Monday, Feb 2- Matthew 9:9-13

I have a headache.

9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
-This is kind of cool. The author of the book shares how he was called. It doesn't appear that he does anything special to reach out to Jesus or even seek Jesus. Jesus approaches him and calls him. He is called with the all to familiar command of "follow me"
-Matthew was described as a tax collector.

10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
-Dinner setting. At Matthew's house. Guests included Jesus, disciples, other tax collectors, and sinners.
-Disciples were probably just as uncomfortable as anyone else. They probably didn't have a good answer to the question posed to them.
-Its amazing how judgmental the modern church would also be to us if we were in the same situation. The key to Jesus' justification of being among "sinners" was that he was evangelizing. The judgmental modern church would probably be right in most instances cause if we were in that situation it would be to party.

12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
-Simple answer to the question. The church must be a hospital of sorts. Caring for the needs of those that have needs. Not just caring for those that are healthy.
-What can I do to serve those that need spiritual medical help?

13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
-If they learn what this means there's something important to be had from it. Likewise, we should also learn what this means.
-He wants the teachers to be merciful to people and not just demand sacrifices. The sacrifices represented mercy. So what is it to do that but not understand it at all. Its not just about the ritual, but the meaning behind it.
-The righteous are already good. The sinners are what need saving.
-We need to work inside and outside to show people mercy. Showing them their sinfulness, but also showing them God's mercy that sets them free.
-Because Jesus took the time to show mercy to the sinners, Matthew was saved and he wrote a significant book of the Bible. Who knows what the people we show mercy to can do.