Alive In The Spirit Of Hope

Third Sunday after Pentecost Proper 5 June 5, 2005

Hosea 5:15–6:6 Psalm 50:7-15 Romans 4:13-25 Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Outward Behavior, Inward Attitude

During his earthly ministry, Jesus constantly challenged the traditional systems of religion, including those that defined who was “acceptable” and who was not. Jesus never backed away from saying and showing that no one was unacceptable. He even went so far as to hang around with those who were considered “outside”–even those who were despised.

The first verse of the Gospel reading (Matthew 9:9) describes in very few words an early interaction between Jesus and Matthew the tax collector. In first century Palestine, the Roman system of government had the right to collect taxes from persons and used local business people to carry out the actual collection. These business people, called tax collectors, who worked for a commission, were obviously not popular. They were, in fact, despised and hated because of the job the Romans paid them to do.

What a shock it must have been for Jesus to call Matthew, one of these reviled tax collectors, into his closest circle of followers. Jesus looked past the stigma Matthew bore in society and apparently saw potential and worth that was not evident on the surface.

If this were not enough, the next verses (Matthew 9:10-13) describe a scene in which Jesus demonstrated again his acceptance of different types of persons. These verses are a dinner scene, a very important aspect in defining one’s “in” and “out” group. What you ate and who you ate with were viewed as definitions of character, a sort of social status. Once again, Jesus shocks everyone around him by sitting down to eat with persons of highly questionable character–sinners and tax collectors (9:10). In those days, upstanding religious folks would not dare eat with such a crowd.

In his response to the Pharisees who questioned his audacity to do such a dishonorable thing, Jesus quotes from the prophet Hosea who wrote these words of God: “I desire mercy, notsacrifice” (Hosea 6:6, NRSV). These words from one of Israel’s prophets must have been equally shocking to his first audience. To suggest that God was more interested in an attitude than a sacrifice must have threatened Israel’s tradition of the sacrificial system. Hosea reminded them that a sacrifice without the proper attitude is simply a meaningless act of ritual. The attitude of mercy made it worthwhile to God and to the one offering the sacrifice.

The readings from Hosea and Matthew remind us that God has in mind a different set of standards for acceptance than those normally operative in the world. While outward behavior and actions certainly offer a clearhint of a person, inward attitude and character better define who we are. As we reflect on today’s readings, may God help us understand that the true character of a person comes from deep within…and not from what we see on the outside.

This week’s Reflection was prepared by Steve Berneking, Ph.D., who serves on the staff of the American Bible Society as Translations Officer in the Translations Unit of the Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship.