Written ~ 01-11-2024
Read Matthew Chapter Nine
Matthew 9
As Jesus went from town to town, people followed Him wherever He went, bringing the sick, lame and blind so they could be made well. In verses 9:9-13, we see Jesus coming to Matthew and calling him to be His follower.
9 As Jesus was walking along, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow Me and be My disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed Him.
10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and His disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
12 When Jesus heard this, He said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then He added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Matthew was hated by his fellow Israelites because he worked for the Roman Government collecting taxes for them, he would have to lay down the law if anyone was late or short of what they owed. Being a tax collector was not a job that brought praise and great accolades, from what verse 9:10 says, they would be considered disreputable sinners. It’s possible Matthew had heard all about Jesus, by then He would have become quite famous. I’m sure Matthew never could have dreamed that Jesus would come up to him, let alone ask him to be His disciple. I can imagine Matthew was absolutely thrilled with the thought, hence the banquet dinner he held at his home. He was celebrating with his friends and invited this man Jesus and the rest of His followers to join him for a lavish meal.
We know Jesus would not be hesitant by the invitation, but I wonder how the disciples felt. They trusted Jesus, that’s evident because they dropped everything to follow Him. But what about a scenario like this one? Did they agree with the Pharisees at some level as to why they needed to spend time with these types of people? Or had they seen enough of the character of Jesus to know which people needed Him the most.
When the Pharisees came snooping around, they didn’t go straight to Jesus, instead they question the disciples, interesting. Maybe they thought they could catch the disciples saying something to confirm Jesus was just like those He hung around with – a disreputable sinner.
But Jesus saw the Pharisees speaking to His disciples, He knew what they were saying and confronted them. I love this, before the disciples could give any kind of reply to the question, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” Jesus swoops in and rescues them from having to answer this question. Verses 9:12-13 though tucked away in this short passage are some very powerful truths and need to be pondered.
12 When Jesus heard this, He said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then He added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
- Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do
- I want you to show mercy (love), not offer sacrifices
- I did not come to call those who think they are righteous
- I came for those who know they are sinners
Jesus knows the hearts of those Pharisees, they came to judge, they came to discredit Jesus. But look what happens, Jesus pierces their hearts with the truth of their self-righteous ways. In verse 9:13, Jesus tells the Pharisees to take a look at Hosea 6:6 and really learn the meaning of it, 6 “I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know Me more than I want burnt offerings.” This was a way for Jesus to show the Pharisees their need for Him too. They followed the Law, but now it was time for them to really see Jesus and follow Him. But as we study in the New Testament it seems that very few religious teachers and Pharisees will ever see past their own selfish ways and see Jesus for who He really is – the Messiah.
In these last couple of chapters of Matthew we have established that Jesus is our Healer, so I love His response to the Pharisees’ question, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do…” This response defines part of His character and I think those who get it, really get it… we know Jesus is the one we all need to go to for the complete healing of our hearts, minds and souls.
Do you ever question who Jesus is? Have you ever used snide remarks questioning His character? Well, guess what? He will always answer you with descriptions of who He is. Maybe it’s time to really listen. As you study the Word of God, the Scriptures will explain who Jesus is, it’s up to us to really lean in and listen to what the Lord is saying.
Let’s not be like the Pharisees and question the Lord’s character and just walk away. Let’s learn from what Jesus says and apply it to our own lives. Those of us who have come to know Jesus as Savior, it’s because we have recognized the need for Him to cleanse us from sin.
Imagine Jesus walking up to you like He did with Matthew and simply said,
“Follow Me and be My disciple…”
Would you drop everything and follow?
~AMEN~