JESUS CAME TO CALL SINNERS

Matthew 9:1-17

Key Verse 9:13

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

Read verses 1-2.  Who was brought to Jesus and what was his condition?  Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven”; what do you think this man’s ‘sins’ were?  Why did Jesus say, “Take heart, son?”  Why did he say, “Your sins are forgiven” and not, “You are healed”?

Verse 1-2, “Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.  Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’”

A paralytic was brought to Jesus.  We don’t know how this man came to be a paralytic, it could have been an accident or he could have been born with it or he could have caught some disease or sickness that impaired his motor skills.  If he was born this way, then he knew nothing else and would expect the help of others ‘naturally’.  If he became paralyzed because he ‘fell out of a tree’ or some other way (disease or sickness), then it must have been difficult for him because in the past took care of himself, but now he needed the help of others.   This must have weighed him down.

What we do know is that this man needed the help of others, including ‘some men’ who brought him to Jesus.  A paralyzed man, especially at this time was almost completely helpless and could do nothing on his own.  There were no safety networks or disability payments for such a person, so he needed the help of family and friends.  He was completely dependent on others’ generosity and compassion on him.

Like all men, this man was a ‘sinner’.  But this man’s sins were not the same as other people, who could use their bodies to sin.  This man’s sins had to be sins of the ‘mind’.  Man was created to be ‘more than a conqueror’; to be fruitful and multiply; but this man was ‘stuck’ on his mat and could do nothing for himself.  God created man in His image, but this man was not living up to the image God had placed in him.  There is a story of a man who was born with no arms and he was introduced to Pope John Paul in 1987 when the Pope visited Los Angeles.  This man’s name is Tony Melendez.  He played the guitar with his two feet for the Pope.  Mr. Melendez’s guitar playing inspired so many people.  Even though he had no arms, he could still use the rest of his body to praise God and serve God.  

This paralytic man on the other hand did not use what gifts he still had to encourage and live a fruitful life; instead he let others do everything for him.  

Jesus told this man ‘Take heart, son’, because he had lost his heart.  Perhaps he knew that he should live up to God’s calling on his life and was aware that he did not.  Perhaps he felt that this condition was because of his sin.  At this time terrible conditions were considered punishment from God.  Perhaps he believed what he was told.  Perhaps he was a terrible sinner in the past and he knew that he deserved being paralyzed.

Obviously, Jesus knew that this man needed to be told, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ more than to be told, ‘You are healed.’  In other places of the Bible Jesus said, “Your faith has healed you.” But this time Jesus does not say this, instead He said, ‘Your sins are forgiven’.  This shows that this man needed to hear these words.  This man needed to know that he was forgiven.  

Read verse 3-8.  Why did some of the teachers of the law criticize Jesus in their hearts?  Why did Jesus call their thoughts “evil?” What did he say to them?  How is it that healing this man showed Jesus’ authority to forgive sins?  

Verses 3-8, “At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, ‘This fellow is blaspheming!’  Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, ‘Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?  Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....’  Then He said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’ And the man got up and went home.  When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.”

The teachers of the law thought Jesus was blaspheming when He told the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’  As they understood it, only God could forgive men sins.  Men did not have the authority to do so.  Technically this was true.

Even though the teachers of the law were technically correct that only God could forgive a man his sins, Jesus called the thoughts of the teachers of the law ‘evil’.  To Jesus their thoughts were evil.  To Jesus withholding forgiveness was ‘evil’.  This reveals that Jesus wants us to forgive one another.  The Bible clearly tells us that we should not ‘judge’ one another, but the Bible no where tells us not to forgive one another, instead the Bible teaches us to forgive one another.  Forgiveness is the beginning of being restored.  Without forgiveness we cannot be restored in our relationships either with God or men.

Jesus asked them, “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?”  Obviously, neither of these is humanly possible.  In reality both are impossible, but to Jesus neither of them is impossible and by healing this man, Jesus revealed that He also has authority to forgive men their sins.  Only in Jesus can a man be healed and only in Jesus can a man be truly forgiven.  In addition, now that Jesus has paid the price, we also can truly forgive our neighbor.

