I did not come to call the righteous but sinners
Introduction
Amos castigates the people of Israel for offering sacrifices and observing religious feasts but not rendering justice; they are exploiting their brothers and sisters, who are with them people of the same covenant. He holds out hope for them if they are converted.
The gospel, which Jesus preaches and lives, is not a religion based on the self-righteousness of people but a religion of love and mercy based on God’s pure generosity. This makes it possible for a typical sinner – an exploiter and a traitor to his people to boot – to be called to be an apostle. And Christ sits at table with sinners – with Levi-Matthew and his friends, with us now “so that sins may be forgiven.”
Reading 1 Amos 8:4-6, 9-12
Hear this, you who trample upon the needy
and destroy the poor of the land!
“When will the new moon be over,” you ask,
“that we may sell our grain,
and the Sabbath, that we may display the wheat?”
We will diminish the containers for measuring,
add to the weights,
and fix our scales for cheating!
We will buy the lowly man for silver,
and the poor man for a pair of sandals;
even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!”
On that day, says the Lord GOD,
I will make the sun set at midday
and cover the earth with darkness in broad daylight.
I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentations.
I will cover the loins of all with sackcloth
and make every head bald.
I will make them mourn as for an only son,
and bring their day to a bitter end.
Yes, days are coming, says the Lord GOD,
when I will send famine upon the land:
Not a famine of bread, or thirst for water,
but for hearing the word of the LORD.
Then shall they wander from sea to sea
and rove from the north to the east
In search of the word of the LORD,
but they shall not find it.
Responsorial Psalm 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131
R. (Matthew 4:4) One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart. R
With all my heart I seek you;
let me not stray from your commands. R
My soul is consumed with longing
for your ordinances at all times. R
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me. R
Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life. R
I gasp with open mouth
in my yearning for your commands. R
Alleluia Matthew 11:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 9:9-13
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.”
Commentary:
It is not where we start from that matters in the Kingdom, but where we end up. Different people may have different starting points and they may travel at varying paces, but as long as they are up and moving in the right direction, they are worthy members in the Kingdom.
When Jesus met him, Matthew was resolutely “seated” at the customhouse, well nestled in his role as tax collector. Given the work he did, he was an outcast in his own society—he was a sinner, a traitor, a betrayer, an unclean crooked Jew who made money at the expense of his own people. Jesus did not look into his credentials or the lack of them. He saw deep into Matthew’s potential, what he could become, if given a chance. So, he simply issued an invitation, and to Matthew’s credit, he left his seat of sinfulness, got up, and followed Jesus. Matthew headed in the right direction.
Am I still seated in my familiar way of life, or am I willing to leave my seat and go where the Lord leads me to? We are all like the dirty dozen. We need clean-up by Jesus as we make to exit our old way..
Blessing
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” Let these words change our attitude towards people and also ourselves. Let these words make us understanding and mild to everyone, with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!