Psalm 50: 7-15 (Common English Bible)
Matthew 9: 9-13, 18-26 (Good News Translation)
In today’s gospel (Matthew 9:13), Jesus says, “It is kindness I want, not animal sacrifice. I have not come to call respectable people, but outcasts.”
These were the people who were treated badly if they came to a place of worship. But what does sacrifice mean here? And that goes back to the sacrifice of animals who were an important part of the worship service in the Hebrew Bible. In an ancient economy based on agriculture, tithing is less based on giving money, and more about giving part of one’s crop or herd to God.
But what does “sacrifice” mean for us today? We do our best in tithing to God. We give our time and talents by serving on a committee or singing in a choir. Some churches like the Roman Catholic and Episcopalian have an altar guild. Christians serve in Food Banks and other ministries that help the local community. All of this requires some sacrifice and it is important to God. But it is not as important as mercy. None of these can be a substitute for our love toward God and our neighbor. The wealthy will always have the most money for charity, but do they have the same amount of empathy for the people they help? Or, is it just self-righteous sympathy? Surveys have shown percentage wise, that lower income people give more to the least of these, than the rich. And you can read of the story in the gospel of Mark (12: 41-44) where the poor widow gave her last penny to help those in need. And as Jesus said, “This poor widow put more in the offering box than all the others. For the others put in what they had to spare of their riches, but she, as poor as she is, put in all she had.”
Jesus says in Matthew’s gospel, “Go find out what is meant by scripture that says, it is kindness that I want.” When Jesus made this statement, he was not asking us to do something that God has not already done for us.
God sent the Christ to earth, so that through Jesus we could see that mercy and love in the flesh. And Jesus shows us constantly his steadfast love and mercy for all of God’s children and beyond any particular religion. And that love and mercy is directed to anyone in need with the Spirit working through those with a healing mission. Even in today’s gospel reading, we see Jesus doing this, when he shows mercy to the leader of the synagogue by bringing his daughter back to life. But if you read the passage closely, Jesus probably realized the girl was in a coma. The Greek word used is “kama” which does not mean a literal death, but possibly a coma. So in a way, Jesus saved the girl from a fate worse than death, being buried alive. And that did happen in that region. Burials were done within 24 hours because the arid climate brought on decomposition within a few hours.
We have various kinds of people shown mercy through Jesus the Christ. A reviled tax collector, a child thought dead and a woman considered “unclean” because of her hemorrhaging. Jesus showed the same mercy for those who needed mercy. And the first step toward being a follower of Jesus, is to realize just how loved we are. Like the parable of the Prodigal Son, we have left our true home to seek a far country, but as we tire of eating its “husks” we are led to arise and go to our Eternal Parent, who is prepared to greet us with festival and song. And no one is an outcast.
But are churches good at accepting outcasts? During the postwar economic boom after the Second World War, mainline Protestant churches in the United States grew at a rapid pace. Unlike the European nations, which faced terrible devastation during WW II, America went relatively unscathed except for the attack on Pearl Harbor. Europeans questioned a God that would allow such destruction literally in their backyards, with family and friends killed. Americans by contrast came up with a very questionable theology, that God had blessed America. America could do no wrong.
The conformity of the Church became Americanism instead of the teachings of Jesus. The “American Dream” became the new Kindom of God. The professional class, doctors, lawyers and others from the bourgeoisie filled the pews. And they were considered the good people you want in a church. But the rule was, don’t challenge the status-quo. Unfortunately, with that framework many mainline churches became basically social clubs doing good works of charity. The radical message of Jesus about mercy was lost.
Today churches of all types are declining. Of course, there are exceptions to this decline. People will always be attracted to new and fancy church buildings, mainly if it has gyms, swimming pools and especially a Starbucks coffee shop. And there is a church like that in Louisville. Its nickname is “Six Flags Over Jesus” (Southeast Christian Church). A good example of “Walmart” theology. And churches with a long lineage of family members will always thrive, even if the message preached has no relevance to the bored younger generation worshiping there.
But do these churches have the same mercy to outcasts as Jesus did? Perhaps young people with purple hair with a ring or two in their nose? And maybe someone with more holes in their bluejeans, than jeans? Will they be given the same respect and acceptance as someone in a $400 three-piece suit? And I don’t recall Jesus ever saying that you must “dress up” before you go to worship. Mercy is absent when the forgotten are ignored in favor of those with successful lives.
In Psalm 50: 7-15, pictures God as condemning religious rituals as a waste of time if they ignore mercy and justice. Without mercy, worship is an empty act.
In closing I would like to bring up the tragedy of the Titanic. The best book written about the sinking of the Titanic, in my opinion, was written by Walter Lord, “A Night To Remember.” Walter Lord was a boy when this happened. He mentions a New York newspaper, “The American,” which dedicated an entire page to the millionaire John Jacob Astor, who died in the sinking. Only briefly and without names, did the newspaper mention and there were 1,800 people who died. Most were poor and from the third class on the ship. The only one who really mattered to the newspaper was the millionaire. People and even churches can be like that. But God is never like that.
AMEN
