Christ came to call sinners - Matthew 9:9-13 Sermon Summary
This past Sunday Nick taught on the well known passage Matthew 9:9-13 of Jesus using the analogy of Himself being the doctor who came for the sick. As Nick pointed out, this shows that Jesus’ mission is transformative for people, and we believe the Bible shows that the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus, is a message of transformation.
Matthew 9:9–13 (NLT)
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.”
I love this passage, and I like the way the New Living Translation renders it, giving a little more context to what is being said. When Jesus tells Matthew “Follow me” in other translations, what He is doing is telling him he is being chosen as a disciple to follow Jesus as his teacher. In their culture, what respectable rabbi would choose a tax collector, who is viewed as a sinful traitor and generally despised in the community? What’s worse, Jesus willingly goes to the home of this unpopular man to have dinner with other “disreputable sinners.” Why did He choose to do this? In verse 13 Jesus declares He came for those who know they are sinners, not people who think they are righteous. This is consistent with Scripture, showing God’s grace to the humble, contrasting His condemnation of the proud.
Psalm 138:6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar.
Proverbs 3:34 He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.
Proverbs 29:23 Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor.
Matthew 23:12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Luke 1:52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
James 4:6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
God consistently reveals Himself to prioritize humility and right attitudes over supposed right but empty actions. That sentiment is shared in both OT and NT and consistent in the prophets of the OT. For instance, God says through Isaiah in 1:11
“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.”
God continues to rebuke empty religious gestures, and follows up the rebukes with verses 16-17:
“Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.”
The reason I’m just copying a lot of passages here, is this is a central theme to the narrative of the Bible that is consistently missed by those outside the faith, but to our embarrassment, more than we want to admit, also by those who claim to be inside the family of God. One commentary put it this way: “When divinely sanctioned ceremonies are divorced from an active love and concern for the most vulnerable, they fail to reflect the very truths they were meant to reveal: God’s compassion for us in our utmost need. Rituals meant to promote communion with God are now frustrating him, as the divine voice hauntingly declares, “they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them” (Isa. 1:14).” [GTB]
“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Sadly, because of such failings, it’s assumed by the world that the religious are supposed to hate sinners, and sadly, Christians don’t often do a good enough job dispelling that misconception. Part of the problem is bad news travels fast, so when someone (especially with a platform) claiming Jesus acts contrary to kingdom values, such as the ones mentioned in the Isaiah passage about helping the oppressed and defending the cause of orphans and widows, it is usually made widely known and sticks in people’s minds. All the more reason we cannot falter in our pursuit of true religion (James 1:26-27) and authentic Christ-like humility and love towards all image bearers (Philippians 2:3-5), lest we find ourselves on the other side of this narrative in Matthew 9, being the condemning religious elite, failing to see our sin and need of salvation. May we always strive to be the humble, honest sinner, aware of our need of a savior, dumbfounded that the Messiah would joyfully have dinner with us.
And as we live this out as disciples, humble sinners saved by grace, may we join our Savior in seeking out the sick to introduce them to the Great Physician who is the cure for our spiritual sickness on an eternal scale.