Jesus On Mission
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In the six miracles of Jesus we have seen over the last two weeks, we have seen Jesus’ authority unfolding and we’ve been getting a broader and broader picture of who he is. Matthew has sort of “grouped” these stories together to make a point, namely that Jesus is Lord and master. He is master in teaching (sermon on the mount), master in healing, master of creation (in wind and seas), master over the Spiritual forces (in casting out demons) and master over forgiveness, even with authority to forgive people’s sins.
In our text today, we will see some of Jesus’ own words on who He is, why He came, and what that means for all of us.
How many here enjoy speaking on the phone? How many really don’t enjoy speaking on the phone? I would tend toward not enjoying it, although I’m happy to do it when it is good and beneficial.
Have you ever had someone call you, and they just start in on a conversation, and it sort of meanders from topic to topic and here and there and person to person and place to place? You’re enjoying the conversation, it’s nice to hear from a friend or family member, but nothing specific gets discussed. And then, after 10 or 15 minutes, the person might say, “anyways, the reason that I called is...” and then they will give some specific reason.
It’s not that all that other information was useless or bad or meaningless, it was a nice conversation, but it was all a build up.
Well, in our passage today, we start to get a little of that “the reason that I called you is...” with Jesus. If you remember in the sermon on the mount, I mentioned several times that if you took all the ethics and good principles in the sermon on the mount, but missed Jesus and the rest of His life and ministry, the rest of his purpose for coming, then you’ve really missed it all.
It’s not that the ethical principles and the teachings aren’t good and valuable, its that they aren’t the main thing. We’ve all heard that saying, “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing...” and that is true when we watch Jesus’ ministry, interact with his teachings, and listen to the claims that He makes.
So when we see a phrase like “this is why I came” or “this is the reason for this...” then we should pay attention.
If you remember in the first set of three miracles in chapter 8, we saw Jesus interacting with the outcasts of society - specifically the man with leprosy, and the Roman centurion. Jesus was willing to enter in to the uncleanness of the leper, and the social stigma of the Centurion in order to show mercy.
Last week, we saw that theme again, as he was willing to enter in to the danger and fear of the men possessed by demons, and calm the storm that had the disciples fearing for their lives.
Entering in and healing - entering in and saving. That seems to be the theme of Jesus ministry, and we see that again today in Jesus’ words.
We have seen purpose statements already in the book of Matthew.
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
“he will save his people from their sins...”
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
“I have come… to fulfill the law...”
We see them in other scriptures as well.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
All of these purpose statements must shape the way we view Jesus’ ministry. He did many things, but all of them with reason - all of them with a goal - all of them in fulfilling the law, doing the will of His Father, giving life, calling sinners to himself, giving his life as a ransom.
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Jesus came with Divine purpose: to call sinners to himself, and to usher in a new era of God’s redemption story.
Jesus came with Divine purpose: to call sinners to himself, and to usher in a new era of God’s redemption story.
1. He Came as The Friend - Vs. 9-10
1. He Came as The Friend - Vs. 9-10
“As Jesus went on from there.”
From where? From the place where he healed the paralyzed man, and he healed him both physically and spiritually, because he forgave his sins - and that caused a big stir among the scribes. They accused him of blasphemy for claiming to have the authority to forgive sins - but he did have that authority, he does have that authority.
And with that story in our minds, the story of Jesus forgiving sins, Matthew records his own story.
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
There has been a lot of social stigma that Jesus has entered into and overcome so far in this section of matthew. He touched the leprous man, he healed the Centurion’s Servent, he interacted with the demon-possessed men, and to the modern reader that would be enough - but just like the power of Christ became personal for Peter when Jesus healed his mother-in-law, the power of Christ became personal for Matthew, not in a healing, but in a simple command - a simple phrase.
“follow me.”
We saw this in Matthew 4 when he called Peter and Andrew, James and John, the two pair of fishermen brothers, and now we see it with Matthew - the very man who wrote down these accounts.
Why does he place his story here? Right after the forgiveness of sin, and in the mix with a bunch of stories about the outcasts of society, about the rejected and the hated?
Well, if you notice the text it says that Jesus saw “a man sitting at the tax booth.”
We’ve talked about this before, but the men sitting at the tax booths were considered at best political opportunists, and at worse traitors. In contract with the Roman government to collect taxes and, in this case, probably import duties and fees from the boats coming in. They were known as greedy and conniving, because it is recorded that they could bolster their collections by demanding more than the amount due, and keeping whatever was extra.
In a Jewish world that had been taken over by Romans, Roman sympathizers and collaborators were not loved - they were despised, and here is Matthew.
Matthew is one of his names - in other places we find his name is Levi, a good Jewish name, named after Jacob’s third son and the priestly tribe of Israel.
His other name, Matthew, means “gift of God.” It was common for men to have first names, like Simon Peter, another of the disciples.
