Matthew 9:10-13
The key words in this passage are: tax collectors, sinners, and righteous. Jesus uses the word picture of a doctor - he's not there for the healthy but for the sick. Jesus compares this to his own ministry: he didn't come for the righteous but for the sinners. This helps to define Jesus' mandate according to Matthew. Matthew is proving that Jesus is the Annointed King of Israel that was promised in the OT but that he came with a different agenda than everyone expected him to. He didn't come to have political power or to influence the influencers. He came to make the sinners righteous.
Jesus makes a cryptic statement to the Pharisees, quoting from Hosea 6:6: "Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'" I think Jesus is reminding the Pharisees that there was something more at stake than keeping all the ceremonial laws of the OT. Jesus points this out another time when he reminds his audience that the two greatest commandments are to love God with all you have and are and to love your neighbour as yourself. It was more important for Jesus to be there with sinners who needed God's mercy than to keep himself ceremonially clean.
The priorities of Jesus are clearly seen again: in Matthew 8 it was that people are more important than pigs, at the beginning of Matthew 9 it was that people's souls are more important than their physical needs and here it is that people are more important than religious ceremonial rules. I know my priorities are supposed to be God, family, ministry but what if my priorities were simply God and people (recognizing that people includes my family)? Everything I do should be to bring glory to God and to show love to people. This doesn't mean that I won't spend anytime in the office or any time setting a nice environment - set up and preparation can be one way that I show love to people. However, I must not let my preparation become more important than the people.
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2 comments:
Good insights. I agree, God and people, so simple yet so difficult. I guess the big question we draw then is where is the balance between the sick and "not sick." because we all know we are all sick in some ways. Jesus mandate was for the "sick" yet he still trained disciples, I guess my struggle is where is the balance. You need to create disciples to create more disciples, but if those disciples aren't training others, than you have a problem. You have leadership and then fringe people, it is easier to hang with the leadership, but I wonder if the fringe need us a whole lot more, just some thoughts.
I hear you. I don't think Jesus was saying that the Pharisees were not sick. I think there is probably a bit of irony in Jesus' words. However, the tax collectors and sinners realized that they were sick and in need of the Doctor. Maybe that's where we need to spend our time?
Even more than that, I think the priority is people in general. The main teaching in this passage is "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." It sets up v. 16-17 as well.
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