Setting: Contemporary Worship
Length: 36:13
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Title: The Calling of Matthew and the Resistance of the Pharisees
Main Scripture: Matthew 9:9-13
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Introduction
-we are in the book of Matthew
- the section is Matthew 8:1 – 9:38
-a section that has 10 miracles listed…..
-but Matthew also presents various responses of the people
-and he alternates the miracles with the responses
-they are organized into sets….starting in chapter 8
-set of 3 miracles…we finished that…
-the leper, centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother in law
-then 2 responses…we finished that…
-the teacher of the law: 8:19
-“another disciple” 8:21
-then 3 more miracles…we finished that…
-calming the storm, demon-posssessed men, the
paralytic (chp.9)
-alternating back and forth
-now, we are back to the various responses to Jesus: 2 of them
1. The Response of Matthew 9:9-13
2. The Response of John’s Disciples, 9:14-17
-so, it’s the second set of responses
-now, these responses to Jesus center around a key issue
-the issue is discipleship
-and so, we could say….
These responses are about discipleship
-about following Jesus
-“follow” is a key word in this section
-BUT…as Jesus continues to do His ministry, the response is not
always positive
-sure, we will see that Matthew will respond positively, but
overall, the responses in this second set of responses onward
is exceedingly negative
-check this out…in the first set of responses…back in
chapter 8:19f….they wanted to follow Jesus
-but here in chapter 9…..the responses take a turn for the
worst
-we can call it: a growing resistance to Jesus
-this is a new feature in chapter 9
-various groups respond with accusations towards Jesus
9:3 – the scribes accuse Him of blasphemy
[today] 9:11 – the pharisees accuse Him of immorality
-eating with sinners
-he must be immoral….he fellowships with immoral people
9:14 John’s disciples accuse Him of slacking in godliness
-even the disciples of John the Baptist push the resistance
-they criticize Jesus’ disciples for not fasting like they do
9:34 the pharissees accuse Him of working with Satan
* maybe Matthew is saying: the resistance is comprehensive
-even Matthew’s own testimony of how he became a disciple of Jesus takes an evil turn as pharisees crash the party at his house and go after Jesus
-let’s begin with vs.9
v.9 As Jesus went on from there…
-“there”….is Capernaum
-remember back in 9:1…the healing of the paralytic…this is done in Capernaum which Matthew calls Jesus’ “own town”
-after the healing, Jesus now goes on to the outskirts of Capernaum and
there is a tax collector’s booth there
-Capernaum is one of 3 towns that had a tax booth
-the other 2 were Casearea (to the north) and Jericho (to the
south)
-Capernaum was a great location for a tax booth
-it was situated by the major highways that connected the great business districts to the north, i.e. Damascus….all the way down south to Egypt
-the major trading caravans went through Capernaum
-and so, Capernaum because a bustling town for import/export traffic
-the perfect place to set up a customs office
-yes, Matthew was a customs officer
-which means….he was probably the most hated man in Capernaum
-there he sat….
-and he will get you one way or another
-and you had to see his face all the time
-and every time you see him, you hate him even more
-why….
-because, you did not want to pay taxes?
-I guess that’s part of it…I mean, who wants to pay taxes?
-but hatred for a tax collector was much deeper than just not
wanting to give him your hard earned money
-there were 3 reasons why Israel hated the tax-collector
-3 things that fueled their anger against him
1. their anger was fueled by political tension
-taxes were paid to Rome
-and what Rome did was recruit volunteers from Israel to
collect those taxes
-think about it
-that would be like another country conquering our country and then setting up government in our country and recruiting Americans to tax us
-THAT would make us very angry
-that guy would be seen a traitor
-that is a tax collector
-he chose Rome over Israel
2. their anger was fueled by religious tension
-Israel had a strong conviction that God is their ruler
-to pay tribute to Caesar was a pain in their hearts that they
could not reconcile
-he chose Caesar over God
-because he chose Caesar over God, Israel banned him
from the synagogue
3. their anger was fueled by moral tension
-you see Rome had a set tax….it was very specific
-but communication was poor…the people did not know
how much they had to pay
-hey, here comes a long caravan of camels heading south to
Egypt….
-they had no morals….
-and so, Israel saw them as extortionists….
-he chose extortion over godly business strategy
-because, he was so morally corrupt, he was banned
from the courts…he could not serve as a witness in a
court of law
-He was….the most hated man in Palestine
-hated more than the Romans
-blacklisted so bad…that he was listed among murderers,
robbers, and unclean animals
-for all intents and purposes, he was an outcast…
-and so, who’s gonna be his friend?
-only other “sinners” – robbers, murderers,
prostitutes, other tax collectors
* all the low life of society that Israel rejected
* AND ALL THAT….
