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Francis didn’t begin life as a holy man. Quite the opposite. He lived pretty frivolously off his father’s wealth, until one day he had a vision and chose to lead a religious life instead. Ironically, this is what upset his father, because Francis, instead of squandering his father’s wealth like he had before, was giving it to those in need. His father claimed Francis was wrongfully using his wealth, to which Francis responded by giving all he had left from his father, even the clothes off his back. From there he founded a new order of the church, one devoted to helping the poor while living in the midst of poverty.
Francis took the unconventional path. It’s what we see in the Gospel today too. Before this passage, Jesus has pointed out that the religious leaders looked down on John the Baptist for not drinking and on Jesus’ own followers for drinking too much. They can’t get their story straight, nor can they see the wisdom of preparing with fasting, as John did, or celebrating with the bridegroom, as the Disciples are doing with Jesus.
Jesus also foretells the coming doom of many cities, not unlike the Prophets we have heard throughout this Season after Pentecost in the lectionary readings of Year C, Track 1. These cities too cannot see how their failures to live as God would have them will lead them to their own destruction.
The failure of those we think would heed God’s call means that the less likely will: the infants, the unwise, the strange ones, and those who think outside the box. Those who seem less likely to inherit, not to say understand, the Kingdom of God will inherit it. The Francis’ of the world will have their due.
As Jesus says, all those who “travail and are heavy laden” will be be refreshed. Those who take on God’s burden will be refreshed. God will look after those it seems the Lord would be less likely to see.
God doesn’t often choose the most expected by our standards. God often chooses the least expected. That is a good for us indeed.