Matthew 9:9-13 (NIV)

9 As 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.

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Reflection:

When God calls He calls us into His mercy.  Being called is ‘living mercy.’  Matthew experienced it and thus the immediate and extravagant expression he had as he threw a dinner party for Jesus.  “Living mercy” is immediate and extravagant, it pours out of the called onto the ones sick and in need of mercy. This mercy can also be translated as love: ‘I desire love, not sacrifice.’ God wants us to truly love and not merely spend our time, money and energy that do not come from the heart.

Responding to the Transmission:

Let’s examine our hearts. Are we loving or are we merely going through the motions? How can our hearts change? Only God can change our hearts. Let’s bring ourselves before God and pray, ‘Lord, have mercy on me. Only then, can I love you and others.’ His mercy is new everyday. He longs to show us mercy.