Send Me (Isaiah 6:1-8)

 One of the things that frustrates me most is when people use scripture to justify their own actions or behavior, without understanding what the scripture really means. 

Now, we all do this to some extent. I don’t think one can not do this, at least a little. We all come to scripture with our own prejudice and biases, which influence how we understand scripture and how we apply it to our lives.

But some do it so flagrantly… They take a scripture that means one thing, and use it to justify some behavior that is really just the opposite—the complete opposite—of what the scripture is saying. 

In fact, the behavior that they are using the scripture to support is, actually, exactly what the scripture is condemning!

We’re not talking about just a little nuance. We’re talking about turning the meaning completely on its head. 

This is the exact behavior that Jesus condemns in the gospels! In fact, it’s almost the only behavior that Jesus ever condemns, or at least, the one behavior that he condemns so passionately.

People who should have known better—religious leaders, chief priests, scribes, Pharisees—the authority figures, the leaders of the people…

They often turned scripture into a tool or a weapon, to get people to conform to a pattern of behavior that those leaders wanted from them, rather than the behavior that scripture actually teaches.

Those leaders used scripture as a way to control people. They demanded that certain rituals be performed, and certain protocols strictly observed, while they ignored the real needs of the people… especially those who were poor and vulnerable. 

And these leaders often made those who were already vulnerable and oppressed feel even more vulnerable and oppressed. Jesus said that they tied up heavy burdens that were hard to bear, and placed them on the shoulders of the people, making life even harder for them. 

Scripture is meant to liberate and heal. Scripture is meant to help people recover from the trauma and oppression and injustice in their lives, not inflict more trauma and oppression and injustice on them.

And when leaders—religious leaders, political leaders—use scripture to do just that—to inflict trauma, to control people, to bend people to their will—they have so perverted the message of the gospel that they suffer the wrath and condemnation of Jesus.

There are leaders today who do this. 

I don’t often call them out, because, as a Disciple, I’m so committed to Christian unity, that I don’t want to speak negatively in any way of others within the body of Christ. 

The founders of our movement declared that “Christian unity is our polar star.” That is an important value to me. 

I don’t want to create divisions between different churches with different theological understandings. 

But over the years, I have had more and more people come to me, to share with me the trauma and the abuse inflicted upon them by those who use scripture as a weapon, or as a tool, to control and manipulate, that I can’t stay silent… not when so many are victimized and made to suffer, because of the damaging and dangerous ways that the gospel is sometimes preached.

***** I heard church historian Diana Butler Bass talk about this on a recent podcast. 

Diana Butler Bass is a remarkable scholar whose books I’ve read and who has been a keynoter at several different conferences I’ve been to. 

In the podcast I heard this week, she talked about how some leaders intentionally create trauma or inflict trauma on people as a way to control them. 

Some evangelical religious leaders in particular do this, she said; and some of our leaders in government do this. They’ve even been caught on tape, admitting and even boasting that it’s their goal is to inflict trauma on people, so that they can then control them.

And that explains the actions and behavior of a good number of our leaders today, doesn’t it?

And they will often use scripture to justify their behavior and the actions they take, because they know that scripture is a tool they can use to control and manipulate people.

That’s why I decided to preach on Isaiah 6 this morning, even though it’s not part of the lectionary.

Because in the past few weeks, I’ve heard Isaiah 6 misused in order to control and manipulate. It has been twisted, so that the way it’s being used makes it sound like it’s about one thing, which is really just the opposite of what this scripture is really all about. 

***** So. To understand this scripture from Isaiah 6, one needs to understand the context…

Isaiah 6 begins at a time of political instability. King Uzziah, who had reigned over Judah for over 50 years, had just died. 

This means that it was a pivotal moment in history, a chance for the nation, with a new king, to either follow the same path that had been followed, or to chart a new path.

That path that had been followed under King Uzziah was a path that led to a growth in wealth and power for the nation’s ruling elite. The nation was stronger politically, and the royal treasury was full.

But the people of the nation, most of whom were poor, were not benefitting from all this. In fact, the prosperity of the nation was, to a large degree, the result of their exploitation. It was their labor, and their suffering, even, that made it possible for those at the top to prosper.

In God’s eyes, this is evil. God has a preferential option for the poor, as the Latin American liberation theologians teach us. We see God’s particular concern for the least of these… and anytime they are mistreated, God demands justice.

