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Friday, July 04, 2008 Meditation Matthew 9:9-13 Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. (Matthew 9:13) Put yourself in the place of these Pharisees for a moment. They were probably confused and maybe a little angry when Jesus made this statement. Why should they listen to him? They had devoted their whole lives to the Mosaic law, and here was Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners! Who was he to tell them that they didn't understand God's ways? But in spite of their exasperation, some of them must have thought that Jesus was right. His words did come from Scripture, after all. It was Hosea who said, "For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts" (Hosea 6:6). Perhaps in their zeal to follow the law they had missed its point: It was meant to help them know God better, and it was all about love and mercy, not ritual observance. Perhaps those tax collectors and sinners deserved as much compassion as anyone else! What can we take from this teaching? As believers, we shouldn't measure our faith by how rigidly we are upholding the law but by our relationship to Jesus. It is, after all, through intimacy with him that we receive the grace to remain faithful and stay clear of sin. However, we all can use a little review at times. For example, like these Pharisees, we may want to feel secure in knowing that we are in the right group. It's great to belong to something—to a parish, prayer group, ministry, or faith community. But what about those who don't share our background or our views? Are we able to love them and accept them as our brothers and sisters? When we meet those who don't fit in with us, we should remember Jesus' question: "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?" (Luke 6:32). He promises to bless us when we reach out to the strangers in our midst. Why? Because when we do, we are becoming more like him. For when we were "far off," he saved us and made us "no longer strangers and sojourners" (Ephesians 2:17-19). Those who challenge us the most may end up being our best friends! "Lord, teach me to accept those who are different from me. May we all be united in your love." Amos 8:4-6,9-12; Psalm 9:2,10,20,30,40,131 |
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