Calling all Sinners!

Christianity takes a lot of flack! Some claim that Christianity is a crutch. To others it demands too much sacrifice. But the Christian life is not primarily about our sacrifice. There is no sacrifice we can make that will add to the sacrifice God has already made in His great mercy. Christianity is about God’s mercy, and the Christian life is about the character of our Lord being formed in us. He is just (Deut. 32:4) so we seek to do justly. He loves to show mercy (Ps. 86:15, Ezek. 33:11) so we must be merciful. He is humble (Phil. 2:5-8) so our attitude is to be humble.
At Matthew’s feast, the Pharisees complained that Jesus associated with sinners. Matthew 9:12-13 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”(NKJV) Jesus refers them to Hosea 6:6 which is at the heart of a prophecy where God is complaining against the unrepentant brutality in the land of Israel and Judah. It was clearly declared in Hosea 4:1 “There is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land.” The great tragedy in the land was they believed that as long as they were making sacrifices, their relationship with their fellow man did not matter to God. They were sick but did not recognize their sickness, and they, like the Pharisees, saw no need to repent. But God’s word boldly proclaims, “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (1 John 4:20)
How shall we walk in justice, mercy, and humility (Micah 6:6-8) crippled as we are by a self-seeking, unforgiving pride? We don’t need crutches; we need the healing touch of Jesus Christ who came to call us to repentance and say, “Arise and walk.” We need His touch! Praise God that He says, “I am willing, be cleansed.”