PENTOCOST 4                                                                                                 YEAR A GENESIS 12:1-9 ROMANS 4:13-25 MATTHEW 9:9-13; 18-26 JUNE 7, 8, 2008   Jesus always seemed to be in places that called his character into question. He did things that caused the scribes and the Pharisees to become irritated. Jesus healed people on the Sabbath and let his disciples eat without washing their hands. Jesus and his disciples did not fast at the right time. Jesus was always in trouble with the scribes and Pharisees. In our gospel lesson today Jesus goes into the tax booth and calls a tax collector to become a disciple. Tax collectors were listed with sinners as being an outcast people. Tax collectors were often seen as working for the Romans and were considered to be an unclean people. Yet, Jesus was not afraid to talk with the outcast and the despised. He talked with and touched other unclean people.   There are several issues for the Pharisees. There is the issue of Jesus talking to tax collectors and there is the issue of Jesus eating with them. There is the issue of breaking the tradition of the elders by going to unclean people. Didn’t Jesus know that by eating with tax collectors he might not be able to go to the synagogue? He would be unclean because those tax collectors might have touched something that was not kosher like Roman money and Roman vessels or anything else unclean.  Besides that, who knows where they have been or what they have been doing?   Matthew 9:12, 13         But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”   The Pharisees did not really understand the scriptures. They did not understand all God taught and all the Lord does is so that we might love one another. The Pharisees made it their business to always do everything right, at least what they perceived to be right. They knew the traditions of those that came before them but they really did not understand that the real purpose for the Law of God is to love one another. The Pharisees were good at allowing people to see them doing things right but their lives were not ruled by God’s Law of love.   God is love and all that God does reflects God’s love. You and I must also understand God’s love. God had mercy on you and me. By grace you have been saved through faith. God’s mercy is great and if you and I are to share God’s love we also share God’s mercy with one another. Showing mercy is more important than being traditionally correct. It is more important than making sure everyone sees me do everything right. It was not traditionally or politically correct for Jesus to eat with tax collectors and sinners but Jesus does so nonetheless. By eating with them Jesus is showing God’s mercy. It may be that none of those at the meal except Matthew would become followers of our Lord. It could be that most will take advantage of Jesus. They might take what they can get and then turn away yet Jesus showed them mercy and he shared a meal with them anyway.   If Jesus did not minister to tax collectors and sinners who would? If he didn’t share table fellowship with them how would they ever come to now that Jesus is the Christ? If you and I do not reach out to those in need who will care for them. The tax collectors and sinners had plenty of people to spend time with. They had lots of friends but they were not the kind of friends I would want my kids hanging out with. You and I know that our kids have plenty of bad influences in their lives. They go to school to learn but there is also the potential to get into trouble because of the bad friends they get next to.   If you and I will not spend time with our children someone else will. If you and I will not reach out to people in need someone else will. Our mission is to care for all of God’s children no matter where they might be or what they might have done. We are to minister to anyone that comes across our path and anyone that wanders in through our doors. We are God’s children that have experienced God’s mercy and grace. Our response is to share God’s love and mercy to those that may not have heard.   Matthew 9:18-21          While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.”   There were others Jesus ministered to that were considered unclean. The woman with the issue of blood for 12 years had no business being in public. She was unclean because she was bleeding. The Old Testament has laws about women being in public when they are bleeding. They are unclean and anyone they touch would also be unclean. Again compassion is more important than law. Caring for God’s children is more important than making sure we do everything according to the tradition of the elders. There is nothing wrong with the tradition of the elders but it is not more important than sharing God’s love. The woman with the issue of blood was in that place. She dared touch the hem of our Lord’s robe. Because she believed she would be healed she was. Jesus restored her life to her. She risked ridicule and possible severe punishment but she did not care. She needed healing and she knew where to get it.   Matthew 9:18, 19         While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples.   The same is true of the leader of the synagogue. The Greek text does not tell us whether the leader is from the synagogue or from the community. The Greek text just says a ruler came to Jesus. It can be assumed that he was associated with the synagogue because Mark and Luke both say so. Jesus did not care where the man came from. The man as in need and Jesus wanted to meet the needs of this man. The important part of this story is that Jesus had compassion on the man and his family. Jesus went with the man and gave life back to the girl. Many laughed at him when he said she was sleeping but Jesus did not worry about ridicule. He did not worry about anything but love.   You and I must only concern ourselves with God’s love. We love God and we love our neighbor. When someone comes to us for help we respond in love. When someone says the wrong thing or does the wrong thing we respond in love. It can happen that visitors come to worship with us. If they are not from here they might get lost in our service or they might not understand our traditions and get it wrong. We must not laugh at them or ridicule them. We respond in love helping them become part of us.   We have our semi-annual meeting. As I said last week there are issues needing our attention. Many have been at work preparing for the meeting so that the meeting will be smooth and we will get the necessary work done. A couple of committees have been working on projects that need to work toward completion. They have been working hard and they need to be supported in their work. We respond to their efforts in love. We love them and thank God for them and we have mercy and compassion on them. We must never ridicule their work or seek to destroy them because they might have a different thought than we had. They have been doing the work and they need to be thanked for the work they are doing.   Jesus had compassion on those that were struggling. Jesus shared many things with them and he blessed them and thanked them for the work they were doing. Our Lord does not laugh at us for making a mistake. Our Lord does not scold us for getting something wrong unless what we are doing is because we did not walk in faith. The Lord continues to guide us. You and I live our lives with compassion for others. We share God’s love in all parts of our lives. AMEN.