READ: Matthew
9
Before Jesus healed the paralyzed man, He first forgave the man’s sins.
Remember – this book is written to Jews who took pronouncements of forgiveness
seriously. Only God can forgive sins! Even to say the words, “Your sins are
forgiven” is to utter pure blasphemy! It’s no wonder that they grabbed on to
that thought. But it was only a
thought. Nobody had uttered a word – they had simply thought their accusations. Jesus addressed those thoughts as evil
in their hearts.
It’s easy for us to entertain evil thoughts and think we will get away
with it. Whether the thoughts lead to action or not, those thoughts are known
by God and He will deal with them. We can’t hide behind the fact that we didn’t
actually do the thing we thought of... simply thinking it is sin enough.
And Jesus knows our thoughts.
Matthew put in one little verse (vs. 9) about how he was called as a
disciple. Yet we learn so much from this verse. First, Jesus called Matthew
while he was busy in the tax collector booth. He didn’t wait until a more
convenient time. He didn’t wait until he was in a more acceptable location.
Jesus went right to the very place so many avoided – the tax collection booth –
and called Matthew. Second, Jesus told Matthew to follow. He didn’t beg, or
plead, or give any reasons. He just commanded and Matthew followed. Matthew didn’t
question or ask for details or take time to talk to friends and family. Jesus
spoke, he obeyed. Oh, that we would be so inconvenienced yet still so obedient!
The next few verses we see Jesus dealing directly with the Pharisees who
are not happy about the fact that He hangs around with sinners. If He really was God surely He’d know who these people really were! Jesus
surprised them – again – by reciting a Scripture verse, Hosea 6:6. They would
have known this verse by heart as well. Hosea 6:6 says, “For I desire steadfast love
and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather
than burnt offerings.” The words ‘steadfast love’
are from the original word ‘checed’ or ‘hesed’. This word is most often
translated mercy or great love or kindness. This word carries a that weight
most English words can’t describe. ‘Hesed’ is the kind of mercy that pours out
of a heart that never wavers in love and is the kind of love that gets dirty
because it doesn’t hold back in awful situations.
The Pharisees knew what ‘hesed’ meant. Jesus used this verse
at the very same time that He was mingling with the ‘bad crowd’ because He
wanted them to understand: This is what love looks like. It doesn’t mean
throwing money at the poor and hoping they get some. It doesn’t mean walking on
the other side of the street to avoid the stench of body odor, or keeping
people at bay so you don’t catch any horrible disease. ‘Hesed’ love is what
Jesus showed: to rub shoulders with the outcasts, to love the unlovable, to eat
with them, sit with them, laugh with them, and live with them.
When Jesus spoke those words of Hosea to the Pharisees their heads must have been ringing with the stark reality of both love and sacrifice. They were accustomed to great sacrifice in front of people for accolades. However, looking into the eyes of Jesus as He sat among the low-class outcasts, that old verse likely took on a new meaning. Love, true love, is sacrifice. And it is this kind of sacrificial love – to be seen with the unlovely, to touch the dirty, to sit with the lonely – Jesus requires of us as well.
When Jesus spoke those words of Hosea to the Pharisees their heads must have been ringing with the stark reality of both love and sacrifice. They were accustomed to great sacrifice in front of people for accolades. However, looking into the eyes of Jesus as He sat among the low-class outcasts, that old verse likely took on a new meaning. Love, true love, is sacrifice. And it is this kind of sacrificial love – to be seen with the unlovely, to touch the dirty, to sit with the lonely – Jesus requires of us as well.
JOURNALING
AND PRAYER
1.
Ask the Lord to speak to you about your thought life. Ask Him if there
are thought patterns that are sinful, or contributing to stunted spiritual
growth. God promises to never leave us without a way of escape from temptation,
so ask Him for a practical idea on how to avoid sinning in our thoughts.
2.
What has Jesus called you to do? Have you quickly obeyed like Matthew?
Delayed obedience can be disobedience. Ask Him to search your heart on this
matter. Commit to any necessary adjustments.
3.
Ask Jesus to speak to your heart about whom it is that you find hard to
love. Is it a people group? A specific person? Ask Him to fill your heart with
‘hesed’ for these people. Make a commitment to pray for the person/people God has
brought to mind… not so that they would change, but for your own heart change
toward them.
