Living Life in the Mercy of Christ: Accepting Flaw Through Humility

By: Dorothea Weingart

“10 And as he sat at dinner[a] in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting[b] with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners” (Matthew 9:10-13).

As humans, we commonly fall into the idea that only if we are good enough, or if we sin the least, God will love us more, however, as seen, I think that, that is the exact opposite. Jesus chooses to find the people who need the most mercy and the people that are the farthest away from Him, to truly focus in on. He wants all of us to draw near, and will spend time with those who are the most “spiritually sick”. He cares about us, and wants us to remain near to Him.

 I think one of the first takeaways from this passage is seeing Jesus choosing to sit with the sinners. From the beginning, Jesus wants to spark curiosity from others around Him. He is choosing to spend His time with the people that are least socially accepted. The people that most would think not to sit with. As humans, we like to put ourselves on higher pedestals from others “socially” below us. We want to have some ease of mind that we are not the lowest and that there is something that falls under us. However, it’s important to continuously remind ourselves that we do not have true judgement. We do not have the capacity to always choose what’s fully right from wrong without the grace of God. In some cases, being poor in life can be a way more fruitful and desirable thing. The less we have, the more dependent we are on Christ and His timing. Wealth, if used incorrectly, can be one of the most dangerous temptations that separates us from Christ. 

Thinking back into the historical context of this passage, often religious sacrifices were animals. However, this was harder for poor people, because the animals were often very expensive. For some, they could only sacrifice small birds, whereas the rich would sacrifice larger and more expensive animals. Jesus says ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’; He doesn’t want to see our riches and wealthy lifestyles displayed to Him on earth, because He knows not everyone can attain that (Matthew 9:13). Let me break this down for you, Jesus welcomes all. He invites all to Him, because He loves us. Let me ask you this, if God loves us all, and wants all of our attention, would religion only be accessible to just the rich? No, anyone should be able to participate. Sacrifices aren’t meant to be a bragging fest, but a way to let go of yourselves and give up for the greater glory of God; With this, humility is necessary. Something the rich or righteous, in this passage, lacked. God wants our willingness to not show off to others the amount of money we hold in our pockets, but to realize that the first step to true ‘wealth’, is in recognizing that we are far too weak, and that God holds the key to our eternal life. 

Embracing our flaws and receiving help from those around us seem to be central themes arising in this passage. So I challenge you; Go to God in prayer, and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal your true soul. Let the Father, the creator of all, engulf you in His mercy. Recognize His mercy and love for you. And after, use that experience as an example, to give that love to others. Being merciful to your community is one step closer to receiving mercy from our Father. The more you are merciful with others around you, the more grace is given to you from God. He is love and has more love than you can ever imagine. Accept it! If you woke up today, God has something big in store for you. Explore the relationship you have with Him, deepen it, and never give up. 

So never stop humbling yourself or accepting help from God in prayer. He desires your raw and authentic self, not the person you hide behind. He doesn’t want your earthly wealth or riches, but rather the true gifts that flow from your soul.