He Came For Sinners Matthew 9:9-13
Today we are continuing to look at accounts of Jesus after his Sermon on the Mount because like I said last week, now Jesus actually lives out the lessons from his sermon for all of us to see so we can emulate them. One thing I think is important to see as we review these scriptures is the context of how they were written and why.
The overall theme of Matthew is to show Jesus is the Messiah promised by Go and Matthews writing constantly focuses on that point. Last week’s accounts from chapter eight and this week’s reading in chapter nine are specifically chosen accounts from Jesus life to make this point. But they are not a biography, they are not a chronological series of events. Matthew strings together events to build the case that Jesus has authority that only God has, thereby demonstrating for mankind that Jesus is God on earth and in human flesh. In his gospel Matthew shows Jesus healing a leper, a paralyzed servant, he cast out demons, and stopped the wind and waves on the lake. These accounts show us Jesus has authority over disease, over nature, and over the supernatural.
Verse 9, “…he saw a man named Matthew sitting at a tax collectors booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him…” This seems simple but it has great significance. To understand how significant we need to understand who Matthew is. Tax collectors were despised and called “publican.” They were considered traitors.
Now there were three kinds of publicans. The gabbai collected general taxes on land and income. It is a Aramaic word meaning collector but today it describes the one who helps read the Torah. Great mokhes collected import duties, tolls, and business taxes. Both of these were backed by Rome. Small mokhes were hired from the populace to do the worst of the dirty work. They could attach a tax on almost anything including cloths, boats, fish. They could even open private letters to see if the correspondence referred to a taxable activity. These men, through their work, became wealthy. They were the most despised in Israel’s society.
Matthew is one of these small mokhes and Jesus walks up to him and says “Follow me.” Luke 5:28 says, “and he got up, left everything and followed him.” Nowhere does it say Matthew said anything. I believe this is because he must have heard of this teacher and prophet Jesus and he was speechless over the amount of forgiveness and grace Jesus extended to him. This is another example of what we saw last week, that no matter the condition of your life, Jesus is still in front of you offering grace and mercy, all you have to do is follow him.
Remember Matthew is a rich man and scripture never records him complaining about what he gave up for Jesus. Today there are people like Matthew, those who abuse their authority over others for personal gain, those who amass wealth on the backs of those they oppress. Matthew was despised, but it’s unfortunate that many men like this are looked up to in our society. Matthew shows us this is not how God wants us to be.
Verse 11, “When the Pharisees saw this they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’” These religious leaders didn’t really want an honest answer to their question. If they had they would have asked Jesus himself. This question was meant as a rebuke of Jesus disciples. They were in essence saying, “How can you follow someone who associates with these types of people?”
These Pharisees remind me of “Christians” I know who say things like, “I love Jesus, I follow him, I love God’s creation, but I won’t associate with a transgender or any LGBTQ person.”
Man, woman, straight, gay, transsexual or cissexual; we are all creations of God. Hating someone, dismissing someone, denying Jesus from someone because you don’t agree with them is the opposite of the lessons Jesus gives his followers through his actions.
God’s love is universal. Pope Francis recently confirmed God’s love is unconditional, God loves each of just as we are. This past Wednesday Pope Francis at the General Assembly at the Vatican said of the church’s relationship with the LGBTQ community, “We cannot be judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.”
Verse 12 & 13, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Man, woman, straight, gay, trans, cis; all mankind are sinners and all mankind needs Jesus. As his followers, we are not to sit in our bubble, we are not to ignore or condemn others. Like Jesus in Matthew’s house, we are expected by God to reach out, no matter who, and engage with compassion, concern, and an honest desire to give aid and to give Christ.
Our reading tells us Matthew followed Jesus but it doesn’t say any of the others at the dinner did. Knowing they would not turn from their ways, Jesus sat among them anyway. That is a powerful message to Christians.
You’ve heard me say I will never say to someone, this is sin, that action is sin; it is enough for me to say I am a sinner and Christ saved me, let me tell you about it. This scripture doesn’t say Jesus pointed out their sins so neither will I. What this scripture does say is that Jesus engaged them, and as his modern disciples we must engage with all of God’s creation.
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” In relation to the scene here, we see Jesus lived out this statement at the dinner. He offered mercy without sacrifice; eating with these people without demanding them to bow down and pledge undying fidelity.
We also need to share ourselves and share Jesus without expecting or demanding someone believe, without demanding someone change based on our words, even Nicodemus walked away from his conversation with Jesus without committing to be his follower right then. Only the Holy Spirit can truly change a person’s heart or life. Our love for others is based on God’s love for us. Our job is to introduce Jesus and pray for the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of anyone outside of God’s family so they will be saved, not so they will change because we think they should.
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” This is a rebuke to those Pharisees, to modern pastors and Christians. Those Pharisees were more interested in making sure they were seen as holy than they were interested in sharing God and his mercy with others. This is something all Christians must be aware of, something all Christians must be wary of. Our motivation should never be making ourselves look like the perfect Christian, it should be about others eternal salvation and expanding God’s kingdom, no matter how we are perceived.
Verse 14, “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus did not associate with the righteous or those who thought they were righteous. To those Christians who say they can’t associate with this group or with that group, I ask, how is that emulating what Jesus did and what he tells us.
Let me remind us of James 2:17, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” It is God’s plan for us to engage the world for his kingdom. Our faith is useless to others if we don’t share it. So, as we contemplate our faith and our obligation to Jesus, let us know that we are not supposed to just sit in our little bubble. We’re not supposed to ask “Why don’t they get it? Why don’t they change?” Whether we agree with someone, whether we understand someone doesn’t matter. Like our example of Jesus, we are to reach out to others no matter their life because that is what God tells us to do with our life.
We are God’s creation. Everyone born is a creation of God, no matter one’s life or condition. Jesus offers grace and mercy to everyone; it is not for us to decide someone’s life or lifestyle is beyond God’s love.
As a church, as Christians and followers of Jesus, God does not want us to live a life lifting ourselves up at the expense of others. God wants us to lift up others at the expense of ourselves.
To us here and those across the world who live with faith in Jesus, I ask you to let that faith flow from you, and to use it to do good among mankind.
Amen.