Grace and peace be yours from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Matthew 9:9-13

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and `sinners'?"

On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Dear friends in Christ,

My, oh my…we do live in quite a world, don’t we? That thought came into my mind recently as I paged through the newspaper. There were articles about a former governor of Illinois convicted on 17 of 20 counts of illegally trying to sell the senate seat formerly held by President Obama.

There was an article about attempts to retrieve monies invested in what has turned out to be a 50 billion dollar fraud perpetuated by a man named Bernie Madoff. A lot of people lost their hard earned money.

And there was an article about the bizarre court case in Florida that has gripped the entire nation. A mother stands accused of killing her two year old daughter, reportedly because she didn’t want to bear the responsibility of raising a small child. And that was just on the front page! As I continued to go through the paper there were other articles: a drunk driver crashed his car and was killed, personal property was stolen and vandalized, an employee embezzled thousands of dollars from her employer, and a female lesbian minister expressed her thanks at only being suspended for twenty days instead of losing her position because she performed a marriage ceremony for a same sex couple.

The next thing that went through my mind was, if Jesus were to come right now, what do you think he’d have to say about all this? What do you think he’d say about the world in which we live? There is so much hatred, so much abuse, so much sin, do you think he’d just shake his head and walk away? Or do you think he’d get right in the middle and deal with it all?

Let’s bring it even closer to home. If Jesus were to appear right here, right now, in this sanctuary and look at every one of us, what do you think he’d have to say? Would he say, “You people are doing a great job; you’re doing so much better than those others; keep up the good work!?” I don’t think so. I think he’d look into your heart and mine and I know he’d see the same thing that he sees in everyone else’s heart. And then, I think he’d point out the truth. Yes, there is sin all around us, just as there is sin in you and me.

Does that shock you? Would you be shocked to find out that Jesus considers you to be just as guilty as those who carry out what we might consider to be the very worst of sins? You shouldn’t. But what is shocking is that Jesus doesn’t treat us the way sinners should be treated: as undesirables, as people doomed to everlasting torment in hell. What is shocking is that in spite of our sins, Jesus doesn’t try to avoid us. In fact, it’s the other way around.

Jesus Associates with Sinners

1. He came to reach them

2. He came to change them

Our text begins with the calling of Matthew to be a disciple. Matthew turned out to be an interesting choice. What made him so interesting was his profession. Before he became a disciple Matthew was a tax collector.

A little background to world history of the time of Christ might prove helpful. The Roman government ruled the world at the time of Christ. In order to better manage their empire and to assist in gathering taxes, the Romans divided their empire into regions. A tax commissioner was put into place to oversee the collection of taxes in a specific region.

Underneath the tax commissioners in the corporate flow chart were tax collectors or "publicans," as we know them from the Bible. These collectors had to be fairly well educated and knowledgeable about the people they worked with. As a rule, Jews were hired to tax Jews. Once Rome received the money it demanded from the region, the middlemen made a profit on the remainder. Nearly everything was taxed: durable goods, consumables, slaves and land. Publicans would often inflate the price of merchandise and tax it accordingly. What you had here was legalized extortion. Jewish tax collectors were extorting Jews, all for the benefit of their bitter enemy, Rome. This had been Matthew’s world.

Matthew lived and worked in the city of Capernaum. News had reached the city about the miracles Jesus had done in Judea. So it is very likely that Matthew knew who Jesus was. He may have even heard him preach. If he did, and even if he didn't, it is clear that the Holy Spirit had been working in Matthew's heart.

We're told that one day, Jesus walked by Matthew's tax booth and said something to him that changed his life forever. He said,"Follow me" (v.9). Amazingly, Matthew left everything, followed Jesus and became one of his disciples.

It is important to note that Jesus would choose a tax collector, the worst of sinners - a traitor to his country and a cheat - to be one of his disciples. This fact didn't go unnoticed. It became apparent when Matthew invited Jesus and other tax collectors and "sinners" over for dinner. Now Matthew's friends and business associates could meet the Savior who had found him.

When the Pharisees saw this, they were appalled. They asked Jesus' other disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and `sinners'?" (v.11). Tax collectors and "sinners" were people who didn't live up to the Pharisee's own ideas of what was good and right. Obviously, because of his occupation, Matthew didn’t make the list. The question then the Pharisees wanted the other disciples to answer was, “How could they follow a teacher who associated with sinners?” But when you think about it, isn't that exactly why Jesus came? The Bible tells us, Jesus Christ came into this world, "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10). He came "to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15). Why wouldn't he associate with sinners if they were the very reason he came?

Jesus knew what the Pharisees were after. They were really trying to discredit his ministry and drive a wedge between him and his disciples. That's when Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" (v.12).