What’s worse, is that the rulers and leaders in Isaiah’s time were using religion to justify the way they showed contempt to the poor. 

They put on a show of performing the rituals and leading worship services; yet as soon as those rituals and services were over, they went right back to oppressing the people.

They were taking the words of scripture, and twisting them to justify their own behavior, and so that they could control and manipulate the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

This, by the way, is exactly what it means to take the Lord’s name in vain. It is to take the teachings of God and twist them to justify your own actions, even though your own actions are contrary to the actual will of God. 

Taking the Lord’s name in vain is to say that God is in favor of one thing, when in fact, God is not. It is to say that God is on your side even though you oppress the poor and withhold from them compassion. That is misrepresenting who God is and what God cares about. That is what it means to take the Lord’s name in vain.

***** So. God needed a prophet to call the nation and its leaders to repentance. God needed a prophet to speak to those in power, to point out their hypocrisy, to expose the ways they manipulate scripture to justify their evil ways. 

And God chose… Isaiah.

We don’t know a whole lot about Isaiah, the person. He may have been a priest.

What is clear is that he attacks social justice in the same way as Amos, Hosea, Micah, and other prophets whom God called. 

And we know that, for Isaiah, it all began… with a vision.

…A vision of the Lord sitting on his throne, surrounded by six-winged seraphs, singing “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

And Isaiah’s first response is to say: “Woe is me!”

Isaiah recognizes (knows) that God is so much bigger than he is, that God is not something to be controlled or manipulated. 

Isaiah humbles himself before God. Isaiah admits that he himself is less than perfect… 

A prophet always demonstrates humility before God. A prophet knows that God alone is worthy, God alone is good. 

God then assures Isaiah that, though he is only a mortal, that God can use him, and that, with God’s power, Isaiah can speak words that are true and holy and good. 

As a sign of this, the seraph touches Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal, and declares that Isaiah’s guilt has departed and his sin has been erased. 

I am struck by how Isaiah’s humility compares with the arrogance and certainty of kings and rulers. Kings and rulers can do no wrong, at least in their own eyes. In fact, they think they are above such categorizations. 

The temptation for kings and rulers is to put themselves above God’s laws. They decide what is right and what is wrong, because they sit on the throne.No matter what they do, it is considered right, because they are the king.

But God called Isaiah… and the other prophets… to declare that no person, not even a king, is above God’s laws. And even a king must follow God’s teachings.

A king must remember the poor, and have compassion on them. A king must not exploit the poor and make them suffer… and a king must not twist and manipulate the teachings of God to make it appear that God supports the injustice that the king commits.

And a prophet who is bold enough to declare such things is what God is looking for: someone to hold kings and rulers accountable; to declare to them God’s displeasure at the way they use religion to defend the evil they commit, and to demand that they return to carrying out the justice God demands.

So God says to Isaiah: “Whom shall I send?”

***** And Isaiah says: “Here am I; send me!”

And when Isaiah says that, he commits himself to the task. He commits himself to holding the nation’s rulers accountable. He commits himself to demanding that they act with justice toward the poor; that they act with compassion; that they defend the rights of those who are most vulnerable. 

Which means that anyone today who seeks to follow in Isaiah’s path… anyone today who dares to respond as Isaiah responded, by saying: “Here am I; send me”...

Likewise commits themself to holding leaders accountable for how they mistreat the poor.

Anyone who says “Here I am; send me” likewise commits to calling out injustice and oppression.

Anyone who says “Here I am; send me” commits to defending the rights of the vulnerable, which today includes immigrants; and LGBTQ folks; and our siblings from other, non-Christian religions; and people of color; and disabled folks…

Anyone who says “Here I am; send me” commits to being faithful to the true meaning of scripture as well as the teachings and commands of God; not misusing and abusing those teachings and commands to justify and support their own agenda.

In Matthew 13, Jesus quotes Isaiah 6, referring to how he himself would be rejected by those who fail to understand, teach, and practice all that God commands.

Jesus himself would be rejected, and crucified by rulers in his own time who failed to understand and practice the ways of God. 

Yet through his crucifixion, God would continue the work of reconciliation, using it to unite all people with him and his way of peace. 

And God continues to hold before us the opportunity to choose love over hate; to choose hope over despair; to choose compassion over disdain; to choose peace over violence; to choose justice over injustice; to choose life over death.

