As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
— Matthew 9:9-13

~~~~~

Mercy at The Table
By Jennifer Kane

He saw me—
not the sums I skimmed,
not the silence of my shame,
not the long eyes of those
who crossed the street
to keep clean.
He saw me.

“Follow Me,”
He said—
and in those two words
I heard
forgiveness before confession,
a future unchained from my booth,
an invitation to become new.

I left the coins
still warm from my hands,
left the scorn,
left the comfort of compromise,
and followed Mercy
on calloused feet.

Later,
He came to my house—
no inspection, no judgment,
just grace
wrapped in laughter
and bread passed around
to the broken.

They called us sinners—
as if He didn’t know,
as if He came to dine with the holy.
But the Physician eats with the sick.
The Shepherd searches for the stray.
The Savior stoops
to share a meal
with the lost.

He spoke loud enough
for the righteous to overhear:
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
And in that moment,
every table in heaven
made room
for one more chair.

~~~~~

Scripture: Matthew 9:9-13

Jesus could have called anyone to be His disciple—a respected teacher, a faithful synagogue-goer, a reputable citizen. Instead, He chose Matthew, a tax collector. In the eyes of the people, Matthew was a traitor and a thief, a man who sold out his own people to make a profit. But in the eyes of Jesus, he was a soul worth saving.

Jesus saw what others couldn’t: a man whose heart would respond to mercy.

When Matthew followed Jesus, he left behind a career that promised wealth and security. He left the tax booth—but he kept his pen. That same pen would one day write the Gospel of Matthew, giving generations of readers a firsthand account of the Savior’s love.

But Jesus didn’t stop at calling Matthew. He sat at the table with him—and with many other “tax collectors and sinners.” The religious elite were scandalized. To them, holiness meant separation from the unclean. But Jesus brought holiness to the unclean.

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” Jesus didn’t come to host a private dinner for the righteous. He came to bring healing to the broken and hope to the hopeless. He came for the outcasts, for the spiritually sick, and for those whom society deemed unworthy.

Quoting Hosea 6:6, Jesus reminded the Pharisees:
“I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” God isn’t impressed by outward rituals or reputation. He’s moved by hearts full of compassion—hearts that reflect His own.

Have you ever felt like an outcast—unworthy of God’s attention or mercy? How does this passage speak to that feeling?
Do you ever avoid certain people or groups because they don’t “measure up” spiritually or morally? What might Jesus say to that?
What would it look like for you to show mercy instead of judgment in your relationships this week?

This week, sit at a figurative or literal table with someone who is often left out—whether it’s a lonely coworker, a neighbor others avoid, or a classmate who’s isolated. Ask about their story. Listen without judgment. Love without condition. Just like Jesus.

~~~~~

Jesus, thank You for seeing me when I was lost and calling me to follow You. Help me remember that Your mercy reached me not when I was worthy, but when I was broken. Teach me to see others through Your eyes and to sit at the table with compassion, not condemnation. Amen.

April 7 2025