Mercy NOT sacrifice

Matthew was not the sort of person people expected Jesus to call.

Yet Jesus walks past Matthew’s tax booth, looks directly at him, and says just two words:

“Follow me.”

No lecture. No interrogation. No demand that Matthew first change his life. Simply, “Follow me”, and Matthew gets up and follows.

The remarkable thing is not just that Matthew follows Jesus. The remarkable thing is that Jesus calls him in the first place!!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:35

Welcome, brothers and sisters, and peace be with you. May the words on my lips and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen. Well as people who know me will tell you, I am happy to talk to anyone anywhere, any time about anything. Many years ago I realized that I need to define my own personal ministry by how many people I'm willing to stop for. Sometimes the most important moments in life begin with a simple act of noticing someone whom others ignore. That is exactly what we see in today's gospel. Matthew chapter nine, verses nine to thirteen, and verses eighteen to twenty six. Matthew was not the sort of person people expected Jesus to call. As a tax collector for the Roman occupiers, Matthew would have been widely hated, regarded as a traitor and almost an untouchable sinner. Yet Jesus walks past Matthew's tax booth, looks directly at him, and says just two words Follow me. No lecture, no interrogation, no demand that Matthew first change his life, simply follow me. And Matthew gets up and follows. The remarkable thing is not just that Matthew follows Jesus. The remarkable thing is that Jesus calls him in the first place. The religious leaders of the day had already decided who belonged and who didn't. They had clear categories for the respectable and the unacceptable. Jesus saw something different. Where others saw a sinner, Jesus saw a disciple. Where others saw a failure, Jesus saw potential. Where others saw someone beyond redemption, Jesus saw someone worth saving. This tells us something deeply profound about God. God does not call us because we are perfect. God calls us because he loves us and he sees what we can become. If God waited until we were completely without faults before calling us, none of us would ever hear his voice. Remember every saint has a past, every sinner has a future. Now moving along. The Pharisees were scandalized. They ask, Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? To eat with someone in the ancient world was a sign of acceptance and friendship. Jesus wasn't merely preaching to sinners from a safe distance. He was sharing life with them. Jesus responds to the Pharisees with one of my favourite gospel metaphors. Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick a doctor goes where the illness is. A lifeboat goes where drowning people are, a shepherd goes where the lost sheep are. And Jesus goes where broken people are. Some Christians can sometimes unintentionally forget this. Faith communities can become places where people feel they must have everything together before they arrive. But our faith communities are not museums for saints. Our faith communities are hospitals for all of those who make mistakes, who sin, who need healing. We do not become part of our faith community because we are perfect. We come because we need God's mercy. And Jesus says, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. The second part of today's gospel shows us this mercy in action. A synagogue leader approaches Jesus. His daughter has died. His world has collapsed. Yet he comes to Jesus in faith. At the same time, a woman who has suffered from hemorrhages for twelve years quietly reaches out to touch Jesus' cloak. For twelve years she has lived with illness, isolation and disappointment. Perhaps she had almost given up hope. And yet she believes that even touching Jesus' garment just might change everything. Notice how different these two people are, one a respected leader, the other an anonymous woman. One approaches publicly, the other approaches secretly. One has social status, the other has none. Yet Jesus responds to both with equal love. Jesus is never impressed by status, wealth or reputation, he sees hearts. The synagogue leader matters. The suffering woman matters The powerful matter The forgotten matter everyone matters. That is the kingdom of God. The woman touches Jesus' cloak and he turns and says Take heart, daughter. Your faith has made you well. Daughter What a beautiful word. In that moment Jesus gives her more than physical healing. He restores her dignity. He restores her identity. He restores her place in the community. Jesus spoke words physical, mental and spiritual healing to that woman, and he speaks those words of healing to this very day. Take heart. Please pause for just a moment to reflect upon the people that you know. What words may they need to hear today? Finally, Jesus arrives at the house of the synagogue leader and takes the girl by the hand. Life returns. Hope returns. Joy returns. Where everyone else sees death. Jesus brings life. Jesus is Lord even over death. The resurrection of this young girl points forward to his own resurrection, and to the promise that death will never have the final word. Because Christ lives, hope lives. Because Christ lives love is stronger than death. Because Christ lives, every ending can become a new beginning. So what shall we take with us from this gospel today? I have four lessons from Jesus that speak to me today. One hear Christ's call personally like Matthew, each of us invited to follow Jesus, not because we are worthy, but because we are loved. two show mercy. Jesus calls us to see people as He sees them, not by their failures, labels or reputations, but as beloved children of God. three Trust Him with your needs. Whether your burden is grief, illness, fear, doubt or disappointment, bring it to Christ. The woman reached out in faith. The synagogue leader came in faith. Jesus met both of them. four never lose hope. The God who called Matthew, healed the woman, and raised the young girl is still at work today. No life is beyond his reach. No wound is beyond his healing. No person is beyond his love. Oteangoa Otehatua Te Matua Tetama Metewaru Amine.