Jesus Calls Sinners: Mercy That Makes Us New
There is something both unsettling and deeply comforting in this Sunday’s Gospel. Jesus passes by a tax booth, sees a man most would avoid, and says simply, “Follow me.” And Matthew “rose and followed him” (Matthew 9:9).
Unsettling—because Jesus does not build His kingdom on human merit. Comforting—because it means no one is beyond His call, including you and me.
A Call That Meets Us Where We Are
Tax collectors were viewed as traitors and sinners, yet Jesus calls Matthew while he is still sitting at the booth. Grace does not wait for transformation; it creates it.
Jesus explains His mission clearly:
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick… I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12–13).
This is both diagnosis and promise. We are the sick—but Christ is the physician. He has come not to leave us in our condition, but to restore us.
God’s Healing Work: Through Death to Life
The prophet Hosea describes the pattern of God’s mercy:
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us… After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him” (Hosea 6:1–2).
God’s Law exposes and wounds our sin—it tears down our illusions of righteousness. Yet this wounding is not cruelty; it is the work of a loving physician making healing possible.
Then comes the Gospel: God restores, raises, and gives life. As Hosea also declares,
“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6).
God desires hearts shaped by His mercy, not outward appearances of righteousness.
Justified by Faith in Christ
St. Paul echoes this same truth in Romans. The promise of life does not come through our works, but through faith—faith like Abraham’s:
“In hope he believed against hope… in full conviction that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 4:18, 21).
And what is that promise?
“[Jesus] was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25).
God is the One “who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist” (Romans 4:17). That includes you. Through Christ, what was dead in sin is made alive in righteousness.
Mercy That Flows Through Us
At Matthew’s house, Jesus reclines at the table with sinners. The Pharisees question Him, but He responds:
“I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13).
This mercy we receive is not meant to stop with us. It reshapes how we live:
- We forgive because we have been forgiven.
- We show compassion because we have received compassion.
- We welcome others because Christ has welcomed us.
The Christian life is not about proving ourselves worthy—it is about living as those who have been shown undeserved mercy.
Come to the Table
This Sunday, we gather as Matthew did—not as the righteous, but as sinners called by grace. We come to hear Christ’s voice, to receive His forgiveness, and to be renewed by His gifts.
Here, the Great Physician is present:
- Speaking His Word that calls us to repentance and faith
- Declaring the forgiveness of our sins
- Feeding us with His body and blood
Here, He makes us new.
A Shepherd’s Invitation
Come and follow Him.
Come not because you have it all together—but because Christ calls you.
Come not because you are whole—but because He heals.
Come and receive the mercy that raises the dead and gives life everlasting.
Join us this Sunday for worship as we hear Christ’s call, receive His forgiveness, and gather at His table of grace. There is a place for you here—just as there was for Matthew.
“Follow me,” Jesus says (Matthew 9:9). And by His mercy, we rise and follow.
In Christ’s mercy,
Your Under Shepherd