P+02 OT10 – Genesis 12:1-9; Psalm 33:1-12; Romans 4:13-25; Matt 9:9-13,18-26
While I can’t do it justice in a sermon this short, today’s readings are primarily about faithfulness and mercy. Mercy on an old nomad who believes God’s word that he will make him the father of a multitude. Mercy on a leader of a synagogue who believes that Jesus can heal his daughter who has died. Mercy on an unclean woman who has been hemorrhaging for more than a decade who believes that just touching Jesus’ cloak will heal her. Today’s readings are ultimately about faithfulness and mercy.
Two similar messages dance and intertwine in our scripture readings today. First, Genesis and Paul’s letter to the Romans talk about Abram and his faithfulness apart from the Law. Then Matthew’s Gospel speaks about Jesus’ ministry of mercy that transcends the letter of the Law. Both, in their own way, teach on the topic of adherence to the Law and what God ultimately wants in that respect – mercy.
Genesis tells the story of God’s calling of Abram to journey to a distant land in order to fulfill God’s will for him and for the future children of God. God makes many promises to Abram should he agree to the journey, and Abram in his faithfulness, despite his and Sarai’s advanced age, fulfills God’s wishes and receives his rewards. All this happened outside of the Law, as the Law of Moses was not yet written. The message from the Book of Genesis today is that faithfulness to God’s promises matter more than adherence to the letter of the Law.
In Romans, Paul builds on the discussion about Abram from Genesis, and about righteousness before God that comes from doing God’s will, not by adherence to the law. In Genesis, God blesses Abram for making the journey God has called him to. In Romans, Paul points out that Abram obeyed God before the Law of Moses was even written. Abram is judged worthy by God not because he adhered to the Law, but because he acted faithfully without the Law. And, according to Paul, just as Abram was counted worthy by his faith in God’s promise that he would be the father of a great nation, so we too are made worthy, not by our adherence to the Law, but by our faith that God has sent his son Jesus the Christ to save us. The message from Paul’s Letter to the Romans is that righteousness before God comes through faith in Jesus’ message about God, not by adherence to the letter of the Law.
In today’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the Pharisees about obeying the intent of the Law, not the letter. Here Jesus speaks two of the most important verses for Christians to recall in their daily lives. “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.” Matthew 9:12-13
Boiling down verse 12 and the end of verse 13, what Jesus is saying is, “I have nothing against the righteous, but they don’t need my help. I’m here for the sinners, those you would call sick.”
Boiling down most of verse 13, what Jesus is saying is, “Learn the difference between mercy and sacrifice, then practice mercy in all things.”
Finally, fusing the two verses to together, what Jesus is saying is, “I’m here to heal sinners, and the mercy I heal them with I give to them for free,” or “Salvation is the free gift of God’s mercy to everyone.”
To the tax collectors and sinners that Jesus is dining with today, that is Good News. Why is what Jesus just said Good News to the sinners present? Because it means that, despite how society sees them, sinners do matter – they matter to God In fact, Jesus is accepting them as human beings and calling them home as God’s children. Jesus is confirming that his mission of mercy is to call them to the Kingdom of God.
To the Pharisees who Jesus is addressing, that is not good news. Why is what Jesus just said not good news to the Pharisees? Because Jesus in his talk of mercy is disrupting the social and religious fabric of society. Jesus in his talk of mercy is shattering the classism that was rampant in his day. Jesus in his talk of mercy is insulting the religious leaders in the process by pointing out their cynicism and hard-heartedness, and most of all their ability to obey the letter of the Law but not the intent of the Law – to practice sacrifice but not mercy.
So, how does this “mercy” thing play out in the nested healings we hear about in the remaining verses of Matthew’s Gospel? During the dinner Jesus is confronted by a “leader of the synagogue” who seeks healing for his daughter who is sick. Jesus does not judge the leader as “one who does not need a physician,” but simply has mercy on him and agrees to heal his daughter.
Along the way a woman with decades long hemorrhages, what we assume to be menstrual in nature, comes up behind Jesus and grabs hold of his cloak. Jesus is aware that she has touched his garment, and he turns and blesses her for her faithfulness. Despite the fact that this woman was considered to be unclean, very unclean as a menstruating woman was not to touch a rabbi lest she defile him, Jesus has mercy on her and commends her for her faith.
Then Jesus arrives at the leader of the synagogue’s home and confronts the crowd of mourners there. Despite their laughs at his plan to heal what is now a dead girl, Jesus puts the mourners out, then has mercy on the synagogue leader and his daughter.
Mercy.
The Good News today is that before there was the Law there was God’s mercy, and after the Law was fulfilled in Jesus Christ there remains God’s mercy. Mercy is what we are called to practice: Mercy for those who don’t think they deserve mercy; Mercy for those I think don’t deserve mercy; mercy even for me, and I certainly don’t deserve mercy; I receive it as a free gift from God.
The Good News today: Jesus teaches, through his life, death, and resurrection, and his eternal love for us, that no matter what we think of ourselves or others, we are all worthy of mercy.
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