Dress Code (Matthew 22:1-14)

 *****Formal banquets among people with power weren’t just occasions to eat and drink. The politicians and power brokers who attended were all there to get something. They were all trying to make an impression, or cut a deal, or win favor.

So they showed up dressed to perfection. Not one hair out of place. It was important to look confident… and to be seen with the right people. 

If the right people weren’t there… if the people with whom you needed to cut a deal weren’t there, or if those who owed you a favor weren’t there, or if the ones you wanted to impress weren’t there… well, it would be easy to think that there wasn’t much point in going.

A king who gives a banquet for his son’s wedding would certainly invite people close to him, and close to his son—friends and family—as well as the friends and family of the bride.

But he would also send out invitations to important people whose favor he needed to maintain, or with whom he might want to cut a deal, or who he wanted to impress in some way.

In our story today, those who the king invited—for whatever reason—chose not to come. This is not realistic—no one would actually refuse an invitation from the king. But in this parable, that’s what they do.

And the king doesn’t take no for an answer. So he sends slaves to invite them again, and to say to them: “Look! Everything is ready! Come to the banquet!”

Again, they refuse. They even kill some of the slaves sent by the king.

So the king, in return, kills them and destroys their city.

This king just won’t take no for an answer.

Which, by the way, reminds me of the time Jesus taught his disciples to let their “yes” be “yes,” and their “no” be “no.” I always thought of this as a teaching to be honest in what I say, in what I promise… but it also works the other way… to accept the “yes” or “no” that someone gives to you.

Let their yes be yes. Let their no be no.

If someone says no to you, you accept their answer. 

The king didn’t do that.

It reminds me of another king: King David. Israel’s greatest king.

**** King David really wanted Bathsheba for himself. So he didn’t give her a chance to say no. He just took her. Nevermind that she was already the wife of a man named Uriah.

And when it was discovered that Bathsheba was pregnant, David arranged for Uriah to be killed. All because he couldn’t accept “no” for an answer.

Now, such behavior was acceptable for kings in ancient times. Kings had the right to do whatever they wanted, at least in the eyes of men.

But not in the eyes of God. And God held David accountable for his actions.

*****Two years ago, at Cornell University, a sexual assault took place that you may have heard about in the news lately. 

Apparently, a young woman at a college party was assaulted by 7 members of a fraternity. More than 50 other young men were part of a group chat inviting them to take their turn. None of them honored the “no” of this young woman, or even gave her the opportunity to say “no.” She never gave consent. 

Yet they didn’t let the fact that she never said “yes” stop them.

And now, people are wanting them to be held accountable.

Let your “yes” be “yes.” Let your “no” be “no.” And let your neighbor’s “no” be “no” as well. 

***** The king in our story today would not take no for an answer. 

And he kills all those important, powerful people who refused to come to his party.

Because that’s how kings behave when they don’t get what they want.

Now, Jesus told this parable in the temple, to a group of chief priests and elders, men with some level of power and influence.

But there were others there as well: common people; Jews without power and influence.  And they may not have taken this story about the king who threw a wedding banquet seriously. They may have laughed at all these rich and powerful people fighting with each other, killing and being killed, getting what was coming to them.

And then the king sends his slaves out into the streets, to invite anyone they could find to the banquet. Not the wealthy. Not the powerful. But average, common people. He wanted that banquet hall full!

And the people listening to this story may have thought to themselves: “Like that would ever happen…” yet they also were interested in seeing where this story was going. So they started listening more intently…and the parable begins to call them out as well.

Because now, in the story, the banquet hall is filled not with rich and powerful people, but with people like them. 

And there was one guest there who was not wearing the proper clothing. 

It’s not clear why this person was improperly attired. One commentary I read said that, at a banquet like this, if someone didn’t have the proper attire, the host would provide them with the proper attire.

So there really should be no excuse to not be dressed appropriately.

And evidently this particular guest had not heard of how ruthless this king could be. If he had, I doubt he would have refused the clothing provided to him.

And the king ordered that this person be bound hand and foot, and thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And that is a turn in this story that the people did not expect. When it started, it sounded like a parable being told against the rich and powerful, but in the end, it was a person just like them who suffers from the king’s wrath.

Not the ending to the story they were hoping for.

And this parable, Jesus says, is what the kingdom of heaven is like.

