or choices or…anything. They are brought to Christ and salvation—The Great Supper—by Christ, God, alone. This is monergism. This Holy Scripture. This is the teaching of The Church, and of The Faith.
You are not Jews. But that’s fine because that’s not where The “certain man’s” mercy stopped. The servants of God said and will continue to say: “it is done as Thou hast commanded, and yet there is room!” Christ sent His Apostles and their successors to the nations—the “ethne”—the Gentiles. “The highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that My House may be filled.” That is all of you, and all of the ones yet to be gathered.
The second theme of the text is also obvious to the eyes of faith. This isn’t a spiritualizing of salvation. This is real, solid, and incarnate. The God that becomes Man is The present God Who gives His true Body and Blood in The Sacrament. The “great supper” is The Mass—The Eucharist—now, and hereafter forever. “And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven” [Mt. 18.11].
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out…for of Him, and Through Him, and to Him, are all things. To Whom be glory forever”—[Rom 11. 33-38]!
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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