Mercy Not Sacrifice

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Matthew 9:9-13)

We all tend to associate with those who are like us in many ways such as church affiliation, political party, and opinions.  This tendency leads to tribalism and then conflict – Us versus Them thinking.   It is far better – especially for our children – to integrate.   To do otherwise – segregate – is a recipe for deaf-and-blind attitudes and misunderstandings.  It promotes anger and hate, something that seems overt and rampant in America as we ramp up to election time.

Jesus did not come to call the righteous but sinners.  He met with them and sat with them.   In other words, he desired and gave mercy.  He did not need sacrifices on altars – a very common practice in Jerusalem’s Temple where priests would wade up to their knees in blood from the slaughtering of bulls, sheep, goats, and doves.  The objective was forgiveness of sins, that is, mercy.  Jesus said there was another way apart from bloodletting and death.  God did not require animal sacrifices – an important source of income for the Temple and its many priests.

We also should desire mercy and not sacrifice those who have hurt us.  More commonly we seek their blood on some altar as recompense for their sins against us. Jesus, the innocent victim, shed his blood for us emphasizing our need to show mercy and forgiveness, not vengeance and hatred.  He paid the price.  We are to honor what he did for all of us.  He died for our sins.

Deacon David Pierce