Lenten Thought for the Day. Friday, 14th March 2014 ‘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 9.9-13) Yesterday we reflected on how Jesus reached out to those who were on the margins of society, the poor and lowly, today he demonstrates that the Kingdom of God is an inclusive kingdom, it’s a place were all people are welcome, even those who choose to alienate themselves from mainstream society, those who exploited others, even the ‘Sinners’. A modern day equivalent of Jesus’ calling of Matthew could perhaps be a banker, which may sound quite shocking to us, just as it was to people at the time, tax collectors were the people that all other people hated. But Jesus then gives us one of the central definitions of his – and our – mission, that he has not come to call “the righteous but sinners”. But put yourself in Matthew’s shoes or perhaps even better imagine yourself as a city banker and Jesus turns up and later that very day you give up so much in a material sense, what was it that you saw in Jesus that made you leave all that behind? It must have been something amazing. Looking at it the other way round we clearly see Jesus power to look beyond what we actually are and see the potential within us and what we can become. As a tax collector Matthew would have had to be quite meticulous, in his recording of details, and perhaps he took his pen with him, as the fishermen would probably not have been great writers, so perhaps Jesus was planning ahead when he was building his team, seeing in Matthew the skill to record Jesus’ teaching and actions and to give to the Church this book that has been used throughout the ages to pass on the Christian faith, and build up the Kingdom of God. As Matthew encountered Jesus and looked into his eyes his faith was so great that he left behind so much in terms of material wealth, to gain so much in a spiritual sense he became heir to a fortune. Suggested reading: Matthew 9 (Main focus 9-13) Prayer: Lord we thank you that you look beyond the surface and all our faults to see the potential that lies within us all, give us the courage to use our gifts and talents, and to work with others for your greater glory.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 07:52:33 +0000
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