Pentecost 3

Pentecost 3 “ALL DEBTORS, RISE!” June 2 & 5, 2005

A lawyer invited his neighbor to observe court proceedings one day. The judge entered the courtroom and the baliff cried out, “All debtors rise!” The observant neighbor quickly stood up, only to hear his lawyer friend whisper: “Sit down! He’s only talking to those who have business with the bankruptcy court.” Although in court that day as only an observer, he acknowledged his status as a “debtor”!

Every time we gather in worship, perhaps I should say: “All debtors rise!”, rather than “Please stand as you are able.” All of us gathered here are living our lives “in the red,” all indebted to God who accomplishes for us what we cannot---of our own will or resources---accomplish for ourselves. Whether we are accustomed to saying “debts” or “sins” or “trespasses” when praying The Lord’s Prayer, the reality is the same: We all come to worship as sinners, every one.

Thankfully for us is, the chief charge against Jesus during most of His earthly ministry was that he socialized with sinners! The chief charge against Jesus, at this point, is not that his theology is not biblical, but rather that he is a friend to sinners. Jesus never claimed innocence as this charge was levied against Him. Rather, He daily compiled substantial and significant evidence, sufficient to convict Him of the charge! Our Gospel lesson serves as a straightforward account of Jesus’ obvious preference to share community with sinners.

Jesus sees a man named Matthew “sitting at the tax collector’s booth.” Tax collectors were despised and disreputable people, yet Jesus dramatically calls out to him with but two words: “Follow me!” There is absolutely nothing in Matthew that commends him to discipleship---it is only the sheer grace of Jesus at work in this call. At Jesus’ “Follow me,” the author of this Gospel writes about himself: “…and Matthew got up and followed him.” We are told nothing else about Matthew, for he apparently knew that this episode was not about himself---his state of mind nor what arrangements he made in leaving his tax booth---but about Jesus only. Matthew was the “called,” and Jesus the “Caller.” We love to sing, “Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling,” but there is nothing “soft” nor “tender” in this account. It’s a short, simple command:“Follow me.”

This phrase is what we call “second person, singular, imperative.” In simpler terms, this is the manner in which the dog-owner commands the dog. “Heel! Sit! Stay! Come!” Disciples are not dogs, but Jesus retains the authority of master. We are the sheep and Jesus is the Shepherd and He calls us---sinners though we are---to follow Him, to live with Him, to trust Him, and to be like Him.

It is this sort of action by Jesus that provokes harsh criticism from the religious leaders of His day, identified in our lesson as “the Pharisees.” As still occurs within the Church, these Pharisees don’t speak directly to the one with whom they have a complaint. They, instead, and in more cowardly and less productive fashion, speak to others about Jesus, asking: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” We don’t know if the disciples were preparing a response or were, perhaps, intimidated by the questioning authority of the Church. What we do know is that Jesus, Himself, answers their mis-directed question, saying “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” The remaining verses of our Gospel lesson bear further witness to Jesus’ words, as He heals a woman long-plagued with a flow of blood and brings back from the dead the ruler’s little girl. Jesus dwells with sinners and “heals the sin-sick soul.”

I stand at the front entrance of the church watching you come down the driveway---different shapes and sizes, various ages, men and women, boys and girls, exiting all variety and value of car/truck/or van---to enter God’s house. Outwardly, we all appear quite different. So, what unites us? It is only sinners who come to this church. Sinners fully prepared to acknowledge their sinfulness and people, perhaps, still living the lie that “they have no sin.” We come, reminded that Jesus got into the worst sort of trouble for eating and drinking with people like us! But, it is for people like us…it is precisely for us…that Jesus came and Jesus invites us to come, follow Him, to be His family, His co-workers, His friends. Amen.