May I share with you my devotions and thought on them? Matt. 9:8-13 After Jesus forgave and healed the man with palsy, He passed on from there. He came upon a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. Matthew had a permanent employment position with the Roman Government collecting taxes from the Jews which the Roman Government levied on them. We are not for sure, but he was probably well paid so he hopefully had no temptation to steal from the Romans. Suppose he was content with his position, but not satisfied? There is a very fine line between the two. When Jesus saw him, He told him to leave his job, his financial security, and follow Him. No where in the scriptures can I find where Matthew hesitated! He arose and followed Jesus. What an opportunity! Can you imagine if you had been in Matthews place that day? Matthew left a secure position to be a disciple of Jesus Christ Himself. There was no negotiation of salary; but, suppose from the authority of the voice of Jesus, Matthew realized the retirement plan could not be beat? Then Jesus went to Matthews house for a meal. Scriptures gives us an accurate record of events; but often no time line. I wonder how much time passed between Matthews obedience to follow Jesus and this meal was. But we do know in order to properly honor his guest, he invited the other tax collector friends and some gentiles to come and meet and learn from this man called Jesus. After all, having Jesus in your home for a meal -- what an honorable event! You talk about gaining prestige! Wow! Jesus is going to be here to eat with us. Was Jesus present in your home yesterday for dinner and supper? Was He there in a real way so you could feel His presence? Did you invite anyone over to enjoy His presence with you? Hmm. This is something I need to work on, too. I promise you will get some criticizm if you do it, and it will come from people you would never guess would do it. Matthew did this! Do you know who was around to find fault and criticism him for doing so? Church people! Can you imagine that? Amazing. The King of all Ages sat with tax collectors and sinners to fellowship with them and eat a meal with them. What was Jesus thinking? The stuffed-shirt church people only had anything to do with tax collectors and sinners when they had to for business deals, or doing good for their souls. Such a shame that Jesus would make friends with them and enjoy a meal with them! How horrid! Hope you catch the satire here. When Jesus heard the comments, He told these Pharisees that those who were well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. Jesus made a statement He knew they did not figure the meaning of. He was trying to tell these Pharisees that He, and only He, is the healer of the sin sick soul; those who are redeemed by Old Testament law are already spiritually well. Why do I feel they did not realize what He was saying? The very nest verse tells them to go and learn. See, if they were as pious as they professed, they would know that shirt sleeve religion is no good; of no effect. Then He gave them something else to learn. He told them that mercy is of more value than sacrifice. This was a quotation from I Samuel 15:22. Jesus is not interested in our performance of religious requirements, He is interested in the motives of the heart. God prefers an act of mercy to any act of religious worship; though both are good, the first is preferred! Any one can act religious, but only the well defined can demonstrate mercy from the heart. The whole sacrificial system was only intended to point out the infinite mercy of God to fallen man, in His redemption by the blood of the New Covenant. We should not rest in the performances of religious duty, but look for the mercy and kindness and salvation prefigured by them. What would be good examples of this? If you were a Sunday School teacher running a little late getting to church, and you saw a drunk falling and needing assistance, would you criticize his condition, or get and pay for a cab to take him home? If you saw a handicapped person in a straight wheel chair having trouble getting on a curb, would you laugh at his condition, or would you assist that person in being on his/her way? There are many more, but these two illustrates the point.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 15:57:38 +0000
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