So, among the outcasts in these stories, among the forgiving of sins, Matthew places himself here - a tax gatherer. The authority of Jesus was real for Matthew, because he reached out to Him, a tax collector - hated by his peers, no doubt, and he called him - even him.
The next verse makes the point that Matthew is getting across even more clear.
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.
So it wasn’t just Matthew, the tax collector, it was many tax collectors and sinners. And notice that grouping - tax collectors and sinners. That may sound odd to our ears, but it was the common reference in Jesus’ day - tax collectors were public traitors and publically shamed, and the “sinners” were often called the “am ha’Arez” - or the People of the land. These were Israelites who weren’t staunch followers of the law - they weren’t as dedicated as the scribes and pharisees. They were publically known for their “issues.”
We have talked before about the Rabbi and the Talmudim - the teachers and their disciples. Most Rabbi of the day would have had some disciples, but they would have been the cream of the crop of Jewish young men. They would have been those steeped in the law, and the Talmud, the traditions - they would have been those eager to fulfill the commandments and learn to interpret them.
Yet, who is Jesus reclining with? These people - the tax collectors, and sinners.
Later in Matthew, in chapter 11, we will read that Jesus is remembered as being “a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” And that would have been meant as a slur, as a denouncement of Jesus - but it was true.
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
Jesus says this of his disciples - and to sum up, he says, “you are my friends, I have chosen you, and I have chosen you for a purpose - to go and bear fruit for my kingdom, and to love one another.”
Jesus is a friend of sinners. Jesus does choose the rag-tag, the outcast, the needy, the sinner. He chooses them and changes them day by day into his image, and he commissions them to love one another and spread the message of the Gospel.
Matthew puts himself here in this story because he wants all his readers to know - he was that outcast, he was that despised one - he was that traitor - he was that sinner - but Jesus Authority became real when he said to him, “follow me.”
Have you answered that call? O friend, you and I are that outcast, you and I are that traitor - you and I are that sinner, but Jesus extends his call to the weary, to the sinner, to come to Him - have you heeded that call? Have you found Jesus to be the friend of sinners? I have!
2. He Came as The Physician - Vs. 11-13
2. He Came as The Physician - Vs. 11-13
And this story goes on. We find Jesus “in the house.” Luke’s version of the story makes it clear that this is actually Matthew’s house. He was hosting a banquet for Jesus - a celebration of his power, of his life-changing authority and message.
And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
There is that same wording - tax collectors and sinners.
Now, we could ask, why the pharisees were even around, they would not have entered in to such a banquet with the “people of the earth” like this. Interestingly, Luke’s Gospel tells us that it was a “great banquet” this was a big feast, a large meal, maybe large enough to gather wondering eyes and curious minds from the outside.
And the Pharisees ask - “inquiring minds want to know,” Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? And this is the kind of question you would ask just like that, “why does your teacher do this?”
When Jesus healed the paralyzed man and forgave his sins, the charge was blasphemy - and the idea of that thought is, “who does he think he is?”
When Jesus calmed the storm in the boat, the question was “what kind of man is this?”
And here, when Jesus is eating with these common people, the question is similar. All of these questions together give us a glimpse into Jesus on Mission. “who does He think He is? What kind of man is this? Why would he do that?”
And that is where Jesus’ answer comes in to clear up any confusion.
But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Here is that purpose statement - why did Jesus come? This is it. Luke Records it as well, in Luke 5:32 and we get the fuller quote, “I cam not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
He starts with a metaphor - “those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”
Jesus is the great physician, he is the healer, as we have seen, but he is also the healer of the Soul by forgiving sin, as we have also seen.
But you know something? Sometimes that “need” of a physician is there but not recognized. A doctor can provide no help to someone who refuses to believe that they need help. Now, that analogy is not perfect, because God can and does change hearts, but that is exactly what is needed - a heart change. That is what jesus came preaching, and we read in Matthew 3:2! Repent, for the Kingdom is at hand!
Like the first beatitudes, “blessed are the poor in spirit… blessed are those who mourn… blessed are the meek...” That is the condition we are in when we come for the Grace of the Gospel - poor in spirit - knowing that we have no spiritual riches to offer. Mourning - realizing the deadly effects of sin in our lives and in the world - mourning - yearning to be delivered from our sin, our guilt.
That is a person who can be helped - that is a person who is ready to receive forgiveness. But a person who denies any ailment will never see the remedy as a good thing. And a person who denies any need of redemption through Jesus will never see Jesus’ redemption and forgiveness as a good thing either.
Then Jesus quotes from the Old Testament, and this quote is quite telling, and would have been probably quite offensive.
“Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
The quote is “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” But the Pharisees would have known the rest of the quote as well.
Hosea 6:4–6 (ESV)
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes early away. Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets;
I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light.
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
That passage is a passage of judgment - “your love is like the morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early.” That is, Your love is empty and passes quickly!
