Sermon 21-9-14

Matthew Apostle &Evangelist

9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him. 10 And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting 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.’

St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, has given his name to one of our Gospels – and is only mentioned 5 times in the New Testament.

What is it about this man that made him such a prominent figure in the early Church?

To know who Matthew was we need to look at what he did. Tax collectors in those days were social outcasts. Devout Jews avoided them because they were usually dishonest (the job carried no salary, and they were expected to make their profits by cheating the people from whom they collected taxes). Patriotic and nationalistic Jews hated them because they were agents of the Roman government, the conquerors, and hated them with a double hatred if (like Matthew) they were Jews, because they had gone over to the enemy, had betrayed their own people for money. Thus, throughout the Gospels, we find tax collectors (publicans) mentioned as a standard type of sinful and despised outcast. The position of tax collector was comparable to that of prostitute or murderer – and we know how Jesus dealt with those! Matthew was most likely a rich man, an educated man, a lonely man – and he gave it all up to follow Jesus.

He followed Jesus because Jesus called him. Jesus called him, but Jesus also went to him. Jesus said, “Follow me”, and then joined Matthew in his community to share bread and wine. The Gospel writer makes a point of letting us know that other tax collectors and sinners were gathered there – and the good upright people of God were appalled. Bad enough that Jesus should single out one such man for such special attention – but to willingly choose to spend his time with those so far removed from the ideals of purity! Jesus does this so many times we no longer find it remarkable, but at the time it would have been equivalent to Pop Francis washing the feet of a young female detainee as happened in April this year. I suspect that among those who protested the loudest were those who considered themselves the most holy. 

It has always been this way. Whenever we find ourselves getting comfortable with ourselves, our status and our faith Jesus comes and turns everything upside down. In Matthew’s gospel Jesus was found with the tax collectors and the sinners – where is Jesus found in our church today?

When I am speaking to people who are enquiring about becoming part of the Church, whether through baptism or as a adult, I always emphasise that the Church is a place of broken people. Jesus the Christ called the sinners, the tax collectors, the outcasts to a place at his table, and so does the Church. That means that as a community, we are broken, holy, sick, sainted, sinful people. We are not here because we are perfect, or even on our way to being there. We are here because something in our soul feels our sin and cries out to be made one with Christ.

We have high standards for those who gather in the name of Christ. We expect them, we expect ourselves, to be somehow ‘better’ than those who do not. On one hand, this makes sense – we are here to learn, to grow, to love in faith and action. On the other hand, we are here because we need healing – not because we are whole, but because we are not. 

It is from this consciousness that this gospel must be viewed. Matthew was written for a broken people, a people in the midst of pain and rejection. Matthew’s community of Christian Jew’s saw themselves as proclaimers of the fulfilment of all the Hebrew scriptures and tradition, but they were met with resistance and hostility. By the fall of the temple, around 70 CE, the people who saw themselves as central to the redemption of God’s people were being increasingly marginalised. As far as they were concerned, they belonged in the centre, but were now on the point of being ostracised completely. The pain of rejection colours the account of Jesus' crucifixion. Jerusalem's destruction represents God's judgement for rejection of Jesus and the same threat continues as a warning through the narrative. Hurting Jews are accosting fellow Jews, blaming, shifting the guilt more and more away from Pilate. In the hands of anti-Semitic Gentiles however the material has served a terrible history which we are still having to undo and in which there is still need for greater effort.

In this gospel, Jesus chose Matthew. Jesus chose to spend his time here on earth with tax collectors and prostitutes, the rejects and dregs of society. When the self-proclaimed righteous objected, Jesus reminded them that God desired mercy, not sacrifice. In many respects I am relieved by the acknowledgement of my own sinfulness – trying to be righteous is a demanding and ultimately unfulfilling task. I stand here before God and before all of you and confess that, like Matthew, I am in need of healing. I am broken. But the good news that Matthew has shared is that Christ has chosen to dwell with me.  Christ has come to me in my sin and willingly, eagerly, lovingly, come into my heart and redeemed my soul.

We often say we are working towards a time when the Church will be restored to glory. Perhaps instead we should be working towards a time when there is no more need for healing.