47th Post Jesus Said About His Mission - Matthew 9: 12 -13

The Passages Matthew 9: 12 - 13; Mark 2: 17; Luke 5: 31 - 32 deal with Jesus having dinner at Matthew's house. The fact that Jesus was in the presence of tax collectors, prostitutes, and other shadowy figures; made the religious leaders uncomfortable. You see they believed that since they studied the Law they had become sinless through their interpretation of God's Law. The point of the Law as given by God to Moses, was to show the people that they have sinned in God's eyes and the need for a Savior to save them from their sins. The religious leaders made the Law their God, and tried to keep it perfectly; and what they could not keep, they would build a hedge around the Law so they could not get close enough to break it. The problem was they got so far away from the meaning that God intended, that they became prideful in their interpretation of the Law. They had forgotten God is also a God of mercy, not just a God of justice. They embraced the legal side of God and totally tried to forget the mercy side of God. They gave their alms to the poor, but not cheerfully. If the Sadducees and Pharisees, were Christians you would find them among the salt in the shaker. To be salt in the shaker you only deal with Christians, go only to Church, and talk only to Christians. It is very easy to stay a Christian under these conditions, you are all like minded, and will not push each others buttons. When we get out of our comfort zone and go out amoung non-believers the salt is poured out of the shaker. Jesus commands us to be in the world, but not of the world. If we do this we will be doing the words of Jesus and be doing what Jesus did by going to Matthew's house for dinner.