In this Sunday’s Gospel reading from Matthew 9, the religious leaders criticize Jesus for spending time with sinners and even (gasp!) eating with them. Jesus responds, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” How often do we fall into the trap of thinking we need to be “good enough” to come into God’s presence? More than once, I’ve heard people concerned, “If I step into the door of the church, the roof will collapse!”
But sinners are exactly who Jesus is seeking. Jesus calls no one but sinners! And he invites them (us!) to follow, to leave behind our sin and receive forgiveness and new life. Good news indeed!
This week’s readings are Genesis 12:1-9; Psalm 33:1-6; and Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26. We also welcomed new members at Living Hope this Sunday, so there’s a little section towards the end of the sermon that’s unique to each congregation. I found helpful this week the 2023 Working Preacher commentary on this text by Cleophus LaRue as well as Will Willimon’s reflection for this week in his Lectionary Sermon Resource (the lengthy quote later in the sermon is found on pages 43-44 of Year A Part 2).
Here’s the livestream from Living Hope and the sermon podcast audio:
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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Tomorrow is the first day of Vacation Bible School, and as you’ve probably heard, our theme is “Do Something Superheroes.”
We’ll have stations like, “Hero Headquarters” for opening and closing, “Refueling Zone” for snack time, “Training Grounds” for games, other stations like mission field and creation lab.
The kids are divided up into squads. It’s a fun theme, and the point is that you can be a hero by helping others, loving your neighbors, making a difference by doing something.
I am not personally much of a superhero person—the last Marvel movies I saw were the Spiderman movies in the early 2000’s.
I’m happy to talk about Star Wars, but I don’t do comic books.
But when I think about superheroes, I think about people with amazing abilities, special talents. People who are bold, unafraid. Fully committed, faster than a speeding bullet, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. (That’s right, I read the entrance signs for the Six Flags Superman roller coaster!)
Anyway, I think the superhero theme works well for kids for Vacation Bible School. Here’s the challenge: The people in the Bible who do amazing things for God are not really superheroes. Jesus’ followers are ordinary people.
Or maybe even calling them ordinary, regular people is too high of a bar. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus calls Matthew to come and follow him.
But Matthew is not a good candidate to be a disciple. He’s a tax collector, —and we talk about this in the story of Zacchaeus too—tax collectors do not have a good reputation.
Remember, Israel in Jesus’ time is an occupied nation, controlled by the Roman empire. Taxes are extracted from the Jewish population to go to the Romans, so tax collectors are not only taking money that no one wants to pay; they’re collaborating with the enemy.
And they make a profit by skimming off the top, collecting a little more than the Romans demand, a little extra for themselves. This is not who a self-respecting Jewish rabbi would invite to follow.
You know the saying, “You’re known by the company you keep?” Matthew the tax collector is not good company. And not only does Jesus invite him to come and follow; Jesus then goes and has dinner with him at his house. The version we just read says “As he sat at dinner in the house.”
But listen to Luke’s version (he uses the name Levi for Matthew, but it’s the same person). Luke says, “Levi gave a great banquet for [Jesus] in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others reclining at the table with them.” (Luke 5:29)
Jesus is eating dinner with Matthew the tax collector, and with all his disreputable friends. Sinners. Jesus willingly chooses to associate himself with sinners, to spend time with collaborators. There are no superheroes at this table.
Jesus doesn’t call Matthew because he’s worthy. He calls Matthew so that Matthew can become part of what God is doing. Forgiven sinners become disciples.
And that’s the point. Will Willimon writes:
“[Jesus] not only announced the in-breaking kingdom [of God] but he also acted in ways in which the kingdom took concrete, visible form.
That is what’s happening in today’s Gospel lesson. The kingdom is breaking out, taking form around the table with Jesus. Those within Israel who were regarded as outsiders, because of their failure to observe the commands of the covenant, are now being invited to repentance, to turning around, to change on the basis of this gracious invitation…
Today’s Gospel is a challenge to the faith community of any age…If we would be with Jesus, we must be servants of his expansive kingdom, moving out, reaching out, inviting sinners to the gospel feast.”
The religious leaders question what Jesus is doing. Shouldn’t he be going to the good, respectable people? Why is he wasting his time eating with tax collectors and sinners? Why is Jesus hanging out with the people we don’t like?
I love, by the way, that the Pharisees complain about Jesus to his disciples. Maybe Matthew is one of the more obvious sinners, but Jesus’ other disciples are hardly the cream of the crop themselves. Several of them are fishermen; none of them are religious scholars or civic leaders.
I have a children’s Bible where this story shows up under the heading “Misfits on a Mission.” I don’t know if the rest of them approve of Jesus eating at Matthew’s house, but they get used to Jesus spending time with the “wrong” people.
Jesus hears the Pharisees’ grumbling, and he tells them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
Jesus spends time with people who need help, people on the margins, people who don’t have it all figured out, because those are the people who need a savior. Jesus came to save sinners.
[CTK: Being part of a church is important. Worship is important. Giving and service and being a member of a church are good. I’m glad you’re here. But I hope you don’t treat being a member of a church as an accomplishment.
As the saying goes, “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum to honor saints.” We’re a community of sinners seeking forgiveness, worshiping because Jesus has forgiven and rescued us. The church is a place to come to Jesus for help.]
[Living Hope: We have new members joining the church today, and I hope you’re not planning to treat being a member of Living Hope as an accomplishment. As the saying goes, “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum to honor saints.”
We’re a community of sinners seeking forgiveness, worshiping because Jesus has forgiven and rescued us. The church is a place to come to Jesus for help.]
The other characters in this Gospel story are good examples. A leader comes to Jesus in desperation. His daughter has died, and Jesus is his only hope, the only possibility in a hopeless situation. He might be powerful leader, but in this situation, he has nowhere else to go.
As Jesus goes to help him, there’s a woman who’s been suffering from a flow of blood for 12 years. It’s more than just a physical sickness; she’s unclean by the standards of the law, so she is an outcast, existing on the margins of society. She too has nowhere else to go. “Help me, Jesus, you’re my only hope.” (That’s a Star Wars reference.)
But even speaking to him is too much, so she just touches his cloak.
Jesus came for those who are sick. Jesus came for the people who are desperate, at the end of their rope, people who don’t have anywhere else to go.
Jesus came to save sinners.
Not superheroes, not people who mostly do the right thing, not pastors or bishops or Biblical scholars, not VBS volunteers or even church members; Jesus came to save sinners. That is the Gospel. That is the good news. That’s the whole ballgame.
When you and I confess our sin, we’re admitting we’re in the group Jesus came to save. If you are a sinner, you meet the qualifications for Jesus to call you.
Jesus came for you, and for me.
Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.
The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country” so Abram went as the Lord had told him.
Jesus comes to a church full of sinners, saying, “Follow me.” Thanks be to God, Jesus doesn’t need superheroes; Jesus saves sinners and invites us to follow.
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, you come to people who are in need, and you summon us to follow you. You call us to repent, to leave behind our sin, and to join your community, to feast at your table, to live out your mission.
Bless us with your presence, and lead us as we follow you.
Amen