That is what Jesus is saying to these pharisees - your love is empty and fleeting. It does on to say, “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
There was no shortage of sacrifices, no shortage of offerings on the altar, but there was no heart of repentance behind it - the love was fleeting - as if it burned up with the sacrifice. And Jesus is bringing that application upon these pharisees in his day.
“I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” There was self-righteousness in the pharisees heart, but there was no mercy.
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice - the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
And remember, we know what they denied - that Jesus is God! God was standing right in front of them, eating with tax collectors and sinners, and they denied him - they decried what he was doing. Can there be any sadder story?
Now, We in this story can be one of two people - we can be like the tax collectors and sinners, the people of the earth, the commoners who need forgiveness and mercy and know they need forgiveness and mercy, or we can be like the pharisees, who are so convinced of our self righteousness that all we can see is other people’s failures, other people’s sins, other people’s guilt.
Brothers and Sisters, if you are ever in a place where you can only see flaws and faults with others, but refuse to admit any of your own, you are in a dangerous place - you need Jesus stern reminder, go and learn what it means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.”
Jesus, all throughout this section of Matthew, has been showing mercy after mercy after mercy - and here he calls for us to show mercy as well, knowing that we are first recipients of it.
And if you are in that place of the tax collectors and sinners, the commoners, the people of the earth, then again, know that Jesus is near to the broken, he is a friend of sinners, and he calls in his mercy and forgiveness to come to him.
3. He Came as The Bridegroom - Vs. 14-17
3. He Came as The Bridegroom - Vs. 14-17
One more interaction for today, this time with the disciples of John the Baptist.
John, as we recall, was the forerunner of Jesus. He came to prepare the way - to make straight the path. He called for solemn repentance as Israel prepared to meet her Messiah and Lord. His ministry was one of stern preaching, of clear warnings, and Jesus would later say that there was no greater prophet than John the Baptist.
Well, John had his own group of men who attached themselves to Him, and they came and asked Jesus a question - because Jesus was not John the Baptist - Jesus was different. John the Baptist was the last prophet of the Old Testament age, so to speak - He was the last of voices before the final voice arrived on the scene. John’s work was preparatory, Jesus work is final.
Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”
A valid question, as fasting was absolutely a part of the standard life of the devoted Jewish person. Jesus taught on fasting in the Sermon on the Mount, he taught that it should be private, between us and God, a time of secret devotion, not a display of self-righteousness but a heart-felt appeal to God.
Jesus did fast, as we read he fasted for 40 days before his ministry began. But now, Jesus and His disciples were known for not fasting. And to ask why would have been a worthy answer. After all, John had probably told his disciples that Jesus was the promised one - he was the deliverer. So why is he so different?
And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Jesus makes an analogy here, but it was really more than an analogy. It was an answer to their question, and statement of who he is.
“The Bridegroom.” We might just say “groom.” Jesus is the bridegroom, and when the bridegroom is here, there is no need for mourning - no need for fasting.
The image of God being the “bridegroom” or “husband” of his people is spattered throughout the Old Testament, but since we already read from Hosea, lets look at that book again.
“And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’
And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.
In other words, there will be a time of redemption, a time of calling back from sin and false Gods, and God would be the husband - or the bridegroom - of his people.
And what is the promise? You will know the Lord. You shall know the Lord.
Jesus, the Lord, was putting himself in this place - the Lord, the bridegroom, was with his people - and there was no need to fast.
What are some reasons for fasting (some scriptural and others maybe just traditional or practical):
mourning
preparation
waiting
closeness to God
confession of sin
clarity in thought and prayer
sanctification
All of these things are good and righteous desires - and they are all met in Jesus. Literally, the disciples were with God. They had no reason for mourning because he was there. He was teaching them, instructing them, walking with them.
Now, he would be taken away - and we will see that - Jesus was taken from them, crucified and killed on the cross - and that was cause for mourning. But the image is, Jesus is the bridegroom - Jesus ushers in a new age. The prophets promised him, John the Baptist was his forerunner, and Jesus is the bridegroom.
He goes on to use other images of newness. New cloth on an old garment, and new wine in an old wineskin - both would have created descruction. But Jesus is making all things new.
Jesus and the Gospel are the “new wine” that he puts into “new wineskins.” If nothing else, his people are the “new wineskins” because he has redeemed us and made us new.
It is the mystery that Paul talks about in Colossians
To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Jesus is the bridegroom, and that image carries throughout the New Testament as well.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Do you see the progression? We started out with a story about outcasts and sinners, and we ended up talking about the holy, pure, splendid bride of Christ. The miracle of the Gospel is that these are the same people! And the Mercy of Christ makes it so.
And Jesus is still making it so. Christian, do you see Christ’s mercy that has turned you from an outcast into the very bride of Christ? Don’t take that mercy for granted.
If you are here today without Christ, you are in need of that mercy! And it is yours in Him by trusting Him, by faith - he calls out still, come unto me.