Go and Learn What that Means Matthew 9:13

Matthew the apostle shared, “And as Jesus passed forth from there, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eats your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.” In chapter nine and verse thirteen of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus told the Pharisees, “go you and learn what that means” where we read:

But go you and learn what that means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice:

for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The verse reads, “But go you and learn what that means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice:” Matthew began with the words, “but go you” or “moreover and, nevertheless the Pharisees” “and learn” which means “and be apprised, increase with knowledge and be informed by use and practice” “what that means” or “what the whole need not a physician, but they that are sick means”, “I will have mercy” which means “God desires, wishes for, delights in and has pleasure in kindness and good will toward the miserable and that afflicted”, “and not sacrifice” which means “and not an act as the victim”. Matthew shared how Jesus told the Pharisees they should go “discover” what it means to be “merciful” rather than just following the “rules of sacrifice”.

The verse continues, “for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matthew continued with the word, “for” or “because, since and on account that” “I am not come” which means “Jesus did not appear, arise and come forth” “to call” or “to invite aloud by name” “the righteous” which refers to “observing divine laws, keeping the commands of God and living in a manner with is approved of and acceptable to God”, “but” which means “nay rather and moreover” “sinners” or “all wicked men, heathens, tax collectors and men stained with certain definite vices or crimes” “to repentance” which means “to change one's mind, reverse and compunction from guilt including reformation”. Matthew shared how Jesus said He arrived not to call people who were “living in a manner acceptable to God”, but people who were “wicked, evil and stained with vices and crimes”.

When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how merciful and gracious Jesus is toward people who do not live in a “righteous” manner. Jesus knew people are prone to “sin”, and His desire was to have them “forsake” their sinful ways and align themselves with His way of living. Jesus came to “save”, and those who are the “worst of sinners” are the ones He constantly “calls” to “believe and trust” in Him.

Next time Matthew shares how the “disciples of John” came to Jesus and asked, “why do we and the Pharisees fast often”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.