Here’s what Jesus meant. If you're sick, you need to go to someone who can diagnose your illness and provide the cure. Well, Jesus is the Great Physician. These "sinners" the religious leaders so looked down on, had come to him. They needed his help. Now Jesus could call them to repentance and assure them that with him there is forgiveness. Jesus was right where he should have been. He was right there among the sinners, reaching out to them.

Matthew understood this. He understood that Jesus was offering something he desperately needed. While he understood, the Pharisees did not. They were too proud and self-righteous to understand. The question we now have to ask ourselves is, “Do we?” Do we fully understand what it is that Jesus came here to do? He came here for you and for me. He came here to reach out to all those who are lost because of sin.

Make no mistake – we are sinful human beings. As Paul writes, we’ve all fallen, "short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). As a result, we deserve to suffer the consequences. We deserve God's wrath and punishment. On our own we can do nothing. That’s why we needed a Savior. We needed someone who could do what we could not - someone who could save us from sin.

By the grace of God - we do have someone, Jesus. He was sent by his Father to save us (John 3:16,17). And he accomplished what he was sent here to do when he suffered and died on the cross. But Jesus didn't stay dead. He rose again, just like he said he would, proving his victory over sin, death and the devil. Jesus has now secured a home for us in heaven.

It is no wonder then why sinners are drawn to Jesus. When you've been led to recognize your own unworthiness, and then find out that you have someone willing to reach out to you, to pick you up and carry you when you can go no further, a change takes place. That's what Jesus came to do. He not only came to earth to reach out to sinners, he also came to affect a change.

Well, what kind of change is Jesus looking for? He's looking for a change of heart. He's looking for a change in our actions. He's looking for us to change from serving our own selfish and sinful interests, to serving him. In other words, if we claim to be sorry for our sins, then do we practice what we preach? Are we living sanctified Christian lives?

Look at Matthew. He was a sinful human being, a tax collector no less. Yet Jesus reached out to him, and by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, a change took place. Matthew, who spent his earlier days extorting money, spent the rest of his days telling people about a Savior from sin.

Jesus’ message got through to Matthew, but did it work on the religious leaders? Jesus reached out to them too. He died for their sins. But when he looked into their hearts, he saw a hardeningtaking place. Instead of growing closer to their Savior, the religious leaders were pushing themselves away.

Jesus told them, "Go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy not sacrifice'" (v.13). This is a direct quote from the prophet Hosea (6:6). The point was this: the Israelites had experienced God's mercy. The mercy shown them should have shown itself in their attitude and actions toward God and each other. But instead of a change in attitude, the Israelites were just going through the motions. They went to worship. They offered sacrifices, but they forgot the reason for doing these things. They forgot that this was an opportunity to repent of their sins and to give glory to God.

Now Jesus was telling the Pharisees that they were doing the same thing! They claimed to keep the law, better than most people. But they forgot why these laws were given. They forgot that this was their chance to repent and to give glory to God. And instead of doing that, they focused on trying to keep the people from Jesus by discrediting his ministry; and thinking themselves far superior to everyone else. Instead of reaching out to sinners, they were shunning those Jesus came to save.

The question we now have to answer is, "Are we like Matthew or are we like the Pharisees?" Let's see: have we convinced ourselves that because we profess to believe in Jesus and because we come to church on a regular basis, we’ve got one foot inside the door of heaven? Like the Pharisees, do we see ourselves as so much better than others? You know the people who:

  • Only come to church every now and then;
  • Don’t look or act just like us;
  • Have fallen victim to a variety of sins.

Do we live under the impression that all it takes to secure a spot in heaven is to:

  • Go to church
  • Say your prayers
  • Do some volunteer work
  • Put an offering in the plate and just like that, you're in! And whoa to those who don't!

Is that you? Or are you under the impression that your sinfulness has made you guilty before a perfect and holy God? Have you been led to see that there is nothing you can do to earn your salvation? That a Savior is needed? Are you living in the confidence that Jesus Christ paid for your sins and that it is only through his death and resurrection that he’s got your spot in heaven all ready?

Has a change taken place in you? Are you living in the knowledge that because of what Jesus has done for you, that’s what compels you to live your life for him?

  • Now you want to go to church so that your faith might be strengthened through the Means of Grace.
  • Now you offer prayers of praise and thanksgiving for what the Lord has done.
  • Now you look for ways to serve your family, community and the Lord's kingdom - not because you have to but because you want to.
  • And now you support the work of the church with your time, your talents and with your treasures - because you recognize that the Lord gave you everything and here is one way you can give back to him.

Has the message of Christ affected a change in you? If Jesus were to come back today, tomorrow or next week and he looked to see if your actions were in line with what you profess to believe, what do you think he’d find? I’ll tell you what he’d find. He’d find a sinner. But then after looking into your heart and seeing saving faith, and after seeing that you do attempt to practice what you preach, what do you think he’d say? I’ll tell you what he’d say. Lord willing, just three words: You are mine!

Amen.

And now may the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.