Exodus 34:6-7

6 The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger 

7 I am lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected – even children in the third and fourth generations.” 

Understanding God’s Goodness and Mercy

Today, we’re going to talk about God’s mercy. God’s mercy or graciousness (depends on your translation) is the Hebrew adjective channuwn (khan-NOON). It’s the attitude of generous and compassionate favor. It speaks of mercy that is given to the needy and the undeserving. Because of its usage in Exodus 34:6, connecting to covenant love and faithfulness, it shows us that it’s an essential characteristic and not an occasional attitude. Jesus, as shown in John 1:4, and as we’ll see in our focus scripture: Matthew 9:10-13, embodies this perfectly. This shows us that God’s character is consistently about faithfulness, justice, and mercy. 

For us believers, God’s grace is our foundation for repentance and forgiveness. We are called to share the graciousness and mercy that we received to all people, regardless of our personal experiences towards them. 

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: God’s mercy describes a goodness given to all people, full of generosity, compassion, and mercy. 

Matthew 9:10-13

10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.

11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” 

12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do.” 

13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

So much to unpack there, but there’s one key thing I want to look at before we take apart verse 13. The Pharisees referred to the group of tax collectors and sinners scum. Let’s look at why. 

Understanding The Marginalized

Under the Roman administration, taxes were paid by local entrepreneurs to the authorities in a lump-sum advance and then recouped with profit through the general population. The tax collectors were at toll booths, assessed any customs on trade routes, and levied any taxes then. Their income was dependent upon collecting more than just the taxes, so they had to overcharge and intimidation were common. This is what made them viewed as lesser in society. They were widely distrusted and socially excluded. Sinners are people that live separated from God’s revealed will to them. Jesus is often seen as dining amongst them. Religious leaders were quick to condemn Jesus for dining with the sinners and tax collectors, where the true Gospel messages use these moments as places of honor. Overall, the religious leaders were quick to build this separating barrier from the people that went against the religious laws and teachings. There were self-created barriers between the marginalized community, and Jesus went and broke them. Why? Verse 13 tells us. 

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Think about the mindsets between the marginalized communities listed here and who would be considered marginalized today. What similarities and differences do you say? 

The Mission of Christ

Jesus connects back to Hosea 6:6, a verse where God talks about a preference of mercy over the ritualistic sacrifices. Back then, the Israelites often fell into the trap of doing the religious rituals without genuine repentance or compassion guiding them. Jesus wants the disciples, and us, to understand that we still need the inner transformation to happen instead of just following the rules. Jesus shows us His goal: reach out to those who recognize their need for repentance and transformation. He didn’t come for those that believe that they are already morally upright and don’t need a savior, like the Pharisees and religious leaders. The marginalized here, like the tax collectors and sinners, were treated as outsiders

This isn’t to say that God only comes for specific people. Far from it. God is available and accessible to all people that recognize their need for them. The righteous, based on the context listed earlier, are those who assume they do not need mercy from anyone. They are the ones that tend to march to the beat of their own drums, answer to no one, and will live life, right or wrong, according to their own internal sense of justice and compassion. At the end of the day, I cannot judge those who live like that. I can share the Good News of Jesus to them without coercion, while naming harm when it affects those who are vulnerable. What I can do is share with them the message of Jesus through both my actions and words (note the order), help them understand why they need Jesus, and leave them with that. Nothing changes the relationship. Nothing changes my love, compassion, and respect for that person. Nothing changes like that because at the end of the day, the decision is between them and God. If something changes, it may happen immediately or it may happen a decade down the line. It may never happen at all. However, if we can’t extend that olive branch at all, we don’t know the goodness of what God can truly do. 

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Jesus shows us that the way to meet others where they are is through mercy and compassion. Who in your life can you share that with?