-was wrapped into one man….the tax-collector
-ALL THAT comes out….with the simple words in v.9
a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's
booth…
-it was this man that Jesus approached and said simply: "Follow me,"
-one can only imagine what the people are thinking
-rarely is Jesus alone
-I’m sure a crowd was there….and heard these startling
words to this outcast
-but, for those who are believers in Jesus, this is nothing new
-this is what He always does
-He always approaches people that others have rejected
-THEME 1
-because Jesus is not like the crowd
-the crowd looks on the outside
-but, Jesus is able to look into the heart
-He did that back in the previous section: the healing of the
paralytic
-Israel rejected the man with the physical challenge
-but Jesus looks into his heart and sees that the main
concern of the paralytic is to have his sins forgiven
-Jesus sees the sincerity in his heart and forgives him
-in the same way, Jesus is looking into Matthew’s heart
-He sees that Matthew is ready to make a change
-He sees that Matthew is genuinely open to Jesus as the
long awaited Messiah
-somehow Matthew knew that he could be forgiven of his sin
-my hunch is that that is one of the reasons why Matthew puts his own story right after the paralytic
-that it was quite a miracle that God could love and forgive a
paralytic
-but now, can God’s love and forgiveness extend even further to
the most hated man in Israel
-oh yeah…not only does he forgive, but he calls him to follow
v.9 …and Matthew got up and followed him.
-Matthew is short with his words
-you would think that this being Matthew’s own Kodak moment
-Matthew is the writer
-this is his story
-you would think that he would take the time to talk about
himself, how he felt, what he said
-but none of those things are mentioned
-there is no dialogue
-all he says is….. and Matthew got up and followed him.
-I guess actions speak louder than words
-in fact, this is Matthew’s own testimony
-but Matthew says nothing in the story
-it’s all action…
-we have to judge him by what he DOES
-and that’s powerful
-I guess that is what people want to see
-they don’t want to hear a tax collector talk
-remember, he is banned from any court of law because he is a liar and a cheat…who wants to hear his words….they would not believe him anyway
-he will let his walk do the talk
-he will get up and leave everything behind
-knowing that if you leave your post….you can’t come back…
-Rome is your employer…..you leave, there is a waiting list of other low-life Israelites would take your lucrative job
-for Matthew to get up and leave speaks volumes !
-he will leave his former way of way
-and make a statement by doing it
-the political tension is gone
-the religious tension is gone
-the moral tension is gone
* this is big time commitment to Jesus
-Luke confirms Matthew’s commitment
28 and Levi [Matthew’s other name] got up, left everything and followed him.
-he has truly counted the cost
-unlike the teacher of the law in Matt.8 who wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus saw that he did not count the cost and responded by saying foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests but the son of man has no place to lay his head…in other words, it’s going to be hard and you did not count the cost. But here….Matthew counted the cost
-he has taken a hit financially
-most would never take a financial hit to follow Jesus
-his commitment reminds me of the apostle Paul
Php.3:7
7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
-what a contrast between Matthew’s response to discipleship and
the other 2 guys back in 8:19f
-neither of those guys were ready to respond
-they just talked about it…but could not back it up
-Matthew backed it up….by getting up and following Jesus
-here’s a “big picture” that worth seeing
-notice every time we meet a tax collector, he’s a good guy
1. Matthew
2. that guy in Luke 18 who prayed in the temple
-the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector
-the pharisee prays confident about his own righteousness
-the tax collector….who is banned from the temple…stands at a
distance and begs for God’s mercy
3. Zacchaeus, Luke 19
-famous for climbing the sycamore tree to see Jesus
-Jesus stops and looks up and tells him that He wants to dine with
him
-and Zacchaeus vows to pay back 4 times what he extorted from others
-just like the Centurions we meet…they are all good guys….
-and so, Matthew who gets a new lease on life….
-takes Jesus home and invites his circle of friends
* and what a circle it is !
v.10….tax collectors and "sinners"
-we know who tax collectors are
-let’s look at the term sinners
-was a term used by the Jews to refer to anyone who had no regard for the laws or teachings of the pharisees and scribes
-again, murderers, robbers, prostitutes, etc.
-and so, when Matthew uses this term
-he is looking at this group of people from the self righteous eyes of the pharisees who saw them as spiritually no good
-but in his own eyes, they are his friends…..he has invited them
to his house to eat
-and this is an open party
-people can walk in and out
-remember later at another open party, a woman comes to pour
perfume on Jesus’ feet?
-so, these parties were open….
-people could walk in and out
-people could see inside
-the sinners came to eat with him
-we are not told what Matthew’s friends thought of Jesus
-because the story takes a quick and wicked turn as we are introduced to a new group mentioned for the first time in chapter 9
the pharisees
-we are introduced to the pharisees
-they are a different group from the scribes we met in the previous
section on the healing of the paralytic
* I will explain all the various groups in the future: the pharisees
and scribes, the sadducees, etc.
-but for right now, suffice it to say that they are one of the most passionate religious groups committed to the word of God and traditional laws of Israel
-they become PARTY-POOPERS at Matthew’s dinner
-they see inside the party…
-and they talked to Jesus’ disciples, v.11
-you see….
