AS Jesus passed on, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he got up and followed Him. While He was at table in His house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and His disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
The WORD Today
To the Pharisees’ objection that Jesus has failed to meet their standards of legal purity Jesus replies with a proverb and a scriptural citation (Hos 6:6). He introduces it with a formula used by rabbinic teachers: "Go and learn," meaning, "understand the true meaning of this passage." The quotation of Hos 6:6 is not a repudiation of the sacrificial system; rather, it places the faithful love of the worshipper as the meaning behind cultic observances. Hosea maintains that the sacrificial offering prescribed by the Law cannot substitute for the response of the heart in fidelity to God. Man’s response involves "mercy," the practice of love of neighbor. Now the Pharisees were confident in the sufficiency of observance of the provisions of the Law, among which were the laws of purity which declared non-association with sinners or non-observers of the Law. Here Jesus invites the Pharisees to "go and learn" what is involved in the oracle of Hosea. He reveals a basic understanding of God’s will that goes beyond the mere observance of legal requirements.
SOURCE:
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