Mercy Over Sacrifice

Day 12: Matthew 9:1-17

“But when he heard it, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” - Matthew 9:12-13 ESV

Jesus is getting hounded for his close association with notorious and hated sinners of His day. In response to that criticism, He says the words above, including a quote from the Greek translation of Hosea 6:6 (Septuagint). Yet listen to how the verse sounds from the Hebrew translation: “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

The Jewish religious leaders had their methods down to a science. They knew when to offer the sacrifices, and they knew the ins and outs of all 613 commands found in the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy). Externally, they seemed flawless, but Jesus saw through all of that. If we are perceived as flawless, we are probably concealing too much.

The Apostle Paul (quoting Psalm 14) wrote in Romans 3:10 that "there is no one who is righteous, not even one."

Jesus can only help those who realize how much they need His grace.

Are we relying on flawless religious activity to save us, or are we leaning on the everlasting arms to drive us into a steadfast love for our Savior? May we lean into the grace of Jesus today.

"A fundamental difference between Jesus and his opponents relates to how one interprets Scripture. Ultimately, for Jesus, the law must be understood in terms of its disclosure of the character of God." - Chouinard, L. (1997). Matthew (Mt 9:12–13)