Matthew 9:9-13

Read: The Calling of Matthew

⁹As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

¹⁰While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹²On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

I heard a famous preacher once say, 'What you are converted with, you are converted to.' The door through which you enter faith becomes the trajectory of travel and your expectations of God for years to come. Matthew keeps his story of his first encounter with Jesus short and yet packed with meaning. Tax collectors were infamous in Israel as corrupt people who were working for their oppressors, the Romans, taking money from the Jews and adding extra taxes to line their own pockets. Jesus doesn't confront this or tell Matthew all the reasons why his choices have been bad. He simply extends a hand to him and invites him to follow him. This invitation involves leaving his job, letting go of his identity and starting a new life as a disciple, learning to follow the way of Jesus. It was an all or nothing offer to become an apprentice of Jesus and a spiritual leader. The Pharisees are furious and can not keep quiet, he is not worthy of the invitation. The words of Jesus that would echo through Matthews life are these: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'

Reflect

What do these words mean to you: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners?
If you were to summarise the centre of your faith in a few words, what would they be?