Sermon -- Festival of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (September 21, 2025)

MATTHEW 9:9-13

JESUS SINNERS DOES RECEIVE.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Church tradition suggests that St. Matthew served as a pastor in Ethiopia where he was put to death by the king, presumably by a spear.  What was it that moved St. Matthew to preach the word of God so faithfully despite the threat on his life that ended up being fulfilled in his martyrdom?  The short answer is: the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit worked in St. Matthew a firm faith and a courageous confession.  The Holy Spirit also worked through St. Matthew to record the words and works of Jesus Christ.  This makes St. Matthew an evangelist, one of the four Gospel writers.  He was also an apostle, one of twelve called by Jesus.  So, Matthew was an apostle and an evangelist, titles that were only held by him and St. John.

     Matthew’s devotion and courage were produced by the mercy he had been shown by Jesus.  Matthew had been a tax collector.  He had sold himself out to the Roman government to collect taxes and revenue for pagans.  Tax collectors were known for overcharging their fellow Jews to gain wealth for themselves.  It was no secret that they did this, but there was little anyone could do about it.  The Romans did not care, and the people were powerless to prevent it.  Matthew was probably a rich man.  He certainly was despised.  Nevertheless, Jesus did not avoid Matthew as a crook or dismiss him as a lost cause; rather, Jesus called him to a new life.  Jesus saw “Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s booth.  He said to him, ‘Follow me.’  Matthew got up and followed him” (Matthew 9:9).  Matthew was living proof: Jesus sinners does receive.

    In response to God’s mercy, Matthew held a banquet and invited others to hear Jesus.  This resulted in Jesus associating with some unsavory people.  When you hear the reading, you probably find it endearing.  If you had witnessed it, you might have found it repulsive.  Imagine being invited to an LGBTQ luncheon and seeing Jesus there at the head table.  What would you think?  Would you sit down to eat, too?  Would you talk with anyone?  Would you try to keep a low profile and hope that nobody recognized you?  Now, if you felt anything cringe-worthy about those questions, then you agree with the Pharisees who thought it was reprehensible that Jesus would sit with sinners and eat with them.

     Blame Matthew.  Matthew invited Jesus to his house along with his disciples.  He also invited his friends to this banquet so they could meet Jesus and hear him.  Since Matthew had been despised, it is no surprise that his circle of friends was limited to fellow tax collectors and other low-lifes.  Just as Jesus did not steer clear of Matthew, so he did not steer clear of Matthew’s banquet.  “As Jesus was reclining at the table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were actually there too, eating with Jesus and his disciples” (Matthew 9:10).  Why?  Jesus sinners does receive.

     It is interesting that the Pharisees did not talk to Jesus about why he was doing this.  Instead, they approached his disciples.  “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 9:11)?  It seems that the Pharisees were trying to drive a wedge between Jesus and his disciples.  By confronting the disciples, the Pharisees were forcing them to consider if that is what good people would do.  “What kind of rabbi are you following if this is the kind of company he keeps?”  Maybe they could explain it.  Maybe they would apologize for it.  Maybe they would separate themselves from Jesus and learn to keep polite company so that no one would think less of them.  Jesus sinners does receive, but some sinners are just plain gross, right?

     Jesus interrupted the conversation.  Rather than see how his disciples might answer, Jesus spoke for himself.  “Jesus said to them, ‘The healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.  … In fact, I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners’” (Matthew 9:12-13).  First, we recognize how Jesus referred to the people who were sitting with him.  They were sinners.  They were sick, corrupted in their minds, hearts, and lives.  Jesus was not there to celebrate their sins.   He was there to rescue from their sins and to tell them that there is hope for sinners.  Jesus proclaimed the same mercy to them as he had to Matthew.  Jesus sinners does receive.

     The Pharisees, on the other hand, would not know such mercy.  Jesus issued a subtle rebuke to the Pharisees.  When he said, “I did not come to call the righteous” (Matthew 9:13), Jesus was referring to the Pharisees.  They were convinced that they were righteous.  They would not sully themselves by mingling with the wrong company.  They kept themselves separate, as if that is what made them pure.  Since they considered themselves righteous, they felt they had the right to look down on others and judge them.  If they were righteous, they would not need mercy from Jesus.  And they would not get it either.  Jesus comes only for sinners.