Read verses 9-13. Where did Jesus find Matthew?  Why were tax collectors classed with “sinners?”  What was Jesus’ invitation and Matthew’s response?

Verses 9-13, “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. ‘Follow Me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.  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.”

Tax collectors were considered sinners because they had betrayed their people and their nation in order to make money.

Read verses 10-13 again. Where did Jesus go for dinner?  Who criticized him and why?  What was Jesus’ response to their criticism?  Who did Jesus consider sick? (13b)  Why?  What does ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ mean?

Verses 10-13, “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.’”

Jesus went to Matthew’s house for dinner.

The Pharisees criticized Jesus and His disciples.  They did so because Jesus appeared to be condoning the lifestyle of the tax collectors and other public sinners, by eating with them.  In their eyes Jesus should have stayed far away from them.

Jesus considered sinners to be those who were sick and need of a doctor.  Spiritually speaking sinners are those whose spirits are ‘sick’ and are not ‘healthy’.

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice” reveals God’s desire to save mankind from their sin sickness.  Without God’s mercy, men cannot be made healthy and right with God.  No amount of sacrifice will help a man to be made healthy.  Mercy is God’s solution to man’s fundamental problem of sin.  The sacrificial system reveals God’s mercy.  Just as an innocent lamb was killed to atone for man’s sins, in reality, the Lamb of God (Jesus) atones for man’s sins.  Man did not deserve Jesus.  Man did not earn their salvation.  Jesus is God’s free gift to mankind to atone for man’s sins. 

Read verses 14-17. What question did John’s disciples ask?  Why?  Why did Jesus say, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them?  The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast,”?

Verses 14-17, “Then John's disciples came and asked him, ‘How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’  Jesus answered, ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them?  The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.  ‘No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.  Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.’”

John’s disciples asked this question because they thought that Jesus’ disciples were not ‘spiritual’ enough.  The disciples did not behave like they did.  Maybe they thought that Jesus’ disciples lacked the spiritual discipline to be ‘qualified’ as true disciples of ‘the Way’.  Maybe they also felt it was unfair that they had to fast, when Jesus’ disciples did not have to.

Jesus pointed out that fasting was a discipline in order to draw close to God and to have a better relationship with Him.  He pointed out how absurd it was for the disciples to have to fast in order to draw close, when He was already with them.  Fasting is not a spiritual discipline or a way to lose weight; it is to draw closer to God.  But Jesus was already with them.  Prayer is not for the sake of prayer.  Reading our Bible is not for the sake of reading the Bible.  All spiritual disciplines are to help us to draw close to God.

What does the ‘patch’ and ‘new wine’ symbolize?  Who or what is the ‘old garment’ and ‘old wine skin’?  Why do you put ‘new wine’ into a ‘new wine skin’ and not an ‘old wine skin’?  

The ‘patch’ and ‘new wine’ represent that which is new.  It represents the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It represents the Word of God.

The ‘old garment’ and ‘old wine skin’ represent the old ways of the Pharisees and their rigid thoughts.  They could not accept Jesus as their Messiah, because of their unbending thoughts.  In this part of the passage Jesus is teaching that as Christians we need to have new minds.  The Gospel is living and dynamic, not fixed and static.  Most people are ‘set’ in their ways and do not like change.  But Jesus challenges us to be ‘new’ people.  

Think about the paralytic, Matthew the tax collector and John’s disciples.  How are they different?  How are they the same?  What is Jesus trying to teach us from today’s passage?

The paralytic was a helpless kind of sinner.  He could not help himself at all.  Matthew was an able sinner.   John’s disciples were ‘self-righteous’ sinners.  Each was different, but they all had one point in common, they were all sinners before God.  “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Jesus is teaching that He came to call all people to repentance and to restore their relationship with God.  No one is too weak, no one is good, and no one is righteous, not even one.