It’s one thing to talk about obtaining justice and mercy for others, in humility. However, who are those people who should be receiving justice and mercy from us? I admit that it’s easy for me to seek out a fair resolution to something involving my family, but my opinions about people on the news aren’t always as favorable. (I do try to give people the benefit of the doubt, rather than jumping to conclusions, but that’s probably a function of cynicism about what I hear, as much as it is being considerate of others.)
So, when prophets like Hosea and Micah spoke (or wrote) about the importance of justice and mercy, what sort of people did they have in mind as the recipients of those virtues?
After previous articles referencing Hosea 6 and Micah 6, the story of Jesus calling Levi (Matthew) as one of His disciples in Matthew 9:9 might seem like a strange segue. However, let’s keep reading about what happened after that.
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Matthew 9:10-13 NIV
In verse 13 here, it appears that Jesus is quoting Hosea 6:6 when he tells people to figure out what it means. (The Lookout study guide, cited below, mentions that Jesus quotes similarly in Matthew 12:7, in response to another example of people not being shown mercy.)
When Jesus spent time with those who were judged negatively by the religious elite, He was showing the kind of mercy (or compassion) that Hosea had called the Israelites to centuries before.
And, what does this mercy look like? Jesus is spending time with those who are outcast from society. (If you didn’t know, Matthew was a tax collector himself, which also explains why he could find other people who weren’t welcome in “religious” circles to join him and Jesus for dinner.) Considering Jesus’ larger ministry, He appears to be offering good news to these people on the fringe of society. This might be the message of salvation for their souls, healing for their bodies, or a combination of both.
Of the people who sit on the fringes of our culture today, how many of them already know their own shortcomings? I suspect that a lot of them do, because mean people have told them repeatedly how they didn’t measure up, time and time again. Someone in this situation doesn’t need judgment from us, or even a demonstration of how religious we are. Instead, they need some mercy.
On the other hand, if we compare the popular, rich, and influential people with those who are hurt, downcast, and excluded, which of the two groups do you think is more willing to admit their shortcomings before God, and seek out His grace, mercy, and salvation? After all, if someone thinks that they already have everything, and aren’t willing to listen to anyone – including God – who suggests otherwise, why would they even seek out help?
Don’t just look to your “inner circle” of close friends and family when it comes to living out God’s instructions (and following Jesus’ example) for how to treat others. While God may very well have placed you in those smaller groups to help others out, don’t get so myopic that you can’t see those “outside” your usual circles who also need the same consideration from you.
And, if “justice and mercy nearsightedness” is an ongoing challenge for you (as my physical eyesight is for me), consider viewing other people through the lens of Jesus’ examples. He has a way of bringing a lot of things into focus!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for March 12, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, March 12, 2023, © 2022 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Matthew, by Larry Chouinard. © 1997 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 