Matthew 9:10–13 (ESV)
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus at the Table of Sinners
Matthew places this scene right after his own calling (Matt. 9:9). A despised tax collector turned disciple, Matthew celebrates his new life by hosting a meal. Jesus reclines at the table with him, surrounded by tax collectors and “sinners.”
In Jewish culture, table fellowship was never casual—it was a declaration of welcome and belonging. To eat with someone was to accept them. By sharing a meal with outcasts, Jesus made a radical theological statement: God’s kingdom welcomes those considered unclean, those on the margins, those desperate for grace.
The Pharisees’ Question
The Pharisees are scandalized. They ask Jesus’ disciples: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (v. 11).
Their question is more accusation than inquiry. To them, holiness meant separation from impurity. Fellowship with sinners was unthinkable—it risked contamination. In their eyes, Jesus was not preserving holiness but destroying it.
This reveals the Pharisees’ blindness. They were more concerned about outward conformity than inward compassion, about cultural boundaries more than God’s heart. Mercy had no place in their system.
The Physician for the Sick
Jesus answers with an image everyone understands: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (v. 12).
Doctors do not avoid the diseased—they run toward them. By implication, Jesus is the Great Physician, whose calling is to heal the spiritually sick. His mission is not about avoiding contamination but bringing restoration.
The irony is sharp. The Pharisees see themselves as “well,” but in reality, their hardness of heart reveals their own sickness. Those who think they are righteous blind themselves to their need for healing.
“I Desire Mercy, Not Sacrifice”
Jesus presses further: “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice’” (v. 13).
This quotation from Hosea 6:6 is a stinging rebuke. In Hosea’s day, Israel’s worship was filled with sacrifices, yet devoid of covenant love. God rejected their empty rituals because their hearts lacked mercy and faithfulness.
By invoking Hosea, Jesus declares that the Pharisees are repeating Israel’s failure. They cling to ritual sacrifice but neglect mercy—the very thing God desires. Outward performance without inward compassion is worthless.
Jesus concludes with a mission statement: “For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” He did not come to reward the self-assured but to redeem the broken. His table is open to the desperate, the weary, the guilty. Mercy is the entry ticket, not merit.
Mercy: The Heart of God
What is mercy? In Scripture, mercy is not passive pity but active compassion. The Hebrew word (hesed) in Hosea 6:6 points to covenant love—faithful kindness toward the undeserving. The Greek word (eleos) emphasizes compassion that moves into action.
Sacrifice without mercy is hollow religion. Mercy, however, reflects the heart of God. The cross itself is the ultimate demonstration: as Christ’s blood poured out, we saw divine compassion toward sinners who deserved judgment.
Mercy Moves Us to Evangelism
Why do many Christians struggle with evangelism or missions? Could it be that we lack the mercy of God burning in our hearts?
Mercy compels. When Jesus saw the crowds, He was “moved with compassion” (Matt. 9:36). He did not merely feel pity; He acted, teaching, healing, and shepherding the lost.
Without mercy, evangelism becomes duty. With mercy, it becomes delight. The more we experience God’s mercy personally, the more we long for others to know it.
But too often, like the Pharisees, we become numb. The constant flood of suffering in the world—spiritual and physical—can make us withdraw in helplessness. We stop feeling. We stop acting. That’s why we need continual renewal in the Spirit. Only God’s mercy can soften our hearts again.
Mercy Heals the Sick
Mercy also shapes how we respond to physical suffering. Jesus repeatedly healed on the Sabbath, provoking the Pharisees. He exposed their hypocrisy: they would rescue an ox that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, yet refuse to heal a suffering human being (Luke 14:5).
Mercy moves toward the sick, even when inconvenient.
Today, many churches practice mercy through social justice—feeding the hungry, serving the poor, mentoring youth. These are good and necessary works. But mercy must also extend to the sick and brokenhearted. James commands the church: “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14).
Sadly, prayer for healing is often neglected. Instead, churches default to asking for doctors to succeed. While medical care is a gift, biblical mercy calls us to pray boldly for God’s healing power. Healing prayer is not easy—it requires faith, persistence, and courage. But mercy presses us to act anyway.
Mercy Over Sacrifice in the Church
What would it look like for the church today to embody Jesus’ words?
- People over programs: valuing relationships more than routines.
- Compassion over comfort: moving toward the messy and broken instead of retreating into safe spaces.
- Prayer over passivity: laying hands on the sick, even when uncertain, rather than avoiding the risk of disappointment.
- Evangelism through empathy: sharing Christ not out of guilt, but out of deep compassion for the lost.
Sacrifice without mercy is lifeless religion. Mercy breathes life into the church.
The Cross: Mercy in Full
At the cross, we see mercy in its fullest expression. Jesus bore our sin, not because we deserved it, but because His compassion compelled Him. His sacrifice was filled with mercy, unlike the empty sacrifices of the Pharisees.
From the cross, Jesus calls His followers to extend that same mercy outward. To sinners. To the sick. To the weary. To the forgotten.
Conclusion
Jesus’ words in Matthew 9 are as relevant today as they were then: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
The Pharisees missed it. They chose performance over compassion, ritual over relationship. But Jesus reveals the heart of God: mercy for the undeserving, compassion for the broken, grace for sinners.
In a world drowning in suffering, we cannot afford to grow numb. We need the mercy of God to awaken us, to propel us, to move us outward. Mercy evangelizes. Mercy heals. Mercy acts.
Jesus still desires mercy—not sacrifice. And when His mercy fills us, it will overflow to those around us.
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