Matthew 9.13 (NIV)
Once again, there is a hubbub,
a buzz in
We are now in
and
Matthew gets up and follows Him.
That evening, Jesus has dinner
at Matthew's house, with other tax
collectors,
friends from work, of course eating with him and his disciples.
Half way through the meal, the
teachers of the law see Him
eating
with these men, "sinners", men
and women who are not religious,
and tax collectors, and
they ask His
disciples:
"Why does he eat with tax collectors and
`sinners'?"
Jesus says to them, "It is not the
healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to
call the righteous, but sinners."
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
Now, just to turn the pages of
the Gospels is to discover that in one way the teachers of the law are
absolutely right. All the way through the gospels – we see Jesus in the company
of sinners, those who never bother with the law, those outside of religious
life - Zacchaeus, the woman at the well, Mary Magdalene. Here He has just called Matthew to follow
Him, a man with a rather loose set of values, who perhaps didn’t think much
about religion, or his work, where the taxes came from, or where they went.
so
actually, the question the teachers of the law ask is quite correct, quite on
the ball.........
Why ?
why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and
sinners ?
That question of the Pharisees
This: "Why does Jesus eat
with tax collectors and
`sinners'?"
has
an edge, it has bite,
it is
a searching, testing question:
Why does the Lord associate
with such people ?
For you see, the living God is
a living Holy God
Look at the description of how
the people of
16. On the morning of the third day there was thunder and
lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very
loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.
17
Then Moses led the
people out of the camp to meet with
God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
18
descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like
smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently,
19
and the sound of the
trumpet grew louder and louder.
Fire on the
His presence in inexpressible
power in sheer majesty and holiness as the living God……………
For the men and women there the experience
of God’s Holy presence was an ordeal for them, a painful experience. the people trembled,
shook with fear in the presence of His Holiness...........
All through the Old Testament, the prophets declare over and over again,
the holiness and justice of God.
So, the question of the teachers of the law is perfectly valid........
why does Jesus, the Lord Jesus, even associate with sinners, outcasts,
those who have no part in
But the answer of Jesus, the words of Jesus contain the whole Gospel
I have not come, He says, to
call the righteous, but sinners.
The letter to the Hebrews
describes the Word of God as a two-edged sword. Well, these words, I have not come to call the righteous, but
sinners are two-edged. They wound and heal. They wound, since if we think
we are righteous these words are fatal, because the call of Jesus is not for us.
But if we know our sin, then we know that He, and He
alone is our righteousness. They judge and liberate us, since our righteousness
is judged and we are freed to know who we are - we are sinners for whom He
came, for whom He died
! And they state both the problem and its resolution. The problem ? that we think our
righteousness is entirely sufficient. Its resolution ?
that we are sinners who only live in the grace of the
holiness God gives.
So - the whole Gospel, all of
the good news, is in these holy words of Jesus:
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
because He has come into the world for sinners,
for the outcast, for those far from God..............
Sent by the Father in heaven, He has come seeking the lost sheep, wandered
far..........
scattered over the face of the earth.........
Here is Jesus, in the midst of
the outcasts, and the sinners.........
Here is Jesus among the outcasts, among the friendless, the sinners, as
the teachers of the law call them......... Here is Jesus present among them, and
in Him the
What, said John Calvin, a wonderful picture of God's grace is here !
Jesus, not far away, secluded, cloistered, here He is
in
the midst of the outcasts, and the sinners.........
The prophets, through the Holy Spirit, had always promised a day was coming,
a day when God would redeem men and women, well, the day is here !
Here is Jesus in the midst of the outcasts, and the
sinners.........
Now, let us never think that Jesus cannot see what these men and women
are like.... Jesus knows exactly what men and women are like,
for He knows all the secrets of the human heart,
Jesus Christ knows what we are like,
He knows our wickedness, our hypocrisy, He knows what the company He
keeps is like ...
Now.... listen to those Words once again,
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
You see, if Jesus has come only for the righteous,
if Jesus Christ in His holiness stays away from sinners,
then men and women like ourselves, sinners, have no hope
for sin is rooted in our human nature,
we see its effects in the world
and we know what sin does to us.
When Jesus says,
those who are well do not need a doctor, only those who are sick,
He means all of us
!
But Jesus Christ is like no other doctor, not only does He come into our
midst, seeking us, in Jesus, the New Testament declares, God has acted
decisively to do something about our situation,
at the Cross
through
the Cross of Jesus Christ we are brought into the presence of the Holy God and we
are redeemed.
Christ died for sins, once for all,
the righteous for the unrighteous,
to bring you to God...........
God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.........
At the cross, Jesus has taken
our sin upon Himself,
and has taken it away
once and for all.
Remember the old hymn ‘The Old Rugged Cross ? Remember how it goes ?
‘In that old rugged cross stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for twas’ on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me............’
Now, listen to those Words once again,
and listen gladly,
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
This is a true saying, writes Paul in 1 Timothy 1 to be completely accepted and believed,
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners !
Back to that little group, Matthew and his friends, sitting in the
presence of Jesus in His company, the teachers of the law saw right away what
kind of people were in that house.... a motley crew, of sinful men and
women......... perhaps it was easy for the teachers of the law to write them
all off........... but Jesus didn’t........
So, here’s a closing thought that will strike us about that little
group, Matthew and his friends, that motley crew, of sinful men and women
sitting in the presence of Jesus.........
isn’t
that just what the Church is ?
Isn’t that just what we are.............. a motley crew........
of sinful men and women, gathered here in the
presence of Jesus, brought into God’s presence through the Cross ?
So, listen to His Words once again,
and listen gladly,
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
AMEN