Today’s Theme for Prayer – Jesus Calls Me Beyond Myself
How Generous is My Response to the Lord?
Matthew’s Feast: A Story of Redemption
Mt 9:9-17
As Jesus passed on from there, 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.” Then the disciples of John approached him and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast [much], but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Grace Prayed For
The grace of seeing others through Jesus’ eyes: Pray for the ability to see people as Jesus sees them, not judging them by their outward appearance or past mistakes, but recognizing their inherent dignity and potential for redemption.
Reflection
Let us draw near to the table of the Lord, not as the Pharisees, stiff-necked and proud in their perceived righteousness, but as Matthew, the tax collector, a sinner aware of his own deep need.
Picture the scene: Jesus, the radiant Light of the World, pauses amidst the bustle of the customs post. His gaze pierces through the layers of social judgment, through the carefully constructed walls of Matthew’s life. He sees not a man condemned, but a man called.
“Follow me,” Jesus says.
These words, Beloved, are not a command but an invitation. An invitation whispered to the depths of Matthew’s heart, an invitation whispered now to yours. He does not demand a litany of your good deeds, nor does He shy away from the shadows of your past. He simply calls you, as you are, to follow Him.
Matthew, who for years had traded his soul for coins, rises. He leaves behind his booth, his ledger, his security, to embark on a journey unknown, a journey of the heart.
And where does this journey lead? To a feast, a celebration! Jesus, the very Son of God, sits not with the pious, not with those who believe they have earned His favor, but with the outcasts, the marginalized, the very ones the world has labeled “unworthy.” He shares a meal, shares His presence, with sinners.
Do you hear the whisper of His love in this, Beloved? Do you feel the gentle pressure of His hand reaching out to you, pulling you close to His heart? He is not repulsed by your brokenness, by your failures. He desires mercy, not sacrifice. He longs for your intimacy, not your empty rituals.
The Pharisees, blinded by their own self-righteousness, cannot comprehend this radical love. They question, they judge, they cling to their old ways, their old wineskins, their patched-up cloaks. But Jesus is ushering in a new covenant, a new wine, a new garment of grace.
He is the Bridegroom, Beloved, and we are His wedding guests. While He is with us, how can we mourn? How can we be bound by the shackles of legalism when His love sets us free?
But He warns us, a day will come when He will be taken. In those moments of darkness, when the pain of separation threatens to consume us, then we will fast. Then we will long for His return with a desperate ache in our souls.
But for now, Beloved, He is here. He is with you. He calls you by name. He invites you to leave behind the old, the worn, the empty, and embrace the new. He invites you to cast off the cloak of condemnation and wear the garment of His grace. He invites you into this intimate dance with him. A dance that is not about the appearance of holiness, but about the vulnerability of your soul before him.
Let your heart be a fresh wineskin, ready to receive the new wine of His Spirit, ready to overflow with the joy of His presence. Let His love mend the tears, heal the wounds, and transform you from the inside out.
He is calling you, Beloved. Will you rise and follow? Amen.
Growing in Intimacy/Union with Jesus
Jesus’ quote, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” reveals that He is more interested in our hearts than in our outward performance. Intimacy thrives in an atmosphere of grace, where we are free to be ourselves, with all our flaws, knowing that we are loved unconditionally. He wants a relationship with us, not a checklist of religious duties. He wants us to come to Him with open hearts, ready to receive His love and forgiveness.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post