"I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

But when he heard it, 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, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The Gospel According to Matthew (ESV)

                                          photo  ©2013  Chris Parker, Flickr

Jesus deals with the Pharisees concerning mercy in this passage. They had been criticizing Jesus for eating with sinners. In other words Jesus was eating with those that the Pharisees looked down on. They thought themselves to be righteous and all others to be sinners. When Jesus tells them he came for the sinners, not the righteous he let’s them know they perceive themselves as righteous, so they see no need for his services.

They are quick to criticize Jesus for working with those they have no use for. They believe they have distanced themselves from sin and everyone associated with it. Yet, they don’t see that they too are in need of the Great Physician. They are counting on their religion and outward piety to convince themselves and everyone else they are not sin sick.

The shame of the situation is that they are in more need of Jesus attention than those they despise. The reason the tax collectors and sinners gather around Jesus is because they know that they need him. They seek the mercy that Jesus offers them. Its sad to see that the Pharisees show no mercy to others, because they so desperately need mercy themselves.

We that are in Christ must learn to show mercy to those that are not. We have received mercy, we must now give it. May we never look down on those we see still suffering in their sin sickness and leave them in it. Let’s be like Jesus and go to them and offer them the cure. Let’s seek them out like Jesus did and call them to something better.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman

"Why do you think evil in your hearts"

And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home.

The Gospel According to Matthew (ESV)

Jesus let’s the scribes know that he knows what is in their hearts when he asks; why do you think evil in your hearts. Here we have very religious men that in their hearts aren’t all they should be and Jesus calls them on it. They had evil thoughts in their hearts. They witness God in the flesh forgive sins and call it blaspheming.

What’s interesting about about their calling Jesus a blasphemer is that in so doing they are blaspheming in their hearts. To blaspheme is to speak irreverently about God. So as they think to themselves that Jesus is a blasphemer, they are really the ones that are speaking irreverently against God.

One of the biggest obstacles for the Scribes and Pharisees was that they didn’t notice God at work before their very eyes. They saw and heard things that Jesus was doing yet they did not have eyes to see and ears to hear. As leaders of God’s people they were blind guides. The way, the truth and the life stood before them and yet, they did not follow him.

Unless we want to fall into the same ditch as those blind guides did we must really pay attention to the word of God and the work of God. Everything we need to know about Jesus and his teachings is right there in our Bibles. All we have to do is become true students of the WORD. When we do we will see the work that God is doing all around us and we will want to participate in it.

So today let’s not stand back and criticize the work that God is doing in and through the lives of those around us. Let’s be thankful for it and praise him for it. Its too easy to have evil thoughts about those that are doing God’s work, when we don’t see it for what it is. Let’s open our eyes to God and his work.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman