9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. 10 Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
From a demon-possessed man to a paralytic and now to a Jewish turncoat, Jesus showed no prejudice or selective partiality. The demoniac’s townspeople begged Him to leave, the paralytic was told to go home, but the tax-collector was invited to become a follower. The demon possessed man was a Gentile, the paralytic a social outcast, but Matthew was a man of influence, judging by the apparent size of the guest list to his “meet Jesus” party.
Poignant is the immediacy of his response to Jesus’ request and the quickness of his invitation to others. He continued on to eventually write a book inviting people to know Jesus, namely through the Gospel According to Matthew, the writing we are now studying. Matthew did not hesitate in identifying his pre-conversion life-style and explicitly associating tax-collectors with “sinners.” His occupation did not endear him to his compatriots. The custom was for Rome to compel people like Matthew from the subjected nations to do the dirty work of collecting from their own people the tribute (taxes) imposed by Rome. Tax collectors were to forward the required sums. Being opportunists, however, they often collected more than Rome required, skimming off the excess for themselves. The people were helpless to object—for the collectors enjoyed Roman protection. Such men were despised as traitors by their countrymen, but not by Jesus, the Messiah.
As usual the Pharisees’ response to Jesus’ actions was acerbic, interrogating His disciples critically (vs. 11). The Lord first responded that these were the kind of people He came for, the spiritually sick (12) and sinners (13). Second, God is compassionate and merciful and He desires the same in His people as well. The implications of this response struck at the Pharisees’ arrogant hearts.
O Father, I am no different than Matthew, a spiritually sick individual, a sinner who has been called to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You.
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