Daily Bread

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, 'Follow me.' And he got up and followed him.

And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?' But when he heard this, he said, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’

Do you ever wonder why people simply got up and followed Jesus?

Matthew was Jewish and doing the bidding of the Roman overlords and their puppet Jewish authorities by collecting taxes. Because of this he would have been vilified and considered a 'sinner', yet he dropped everything to follow Jesus.

It was considered to be a great honour to be the disciple of a rabbi and very few made the grade and were chosen, therefore when Jesus, a famous rabbi, pointed the finger and said, "Yes, you!" then it would have felt like winning the lottery — and a darned sight better than collecting taxes!

We then get to the crux of the story. Jesus was criticised for hanging out with Matthew, Matthew's colleagues, and others who fell into the category of 'sinners'. Jesus pointed out that this is what he came to do, to confront and deal with sin — people's greed and corruption — wherever it may be found, and to encourage them to join a new way of life found in him, and he did this through bringing compassion and forgiveness. This is why he used the phrase lifted from the book of Hosea, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" where God promotes the values of compassion and forgiveness over ritual and sacrifice.

Did you notice that there were many tax collectors at Matthew's house that evening? I expect it was because they had few friends outside of tax-collecting circles as they were known for extorting money, skimming off the top, and were generally despised by most people.

I don't know if Jesus called all those tax collectors at the dinner to stop being tax collectors, but the way they did their jobs, dealt with the temptation to extort, and dealt with people's vitriol changed that day. God's love, mediated through Jesus, had a transforming effect.

This encounter brings to mind the phrase, 'being in the world but not of it'. Like Matthew, whatever the communities in which we find ourselves, we are called to be bringers of Christ's love and peace. We are called not to be judgmental and legalistic, but to be kind and compassionate.

FAB Church has a calling to minister to those with whom many Christians would not associate, and it is never our place to judge or condemn, but to help people meet a God who loves them more than they can possibly imagine, and to invite them into the way of Christ.

Holy God
We are all sinners
for we all put ourselves first
at the expense of others
and the environment,
yet you met us with an unwavering
compassion and forgiveness.
Therefore, as you have
extended your love to us
may we extend your love to others
Now and forever.