God’s Heart to Reconcile
Matthew 9:9-13 (NLT)
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.
Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Reflection
We all suffer from illnesses from time to time. Some of our afflictions are obvious and easy for both us and others to see. Other illnesses are not apparent because they reside deep inside the body, as insidious robbers, stealing our bodies from us. And by virtue of being human, we all find ourselves caught up in the soul-robbing sickness known as sin. (For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Romans 3:23). Just like our physical ailments, some sin is easy to see, and some is hidden deep within us, where the person can’t or won’t see or acknowledge them.
In today’s reading, Jesus is calling sinners, who know they are flawed, to Him. With the help of the newly converted Matthew, Jesus wanted to concentrate His message on those who needed Him most and were ready to hear His message. The tax collectors may have been rich with money, but they were poor when it came to relationships. They knew how the Jewish people felt about them and their chosen careers. The tax collectors and other sinners gathered around Matthew’s table could see the sin within themselves.
On the other hand, the Pharisees, who were quick to criticize Jesus and His actions, were also in need of Jesus’ message, but they were too self-righteous and paralyzed by Jewish law and tradition to see the sin within themselves. As He dined with the tax collectors and other “scum”, as the Pharisees called them, Jesus offered the Pharisees an appetizer by quoting Hosea 6:6 to them. Their time would come.
Jesus saved the main course, both figuratively and literally, for those sinners who were most ready to face their “disease”. We don’t know how many converts Jesus may have gained from that supper at Matthew’s house, but we do know that with Matthew on His team, Jesus had a faithful and devoted “sinner”, who would become an articulate spokesman for Jesus for the rest of his life.
Action Steps
Do you routinely acknowledge your sin to God and ask for forgiveness? We need to realize that sin is a part of our nature, and even though we try, we just can’t fully escape it. But knowing that through Jesus we have a way to receive grace and forgiveness, we should always be ready to face our sin so that the great Healer can heal us. Always be honest with yourself, and when sin strikes, be open with God and readily pray for forgiveness.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner and that every day I fall short of being the person I want to be. But because of Your abounding grace and abiding love for me, I keep trying to be a better person. Lord, help me to always see my sin so that I can come before You and seek the forgiveness that only You can provide. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.
Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Reflection
We all suffer from illnesses from time to time. Some of our afflictions are obvious and easy for both us and others to see. Other illnesses are not apparent because they reside deep inside the body, as insidious robbers, stealing our bodies from us. And by virtue of being human, we all find ourselves caught up in the soul-robbing sickness known as sin. (For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Romans 3:23). Just like our physical ailments, some sin is easy to see, and some is hidden deep within us, where the person can’t or won’t see or acknowledge them.
In today’s reading, Jesus is calling sinners, who know they are flawed, to Him. With the help of the newly converted Matthew, Jesus wanted to concentrate His message on those who needed Him most and were ready to hear His message. The tax collectors may have been rich with money, but they were poor when it came to relationships. They knew how the Jewish people felt about them and their chosen careers. The tax collectors and other sinners gathered around Matthew’s table could see the sin within themselves.
On the other hand, the Pharisees, who were quick to criticize Jesus and His actions, were also in need of Jesus’ message, but they were too self-righteous and paralyzed by Jewish law and tradition to see the sin within themselves. As He dined with the tax collectors and other “scum”, as the Pharisees called them, Jesus offered the Pharisees an appetizer by quoting Hosea 6:6 to them. Their time would come.
Jesus saved the main course, both figuratively and literally, for those sinners who were most ready to face their “disease”. We don’t know how many converts Jesus may have gained from that supper at Matthew’s house, but we do know that with Matthew on His team, Jesus had a faithful and devoted “sinner”, who would become an articulate spokesman for Jesus for the rest of his life.
Action Steps
Do you routinely acknowledge your sin to God and ask for forgiveness? We need to realize that sin is a part of our nature, and even though we try, we just can’t fully escape it. But knowing that through Jesus we have a way to receive grace and forgiveness, we should always be ready to face our sin so that the great Healer can heal us. Always be honest with yourself, and when sin strikes, be open with God and readily pray for forgiveness.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I know that I am a sinner and that every day I fall short of being the person I want to be. But because of Your abounding grace and abiding love for me, I keep trying to be a better person. Lord, help me to always see my sin so that I can come before You and seek the forgiveness that only You can provide. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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