IN IT FOR THE SINNERS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 9:10-13

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him and His disciples, for there were many who followed Him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples: “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 2:15-17

Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to His disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:29-32

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the days of Jesus, the Jewish community wasn’t exactly the inclusive or accommodating. In fact, there were pretty strict requirements to be accepted in society and those requirements were imposed and enforced by the Jewish religious authorities themselves, no necessarily by God.

For example, anyone who did not accept the Jewish way of life and conform to the cultural norms and expectations were labeled Gentiles which essentially meant they weren’t Jews. This group of people was considered unclean and unworthy of God’s favor or salvation. In fact, anyone who failed to be a Jew or did anything considered harmful to the Jews at large was considered a sinner, an outcast not worth spending time with. These people were essentially shunned by all, starting with the Jewish religious authorities.

With this as a backdrop, let’s look at what happened after Jesus called Matthew (also known as Levi) to be one of His disciples, a call that Matthew answered without hesitation. Read these verses again from each of the three Gospel accounts:

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Matthew 9:10-13

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him and His disciples, for there were many who followed Him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples: “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Mark 2:15-17

Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to His disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  Luke 5:29-32

As we know, Jesus often violated the cultural norms of the Jews, something that raised the ire of religious leaders like the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who never missed an opportunity to challenge Jesus and what He did in His ministry. There always seemed to be friction within the context of that relationship, fueled by Jesus’ tendency to not comply with conventional ways.

The event highlighted in today’s scripture passage was a classic example of this truth. For as soon as Matthew, counted among the number of tax collectors despised by the Jews, accepted Jesus’ offer to enter into the company of His trusted followers, the tax collector invited Jesus and His disciples to a “great banquet”. We read that there was quite a crowd gathered which included “many tax collectors and sinners”.

We also read where the Jewish religious leader, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect, were watching everything as it took place and allowed their frustration to bubble over as they asked Jesus’ disciples:

“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Well, if the Pharisees and teachers of the law thought that Jesus wouldn’t be aware of their grumbling, they learned soon enough that Jesus was completely aware of everything that was going on and took the Jewish religious authorities to task, saying to them:

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus saw that sinners were afflicted and unable to get well unless they discovered the mercy, grace, and forgiveness that came through Him. This is why He chose to spend time with those seen as transgressors in the Jewish society. Jesus longed for them to know why He came, to save all sinners from their sins.

This is what Jesus was talking about when He challenged the Pharisees and teachers of the law to go back and look at the scriptures which they were so legalistic over. His quote was from Hosea who shared the words of God Himself, words that showed the Father’s expectation for His people to be merciful, just as He was merciful.

Unfortunately, the Pharisees and teachers of the law failed to get the memo. For they questioned why Jesus would hang out with people they spurned and rejected, those who were sick in the eyes of the Jews. But Jesus, who should already have been seen as the Great Physician amid all the miraculous acts of healing He performed, let the Pharisees and teachers of the law know that He had not come for those who were healthy (referring to the righteous) but rather for those who were unhealthy and in need of

In other words, Jesus was in His ministry for the sinners.

These are the people He came for back in the New Testament days and it’s the people He still seeks out today as He seeks to heal the sick, those who realize their iniquities and commit themselves to turn away from them and toward the righteousness only found in God. It was an approach far more effective and appropriate than the segregational tact used by the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.

Perhaps we should remember that as we live this thing called life and deal with the people who are in our society, people we often reject if we find they don’t fit our notion of appropriate behavior. For in going back to the word of God Himself in Hosea:

‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’   

We need to show that mercy as we reach out to others in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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