The Teacher of Mercy
As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Sometimes people have the idea that Christianity is for perfect and good people, but the truth is, it’s for bad people who know just how bad they are. That’s why we come to God. We know we are not perfect and are depraved sinners, and that is why we are Christians and that is why we come to church every week.
In the passage from Matthew that we are looking at today, our Lord gives the purpose of his ministry and why he came into this world in verse 13: “‘I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'” The essence of the Gospel is that God has come for bad people, not good people. That is the reason for the incarnation.
Why did Jesus come into the world? He clearly says it: to call sinners. Those who know they have a terminal disease, those who are desperate, those who are hurting, those who are hungry, those who are thirsty, those who are weak, those who are weary, burdened, those who are broken, those whose lives are shattered—sinners who know they are sinners.
Paul summed it all up for all of us in I Timothy and said, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost.” And he undoubtedly had in mind, among other things, the word of our Lord in Matthew that Jesus said he had come to call sinners. Now this is precisely the point of our text. Are you not happy? But there are many who think they are righteous, and he can’t help them because they have no need. Only men and women who realize their wretchedness and great need will come to him. People don’t come to Christ for a solution unless they understand they have a problem.
“The Teacher of Mercy”
This is a lesson of mercy. Our Lord teaches mercy in this lesson. And here, he is particularly our Teacher of mercy. He teaches us by example how to show mercy to needy sinners—even the most despicable of sinners.
This is an encouraging passage. It encourages those of us who are deeply and painfully aware of our sinfulness, showing that Jesus loves even the worst of us and is able to call us to himself and put us into his service. It’s a story that ought to bring great comfort to sinners, even to truly horrible sinners.
A second lesson is for self-righteous people like the Pharisees. Jesus didn’t come into the world to call the supposed “righteous” Pharisees to himself because they didn’t view themselves as needing a Savior. Rather, he came to call the wicked, sinful, and despised “untouchables” to himself because they are the ones who were without hope and who needed mercy, love, and forgiveness the most. Jesus was illustrating in this story that this is the way God is—that God prioritizes acts of mercy and love toward the truly “unworthy” ones over acts of religious sacrifice and devotion from the supposed “righteous” ones.
In doing this, Jesus is showing how he wants you and me—his followers, who have already received his forgiveness and who are now called to be like him—to behave toward those whom even the people of this world consider to be “sinful” and “defiled” and “unworthy.” Our merciful Savior himself prioritizes mercy over sacrifice, and he is showing us in Matthew’s story that he wishes for us to have the same priority that he displays toward the needy sinners he places around us.
The first way he sets the example for us is by…
1. GOING TO WHERE NEEDY SINNERS ARE (v. 9)
We saw the call of Matthew last week. Matthew didn’t come to Jesus; he was not praying or seeking. But Jesus, by going to the worst place and calling the worst man, shows his care for sinners. Today, you name Matthew a decent name, as he wrote the first book in the New Testament, but he was a despised sinner whom the decent and respectable people of his day would have had nothing whatsoever to do with. He was a tax collector, and we saw the background of how badly they were treated. We saw in just one verse the wonderful call of Matthew. He was a man whom Jesus called to himself, pardoned, and cleansed, and whom he placed into his service and made into one of his own twelve ambassadors to the world, and to whom he gave the privilege of writing the longest and most “Jewish” of the four Gospels.
It makes you wonder if God doesn’t view some very notorious sinners in a way that is quite a bit different from the way the rest of us typically do! He clearly viewed Matthew differently than the people of his day typically did!
Matthew had chosen a life of sin. He had sold himself out to the offers of the Roman authorities and had chosen to become a betrayer of his people for profit. He had chosen to make money his god. Perhaps he gained a good house and lots of material wealth because of his line of work, but he realized that he also sold his own soul in the process. I strongly suspect that Matthew had come to believe that there was no hope for heaven in his future.
I believe Matthew had even become like so many people today who are lost and hopeless in their sin. He had simply resigned himself to his spiritual doom—that he was going to die one day and go to eternal judgment—and was now just going through the motions of life, carrying on with his sin as if it didn’t really matter anymore, and seeking to make the most of it all while he could. But the gracious Lord looked at him with love and pity and called him.
Think of what must have gone on in Matthew’s mind as he saw that Jesus saw him! And I don’t think that Matthew could have possibly missed the love for him that he saw in Jesus’ eyes. After all, Jesus knew what Matthew was. He was sitting there in his tax collector’s booth. And so, there would be no other reason for Jesus to “see” him, except because he loved him. I believe that Jesus’ look of love melted the hardness in Matthew’s heart.
By the way, think of that the next time you drive by a bar. The people in that bar think that Jesus has nothing to do with them. They believe they are in a “No-Jesus Zone” and that there is no hope for them. But did you know that Jesus knows the name of everyone in the place? The next time you drive past a strip club, or a porn shop, or some other notorious place of sin, just remember: Jesus knows the names of everyone inside. He knows who owns the place and who works there. He sees them every day. He knows how they ended up in such places. They think that they are so lost in their sin that he wouldn’t want to have anything to do with them. But the truth is that he sees them and he cares very deeply about their souls. Their sins were on his mind when he went to the cross.
