Readings: Genesis 23:1-4,19,24:1-8,62-67, Ps. 106:1-5, Matthew 9:9-13
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’” (Matthew 9:12-13)
To everyone else, Matthew was a sinner, but to God, Matthew was an evangelist. It is easy to judge people without ever getting to know them. One of the greatest fallacies of our age is hasty generalisation. It is easy for us to make statements like: “They are all the same.” It is using the evil deeds of some group members to judge the entire group. This is how the argument goes. 1) Many tax collectors enrich themselves by collecting more than their due. 2) Matthew is a tax collector. 3) Therefore, Matthew is a sinner.
For Jesus’ critics, His presence in Matthew’s house, eating and drinking with Matthew’s colleagues, was a confirmation of their doubts about Him. They thought to themselves, “He claims to be the Son of God, yet He can sit comfortably amid such unholy people. What has light got to do with darkness? If truly He is God, He would know that those are not the kind of people He should hang out with.” Without making efforts to find out Jesus’ intention, they condemned Him.
Nowadays, we often find people discussing on social media the alleged misdeeds of priests, politicians, lecturers, businessmen, and so on. This was precisely what Jesus did to the religious leaders of His day. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and all kinds of filth. So, you also look righteous to others on the outside, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matthew 23:27-29).
Why did Jesus not use harsh words with Matthew and his colleagues? Could it be that the tax collectors were not as sinful as the scribes and Pharisees? Well, as St. Paul says, we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). St. John says, anyone who says he has not sinned is a liar (1 John 1:10). Hence, from Jesus’ action in today’s Gospel passage, we learn that there are several methods of bringing people to repentance. With the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus was harsh and direct, but with Matthew and his friends, Jesus employed a different method – He won their hearts by eating and drinking with them. To his critics, Jesus said: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
Seeing Jesus at the table with them, Matthew, like Zacchaeus, a fellow tax collector, must have begun to examine his conscience. Matthew and his friends must have said to themselves, “Are they saying we are not good enough to eat with Jesus? Are we such terrible sinners? How can we change?” On the other hand, Jesus’ treatment of Matthew and his friends tells me that on Judgement Day, those of us (priests, like the scribes and Pharisees) who ought to know what is right, will receive a more severe judgement than others (such tax collectors who may have never been exposed to the scriptures).
There is nothing wrong with calling people out. Silence, in the face of evil, amounts to consent. However, this is just one side of the coin. Beyond blasting sinners on social media, let us also learn from Jesus to reach out to them one-on-one. Above all, remember that while pointing fingers at others, you must also examine your conscience. “Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)
Ask yourself: “Would I have done better? Am I free from the sickness I am trying to treat? After pointing out evil, do I also provide practical steps to healing and repentance for the evil-doers, or am I more concerned about generating clout on social media?”
Finally, in today’s first reading, we read about the death of Sarah and Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah, a woman from Abraham’s ancestral village. Abraham ensured that Isaac did not marry among the people with whom he lived. This teaches us that marriage is not merely about physical attraction to a person; it is the coming together of two families. Hence, couples must consider their parents’ opinions before settling down. What an old man sees sitting down, a child can never see, even if he climbs a tree. Isaac understood this. He did not rebel against Abraham’s wishes for the kind of woman he was to marry.
Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, you visited Matthew and his colleagues; teach us to win souls by loving our neighbours as ourselves. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (Friday of week 13 in Ordinary Time, Liturgical Colour: Green. Bible Study: Genesis 23:1-4,19,24:1-8,62-67, Ps. 106:1-5, Matthew 9:9-13).
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu