Good Shepherd
Lutheran,
Pentecost 3—June 1&2, 2008
Pastor Werre
Matthew 9:9-13
Jesus is
looking for a few good sinners
You are in this account. The only question is, “Where?” Are you standing with the disciples, a bit confused? Are you standing outside the house with the Pharisees? Are you inside, at the table, with the tax collectors and 'sinners'? Whom do you identify with, where are you in this story? This you must answer if anything good is to come of it.
Perhaps you see yourself with the disciples. The disciples have been thrown off balance—maybe you know what that feels like. They are thrown off balance by the Pharisees' thinly veiled criticism, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'? Which the disciples probably knew was a wrong criticism, but at the same time the disciples probably wondered the same thing, though did not say it out loud. What kind of a rabbi were they following, anyway?
Notice that when Jesus hears about this, he deals with the disciples first. “On hearing this, Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.'” Simple logic. Where else should Jesus be? Kind of like if one of us here gets put into jail for a DWI or gets caught with pornography or whose marriage ends in divorce. Rather than be surprised that they are members, would it not make more sense to say, “Of course they need to be here!” “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Simple logic. A very good point.
Now connect the dots between the points. What are you doing here today? If there's nothing wrong with you and you are spiritually healthy, you don't need Jesus or church or his Word and Sacraments. So why be here? Go home. The devil will have you. But if there is something wrong with you and you are one of those who are spiritually sick, then you do need Jesus and his Word and Sacraments. Christ and his Church and his Word and his Baptism and his Supper are here for the person who has something wrong with him, or her. Connect the dots...to yourself.
Now connect one more dot. If there is something wrong with you, then who are you to criticize someone else? Connect another dot--if there is something wrong with you, do you appreciate how difficult it can be for someone else to have to live with you, in the same house? Connect another dot--if there is something wrong with you, why do you try so hard to hide it; do you imagine that the rest of us haven't noticed?
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Each of us is sick, sick all the way down to the soul. A disease that is fatal 100% of the time. It's like the song says, “I've been dying since the day I was born. And there ain't no road that ain't a hard road to travel on.” That's how it is when what's wrong with you is called sin.
This is one thing we all have in common. And why we need to be here, together, every time. After all, since what is wrong with us keeps being wrong with us, we keep needing the doctor. And his Church. And his Word. And his Baptism. And his Supper. For that is where the cure is to be found. In the forgiveness and salvation that Christ freely gives through his Word and Sacraments. The cure that was incredibly painful for Christ on the cross so that it would be incredibly free now. And why Jesus now is looking for a few good sinners.
But maybe it's not the disciples that you see yourself standing with in this account. Maybe it's with the Pharisees. By the way, if you don't see yourself as being like the Pharisees, you're lying to yourself. So, cross out the “maybe.” There's a little Pharisee in each of us. And it is a source of arguments, it starts fights, it kills friendships and marriages—because it is of the devil, this Pharisee in us is. So how does Jesus deal with this part of us?
He said,“Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'” You must learn how mercy works. I can tell you, but that is not enough. It may help, so I will explain it. But understand, you must go and experience it as well. Mercy works this way--mercy is triggered when we see someone in need, someone helpless, even hopeless, like when we see starving children in Africa or a family whose house has burned down and they are left with nothing but the shirts on their backs. You see that, and mercy is triggered and you want to do something for that them.
That's what happens when God sees you sin. He sees that you are someone in need, that your situation is hopeless, for even on your best day you still sin. And that triggers...mercy. Not anger. Not disappointment. Mercy. Every time you sin. It triggers mercy. From God. Every single time you sin. God wants to do something to help you. And he did. He sent his Son to take away that sin and replace it with the robes of God's approval and with his salvation. And he keeps giving you that forgiveness and approval and salvation in the Absolution, in his Supper, in your Baptism. And he keeps being merciful, not just to your soul, but your body as well.
He said, “But go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'” Go and learn it. Learn it by trying to be merciful to everyone you deal with today. And tomorrow. And then you will learn the secret to mercy. The secret is realizing I need mercy too. A lot of mercy. From God, whose mercies never fail, they are new every morning, so great is his faithfulness. For we are all sinners. Which is exactly what Jesus is looking for, a few good sinners. That we might receive mercy. From God. And from each other. Because we all could use a little mercy from each other.
There's
one group left in this picture. The tax
collectors and sinners. Do you see
yourself with them? Blessed are you if
you do. For one of the most dangerous
lies blowing around in the air around
But for you who know, “Yes, I fit just fine with the 'tax collectors and sinners'. After all, even though I try to do my best each week, I am still not as patient as I should be, still not as generous, still not as self-disciplined, still not as forgiving, still not as sexually pure, still not as good as I should be. In fact, I'm dealing with most of the same issues now that I was a year ago; I still don't have it all together”, you must also know this—you're exactly the kind of person Jesus Christ is looking for. For, Jesus said, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” This must have made Matthew who wrote this feel a whole lot better. Because remember, he was one of those tax collectors.
And
I pray it has that effect not just on Matthew.
Because Jesus Christ is looking for a few good sinners. In fact, he's looking for you even if you
aren't that good at sinning, though most of us are pretty good at it since
we've had plenty of practice. We're the
kind of people Jesus wants. People who
need forgiveness every day, every hour.
People who need a Saviour more than a helper. People who need to be in worship. Who need Jesus, his Church, his Word, his
Baptism, his Supper. “I have not
come to call the righteous but sinners.”
I pray you get better at being patient, at being generous, at being self-controlled, at being able to forgive and move forward, at viewing the beautiful gift of your sexuality the same way God does. I would expect that. After all, does not the HS live in us who believe and are baptized? If Ebenezer Scrooge at the end of that Christmas story had the spirits of Christmas striving in him--and what a difference that made in him!--how much more will the working of the HS through the W/S make a difference in us! So progress will be made.
But never stop being a sinner. Because that's whom Jesus is looking for. The Marines might be looking for a few good men. But Jesus Christ is looking for a few good sinners. Amen.