Do they see the love of Jesus in our eyes when we look at them? Do we, with our look, communicate that Jesus knows about them and cares about them—that they are precious to him? Or do we simply turn our heads away in disgust and confirm them in their hopelessness?
But here, Jesus came to someone who didn’t dare seek him! Jesus took the initiative and went to where a very notorious sinner was—in fact, right in the midst of his sinful activity—and called him. Jesus invited this sinful outcast to become his follower, even as he was hopelessly lost in men’s eyes. Jesus took the initiative of mercy.
And do you know that that’s why our merciful Savior himself said he came? He doesn’t sit around and wait for the needy to come to him. He said, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus, our great example, calls us to do the same toward the lost and needy sinners around us. We’re to seek them out! We’re to go to the places where they are—lost in the despair of their sin and feeling sure that there’s no hope for them. We’re to show them mercy by “seeing” them and inviting them to rise up and follow Jesus. May God help us to follow the example our Teacher has set for us!
Another way that our Teacher of mercy sets the example for us was by…
2. WELCOMING NEEDY SINNERS INTO FELLOWSHIP WITH HIMSELF (vv. 10-11)
Matthew left his wicked profession behind and rose up and followed Jesus. And next, he tells us, “Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples” (Matthew 9:10).
When Mark tells this story, he lets us know that this was Matthew’s own house that Jesus went to. It must have been a very large house, considering that “many tax collectors and sinners” came and joined Jesus and his disciples in it. And Luke tells us even more, letting us know that Matthew was putting on a great feast in Jesus’ honor (Luke 5:29).
Matthew had found the Savior, and I believe he wanted to have a bunch of his former friends over to meet Jesus and be introduced to the Savior, too! When one hopeless and needy sinner discovers the mercy of the Savior, he wants to share that mercy with other hopeless and needy sinners!
Now, I’ve tried to imagine what that scene might have looked like. What comes to my mind is a scene that looks something like the great masterpiece, “The Last Supper”—only, of course, it was a completely different meal. There Jesus would be at the table in the position of honor, and all around him would be the disciples eating and drinking.
But in this case, I imagine additional faces sprinkled in with the disciples. Over to one side would be a couple of fellows who look an awful lot like first-century gangsters, chatting away with Peter and Andrew. Off to another side would be Philip and Thomas, serving a large plate of food to a small group of harlots. James would be pouring wine for a thief, and John would be receiving a slice of bread from a murderer. There would be a few kidnappers mixing and mingling with the other disciples, along with a few extortioners and drunkards and idolaters. And of course, there would be tax collectors all over the place!
Did you know that Jesus was often criticized because of the kind of people he was found eating with? His opponents said that he was “a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19). Those who watched him would complain, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner” (Luke 19:7). But it’s fascinating to see how the most sinful of people seemed to be the ones who were most comfortable in his presence and the most eager to be with him.
Why was it that sinful people seemed to flock to Jesus and so loved to be with him? I believe that there are several reasons. For one thing, they knew that he loved them. They certainly knew that they were sinful and that he didn’t condone the things they did, but they also knew that he loved them. They knew that he called them to begin following him right then and there, right where they were, and that they didn’t have to go away first and become perfect in order to “earn” the right to become his followers. They knew that if they asked, he would forgive their sins and show them mercy. I believe they felt that he looked past what they were right then and saw them for what he had come to save them to be in glory.
I believe that notorious sinners flocked around him because they felt the truth of his promise: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).
Now, contrast this with the attitude of the Pharisees. They were the religious leaders of the day. They were having a fit about seeing Jesus and his disciples having dinner with such riffraff. Matthew tells us, “And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, ‘Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?'” (It’s a pretty safe bet that the tax collectors and sinners weren’t flocking to the homes of the Pharisees!)
A couple of things fascinate me about this. First of all, I notice that the Pharisees chose to bring their complaint to the disciples. They didn’t bring it to Jesus. I have a theory about that. I think that they didn’t dare bring their complaint to Jesus! They would complain about it to his disciples, but they were afraid to talk to him about it. And that paints quite a picture of Jesus’ great mercy to sinners, doesn’t it? Those who are despised sinners—and know it!—are eager to come to Jesus when they hear about him. They’re drawn to him. But those who are righteous in their own eyes not only prefer not to be around sinners, they also would prefer not to be around Jesus either!
And another thing fascinates me. When they spoke to the disciples, the Pharisees referred to Jesus as their “Teacher.” This is very significant! The title “teacher” meant much more than just someone who passes knowledge and information on to students. It referred to someone who also taught by living example! A teacher sets an example for his students to follow. Jesus identified himself to his disciples as that kind of a teacher. He once told them, “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am;” and then he told them, “. . . I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 13:13, 15). The Pharisees were complaining to Jesus’ disciples that their “Teacher” was setting an unspeakable example for them—eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners!
