David Bahn – Reflections

Matthew 9:12-13

But when [Jesus] heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus invites us off the impossible treadmill of endless efforts to make up for our failures by means of sacrifice and acts of penance. While I am all in favor of restitution and true penitential life change, these must be the fruits of God’s mercy received, not the hoped-for cause of it.  Thank God our relationship with him is not based on some pathetic effort on our part to finally make all the right sacrifices. We cannot wipe our own slate clean. Jesus will do that when he offers himself as the ultimate once-and-for-all sacrifice on the cross. We stand forgiven.

Jesus tells us here to learn what this means, “I desire mercy not sacrifice.” Note he says, “I desire…” This is a striking statement on the basis of Jesus’ claim of the prerogative of God: his desire is worthy of our study and understanding! This alone should arrest us. It should be enough for us to recognize that Jesus is God in the flesh – calling sinners to himself. Consider further Jesus’ call to “learn what this means.” Not only is Jesus inviting us off the treadmill, he is calling us to embrace his love for all people.

This is an active learning process. Jesus says, “Go learn what this means.” It is in living with, relating to, and serving our neighbor that we more fully learn what it means to give and receive mercy. It is in forgiving others’ sins and responding to their need (the heart of mercy) that we are most fully expressing God’s heart toward ourselves.

We can never do enough to gain entry into the heart of God. But God’s heart is open to us because of his mercy. Our lives must reflect his love and mercy if we are to learn what that means. Thankfully that’s not the means of our salvation, but the fruit of it.