-they dare not go inside
-for there was a law that stated that if you enter a house where there are tax collectors, you and everything else becomes unclean
-even if you touch nothing….doesn’t matter, you become unclean
just by entering the house of a sinner
-and so, they stand outside….and peer inside
-and they see Jesus reclining on a pillow and eating with sinners
having dinner
-lit.: reclining
-remember, that’s how they ate…reclining on their left
elbow
-awh…they are fuming mad
-and so,
11…they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
-they couldn’t understand
-because sharing a meal is pretty serious stuff
-eating together involves intimate fellowship & friendship
-Jesus claims to be a teacher of righteousness, but how can he
associate himself with the unrighteous?
-Jesus claims to be a keeper of the law
-but the law clearly states that you have to stay away from them
-this was an big issue for the pharisees
* remember the name “pharisee” means “separate ones”
-later, they will label Jesus is a drunkard and a friend of Tax Collectors
and sinners, Matthew 11:19
-here…in anger they say: "Why does your teacher
-emphasis: your teacher
-it’s like saying to the disciples….shame on you for having a teacher like that !
[the resistance is growing…]
-what kind of teacher is that !…he eats with…tax collectors and
'sinners….
-this teacher is doing the opposite of what the pharisees have taught
Israel!
12 On hearing this,
-Jesus gives 3 answers…each one from a different angle
-Jesus rapid fires 3 answers….
-each will shoot down the pharisees from a different angle
…"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
-in everyday life, healthy people just go about their lives
-they don’t need a doctor to come visit them
-and back then, there were no hospitals or doctor’s offices
-the doctors made house calls
-and so, Jesus is pointing out the obvious: you don’t see doctors
going to the homes of the healthy
-Jesus is claiming to be like a doctor
-he knows who to go to
-a spiritual doctor goes to those who are spiritually sick not those
who think they are spiritually healthy
-let me translate that for you
-Jesus is saying: you think I’m messed up by coming here, but you guys are messed up….you guys are supposed to be spiritual doctors but you separate yourselves from those who are sick
-what kind of doctor is that? Refusing to heal the sick?!
-Jesus is saying: Nothing is wrong with me, something is wrong with you!
Answer #2: comes from Scripture
13 But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'
-Jesus is not letting up on his criticism
-the phrase: go and learn
-is a standard phrase used in rabbinic writings to rebuke
those who did not know what they should have known
-how offensive to say that the pharisees need to learn
-no group took the Bible more seriously than the pharisees
-not the Sadducees….the pharisees
-to say to them: go and learn….was very offense
-in this case, go back and learn Hosea 6:6
-this is the passage that Jesus is quoting
-this verse must have been a favorite of Jesus since He will quote
it again in Matthew 12:7 in a similar kind of situation….ripping
the pharisees again (see below)
-in Hosea, the situation was….
-the people of Israel were so far from God….
-they had no concept of genuine faith
-they played religious games…..making sacrifices, thinking
they automatically put them in favor with God
-but God always looks into the heart
-and so, God says in Hosea 6:6
'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'
The word "mercy" here has the broad idea of faithfulness, loyalty, mercy...
-in other words, what good is worship and sacrifice if
the heart is not right?
-if there is no love and mercy
-what good is sacrifice if you hate your brother and
show no mercy?
* that’s messed up
-the pharisees make all kinds of sacrifices
-offerings, tithes
-later, Jesus will come at them again….
Matthew 23:23 [attacking also the scribes there]
23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-- mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-- justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
-so, go and learn…go back to Sunday School !
…we today
-can take it to heart
-I hope that you are applying these things into your own life
-that when I talk about the pharisees, you can see that we
also can fall into this trap
1 John 4:20
If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is
a liar…..
-our faith must be genuine…
-Jesus is saying….you need to learn about genuine faith all over again
-if you were really right with God, you would show mercy and love to
those in need
-and not focus on playing religious games
* we need to take this to heart
-to always have a heart for those in need
Answer #3: come from His own calling
For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
-Jesus is saying
-I know why I am here tonight
-this dinner party is the reason why I came
-and the people here at the party….they are part of the “A LIST”believe it or not
-because I have come to invite sinners into fellowship with
God
-it’s all about inviting sinners into fellowship with God !
-Jesus is saying….
-I am here because the kingdom of heaven is about these so-
called sinners
-I call them…and they come….
* the word “call”
-is often used as invitation for a meal…a banquet
-Jesus is saying….hey, I call these people to eat with me
-I called the right crowd to eat with me
-I ain’t calling the righteous to eat….because they won’t come
-and so, Jesus fires back at them…..
-saying….I ain’t calling you guys to eat with me….you
wouldn’t come anyway because you think you are so righteous
* let me tell you something
-v.13 is the most definitive statement of the mission of Jesus
For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
* it is why He came
In answer #2 above, Jesus makes reference to Hosea 6:6. The following sermon also has Jesus quoting Hosea 6:
For the complete collection of recorded audios on Matthew, click:
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