And they’re right. Jesus did set an example for his followers. Jesus’ close association with sinners is meant to be our example to follow. We are to love the poor, needy, and despised sinners of this world so much that we welcome them into our presence so that they’ll know that they are loved. We’re to invite them to come and get to know our Savior and taste of his mercy!
I’m curious: how welcomed do you think needy sinners feel around you and me? Do they feel loved by us? Can they sense the welcoming love and mercy of our Savior from us?
A third way that Jesus proves to be our Teacher of mercy is in the example he gives of…
3. DECLARING IT TO BE GOD’S PURPOSE TO SHOW MERCY TO SUCH NEEDY SINNERS (vv. 12-13)
Now please don’t misunderstand this. This isn’t the same thing as saying that God doesn’t care about sin. In order to convey God’s love and mercy, we mustn’t alter the message of God’s word or seek to soften the condemning power of God’s law. God calls sin “sin,” and he warns that sin will be judged.
But as it says in John 3:17: “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” The big message that God wishes to convey to the needy sinners of this world is not that he condemns them. He does indeed condemn their sin, but his great message to them is that he has sent his Son to pay the penalty for their sin on their behalf and that he is now ready and able to show mercy to them if they will come to him for it.
That message is the message that Jesus proclaimed. Look at how Jesus communicated this to the Pharisees. He communicated it to them in three ways.
First, he communicated it to them through what we might call the “logic” of his actions. Matthew tells us that when Jesus heard that the Pharisees were complaining, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”
Could you imagine going to a doctor and complaining to him, “I’ve got to tell you, Doc. I don’t care too much for the kind of people you associate with. You always seem to be around sick people!” Well, of course you wouldn’t say that. Who else would you expect a doctor to be associated with? Similarly, who else would you expect the Savior of sinners to be associated with than sinners who need to be saved? Our church family should expect to be filled with people who are broken and damaged by the ravages of sin, because we proclaim the Savior of sinners!
Second, Jesus communicated from the scriptures that it was God’s purpose to be merciful to sinners. He quotes the words of God to them from the Old Testament passage of Hosea 6:6. In fact, he even says it in a way that imitated the way they themselves talked to people, saying, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'”
Jesus wasn’t saying, of course, that God did not require a sacrifice for sin. Clearly, he did, as the Old Testament law given through Moses teaches us. And in fact, he still does! That sacrifice—and all that was being pictured for us of it in the Old Testament laws concerning sacrifice—is fulfilled completely for us in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. God gave the sacrifice of his own Son for us as an act of mercy. And Jesus—in quoting this verse—is teaching that the sacrifice was all about mercy! Mercy was the end, and the sacrifice was the means to that end. Jesus is showing that his Father places the priority of mercy over sacrifice, and that so should we.
A Mission for the Lost
Jesus makes it clear that His mission is to save sinners, not the self-righteous. He states plainly, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” This statement reveals a core truth about the gospel: it is for those who recognize their own spiritual sickness and need a savior. The Pharisees, who saw themselves as “righteous” and spiritually “healthy,” believed they had no need for a physician.
The Danger of Self-Righteousness
The Pharisees’ attitude is a profound example of the blinding power of self-righteousness. They were so consumed with their own religious practices and outward displays of piety that they could not see their own spiritual poverty. They were so proud of their “sacrifices” that they missed the very heart of God’s desire: mercy. As Jesus quoted from Hosea, “I desire compassion, and not sacrifice.” Their religion was all about what they did for God, not about what God wanted to do for them. This made them blind to their need for grace.
- This mindset is a major hindrance to salvation. If you believe your good deeds, church attendance, or moral life are enough to commend you to God, you will never seek the Savior.
- Only when you recognize your true condition—that you are a sinner in need of mercy—can you receive the gospel.
A Call to Action for Christians
Matthew’s story is a powerful lesson for believers. Jesus didn’t wait for sinners to come to Him; He went to where they were and dined with them. The Pharisees, in their self-righteousness, recoiled from the “sinners” and the “publicans,” afraid of being defiled. They believed a person’s faith was demonstrated by separating themselves from the unclean. Jesus, however, demonstrated a different, more powerful kind of righteousness.
- Go to the Sinners: We are called to be like Jesus, going to those whom society despises and showing them mercy. We should not wait for them to come to us but be willing to enter their world to share the love of Christ.
- Show Mercy, Not Judgment: We must learn from Jesus’s example and not look down on others, no matter how great their sin. The love and mercy of the Savior should be a constant guide for how we interact with others.
- Embrace Our Own Sinfulness: We, as Christians, must never forget that we are also saved sinners. Our hope and joy rest in the fact that Jesus came for us. This realization should prevent us from ever becoming prideful or judgmental of others.
The feast Matthew held was a beautiful picture of what God wants His church to be—a place where sinners, no matter how “low life” they may seem, can come and feast with Jesus and His followers. This is what Jesus came to do: to seek and to save the lost.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 