Well. How? How does this parable show what the kingdom of heaven is like?

Matthew ends the parable with this statement: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” 

Really?

Thanks, Matthew, but that’s not helpful. There is so much more going on here. So much that challenges us. So much that provokes us. 

As is often the case with parables. Parables often start out heading in a direction we want them to go, but then there’s a twist, and the parable becomes a burr, poking us in the side, irritating us, challenging us.

Here is what I think:

This king does not act the way God would act. This king lacks mercy, lacks compassion, lacks kindness. This king compels people to obey his commands through threat of force, violence, and death. This king does not allow anyone to make a choice other than what the king has already chosen for them.

As for the poor individual who wore the wrong clothes… despite the harshness of this story, it does lead me to wonder about what is appropriate in terms of dress. I think one question on the minds of those hearing this story would be: “Come on! He’s a poor commoner! How could he have known how to dress? How should he have dressed?”

This person’s attire seems far more important in this story than it should be. 

And yet, the story also makes me think about how much time we do spend on figuring out what we should wear.

***** The invitation to my nephew Zander’s wedding (that took place at the beginning of summer) said that dress for the event was “summer chic.” 

I had no idea what that meant. So I looked it up online, and the search results… were quite interesting.

I texted Zander and said, “this?” And he texted back, “Yeah… pull up in that!”

Well, after thinking about it some, I decided that maybe this would not be the proper attire for his wedding… especially since I was officiating…

***** Whenever we have a baptism here at church, like we did last week, there is one thing I dread, and that’s making my way through the centrum in the shorts and t-shirt I’m going to baptize people in, just as folks are arriving for worship. That’s always a little weird for me… because I, like everyone else, is probably a little too obsessed over what I wear, how I appear, whether I’m properly dressed or not…

Especially since I’m the pastor. People expect certain things of the pastor in terms of appearance, especially when they are walking into church…

Well, what is the proper attire? For church? For anything?

I don’t know what proper wedding attire looked like in the first century… 

**** But several places in the New Testament do describe how followers of Jesus are to clothe themselves.

Eph. 4.24: “Clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Col. 3.12-14: “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience… and above all, with love.”

Gal. 3.27-28: “Clothe yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female.” 

(In that passage, clothing is equated to identity, and people identified themselves as part of a group, separate from people in other groups. But now they are to identify themselves, first and foremost, as followers of Christ. United. And perhaps this is important, because before, one might—upon being invited to a banquet (say, a banquet featuring the Lord’s Supper) be tempted to ask: “who’s going to be there? Will there be Jewish men like me? Or will there be gentiles? Or women?” In other words, will there be people there like me, people who speak my language, who look like me, who dress like me?” But, clothed in Christ, those divisions are overcome, for we are all one in Christ.)

***** After last Sunday’s worship I had a conversation with someone about baptism, and I remembered that, in many early Christian communities, those being baptized would strip naked as they entered the water. The clothes that they cast off, they would then trample underfoot. This symbolized the casting off of their worldly identities. Then upon emerging from the baptismal waters, they were given new clothes to wear, made of white cloth, symbolizing that their identity was now wrapped up in Christ.

Being reminded of that made me thankful for the shorts and t-shirt I got to wear in the baptistry last week.

—-------------------------

***** I don’t think there is one specific way to read this parable. I don’t think you can simply say: “the king represents God;” many interpreters do say that, though you can probably guess that I have problems with that interpretation. At the very least, it’s too simplistic. If the king is meant to represent God, I think we can at least say that not every act or behavior by the king is consistent with how God acts.

Some have also said that those who refused the invitation are the Jews who rejected Jesus. But that interpretation quickly becomes a justification for anti-semitism, and is also problematic. Instead of saying that they represent “the Jews,” at most one could say that they represent those among the Jews with power, the Jewish authorities—the chief priests and elders, perhaps—and certainly not the Jewish people as a whole.

And any interpretation of a parable that casts those hearing it as the “good guys” and casts some other person as the “bad guy” is problematic, because just about every parable is meant to provoke and challenge you, the hearer. Parables are meant to shake us out of our complacency and rock our self-righteous attitudes. 

For me, this parable does that in two ways:

It reminds me that I need to honor the “yes” or the “no” that someone gives me…

And it challenges me to consider how I dress… and to always clothe myself in Christ.