     If you have enjoyed a place in the Christian Church your whole life long, you are greatly blessed.  You have had the benefit and comfort of knowing that the blood of Jesus purifies you of all unrighteousness, and that the mercy of our Lord endures even through days of pain and sorrow.  Even in the darkest of days, you have basked in the light of God’s love and faithfulness.  Imagine going through life with none of that!  You are truly blessed.  But if there is a danger in it, it is that you may conclude the people who live outside of the Christian Church are to be despised because they should know better, or at least avoided until they clean themselves up.  Repent. 

     We have some friends who went hiking in West Virginia some years ago.  They parked at the trailhead and marched off into the woods.  Suddenly, they were lost.  I mean lost for over 24 hours.  They spent the night in the elements with few supplies and no shelter.  Mercifully, they were found.  They went to a hospital for a wellness check and to have some wounds and scrapes tended to.  Sometime later, the son who lived there wanted to show them where they got lost.  It turns out they were very close to their car.  If they knew the way back, they would not have had such a terrifying experience.  But lost is lost. 

     It is the same for many sinners.  Some make wicked choices on purpose.  Some make foolish choices—a moment of weakness followed by long-term consequences, and they are hurting.  Some are just confused, wandering through life without purpose, without direction, and without hope.  But they are all lost.  They need rescue.  It is our Lord who goes to find them.  And he uses you to do it.  Granted, many will seem repulsive to you because their minds and lives are so opposed to God’s word.  But how can anyone be restored to God unless God summons them?  How can the sick become healthy unless they encounter the healing words of God?  How can sinners become righteous unless they are cleansed by the blood of Jesus?  This is why Matthew invited his friends to the banquet with Jesus.  He wanted them to know the same mercy he had received.  The Pharisees, on the other hand, thought it was good and wise and safe to stay insulated in their little circle.  In doing so, they extended mercy to no one. That’s why Jesus told them, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice’” (Matthew 9:13).

     The Lord calls us to show mercy, but he is the one who made the sacrifice to save people from the judgment they deserve.  Jesus did not treat people as their sins deserve.  Jesus, instead, suffered what sinners deserve.  Jesus received the blows, putting himself between God’s wrath and mankind.  Jesus is our refuge.  He is like a castle against which cannon balls are lobbed.  It is the castle which suffers the blows, but the people who take refuge inside of it are safe.  Outside of the castle is only danger and death.  But there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).  In Christ, there is mercy, pardon, and peace. 

     This is why Matthew invited his friends to feast with Jesus.  The only way for anyone to receive Jesus’ mercy is if they hear about it.  That is why we, like St. Matthew, can be bold in telling others about it.  If anyone is going to be raised up from sinners to saint and from wickedness to righteousness, Jesus must do it.  He does not treat us as our sins deserve, but he does not leave us in our sins, either.  He declares us righteous, and he calls us to be righteous.  He restores the prostitutes to chastity.  He converts the foul-mouthed to those who speak better words.  He instructs the liars to be truthful, the self-centered to be generous, and those who prey on the weak to defend them.  Jesus sinners does receive and restore and rectify.  His mercy changes lives.  Jesus reveals the path of righteousness and guides people to a holy life as we look forward to a heavenly life. 

     You may not realize it, but Jesus still eats with sinners.  Sinners gather at the Lord’s altar to feast on the meal he has prepared for us.  He gives his body, slain for sinners, under the bread.  He gives his blood, shed to atone for sinners, under the wine.  He gives this sacred meal to sinners who long to have their sins forgiven, who are eager to have their faith strengthened, and who strive to amend their sinful lives and to live up to what God has called them to be.  Jesus sinners does receive, and feed, and strengthen.  He sets you apart for a more noble and virtuous life.

     Our Gospel reading ends abruptly.  We don’t know what happened to the guests St. Matthew had invited to his house.  Based on the rest of the Gospel, it appears that most Pharisees never did learn the lesson.  But what about the tax collectors and sinners?  It would be nice to think that they all repented and rejoiced in God’s mercy.  But people are people, so their reactions may have varied.  When Jesus noted that he had come for those who were sick, some may have hung their heads in shame and confessed, “Yeah, that’s me.”  Others may have sneered at Jesus and said, “I’m not sick.  My life is fine.”  Who knows?  Maybe Matthew was the only tax collector there who embraced the mercy of our Lord.

     The point is this: We don’t know who will rejoice in Jesus’ mercy, who will prefer to keep their sins, or who will continue to look down on others.  But we do know that all people need to hear about Jesus’ love and mercy.  So, like St. Matthew, we pray that God will give us a firm faith and make us courageous confessors of God’s word.   Like St. Matthew, let’s invite our friends to hear Jesus.  Even if someone’s past is despicable or diabolical, there is good news: Jesus sinners does receive.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.