Loving God, you call us from darkness into light and from death into life. Help us to hear your call this day, and fill us with your healing and life-giving power, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Many of you are probably familiar with a series of books called, “Where’s Waldo?” In these books, the challenge in each picture is to find Waldo amidst a sea of people and animals and objects. Well, today’s message is similar, except I’m not going to ask you to look for Waldo. Instead, I’m going to ask you to look for yourself amidst the many different people in today’s gospel.

This approach to the gospel is not a new idea, but is actually an ancient form of prayer – called Ignatian prayer by those who like the proper terms for things. As people pray the Scriptures in this way, they picture themselves as part of the story and interact with Jesus, listening for what he has to say to them.

And so, assume for just a moment that you might be Matthew. You are sitting at your booth collecting taxes and tolls from merchants and tradespeople. Rich people despise you. Religious leaders despise you. Poor people don’t mind you since they have nothing on which to pay taxes. You are just doing your job, but somehow you are viewed as a traitor who has sold out to the Romans.

If you are Matthew, Jesus’ message to you is simple and difficult, all at the same time. Jesus simply says to you, “Follow me.” The call is one that you do not resist. You are amazed as Jesus actually eats with you and treats you as if you are a valuable human being. You are amazed that Jesus, who seems to be a rabbi, does not despise you. You leave your tax booth behind and become part of a new community of people, all gathered around Jesus.

Now, assume for a moment that you might be one of Jesus’ first disciples. When Jesus called you to come and follow, you were busy fishing. You have heard Jesus teach. You have seen him heal people. You have seen him calm a storm at sea. Now, he calls a hated tax collector to come and join you. Not only that, Jesus sits at table with many tax collectors and sinners. If you want to eat with Jesus, you need to eat with those other people, too. Is this what you signed up for?

Yet, you are there at the table, and when the Pharisees come and ask why Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners, you have been wondering the same thing. And then you hear what Jesus has to say. He has come as a physician rather than a judge. He has come to call not the righteous, but sinners. In that moment you recognize that you, also, are a sinner. You are not righteous in God’s sight. Yet, you are called to follow and to learn from Jesus. You are called to be part of a different kind of community.

Now, assume for a moment that you might be a Pharisee. You have spent your whole life studying the Scriptures and learning every law that is laid out in the Torah. Your life revolves around keeping these laws down to the minutest of details. You even give 10% of each herb in your herb garden to the priests and Levites. You have seen Jesus do some great things, and he seems to know his Scriptures, yet he keeps doing things that are contrary to the law as you understand it. And so, when you see him at the table and eating with tax collectors and sinners, you simply have to find out why he would do that.

Not wishing to be too obvious, you use the classic “triangling” technique, asking Jesus’ disciples instead of asking Jesus directly. You are slightly embarrassed when Jesus ignores the triangle and addresses you directly. As he does so, Jesus identifies himself as a physician rather than a judge. He also tells you to go and learn what the Scriptures really mean, quoting, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Mt. 9:13). Finally, Jesus indicates that his purpose is to call sinners, and not the righteous. You end up just shaking your head in disbelief.

Now, assume for a moment that you might be a leader of the synagogue. Your daughter has just died, and you have come to Jesus to ask him to raise her to life. You know in your heart that Jesus can do it. You have seen how he teaches and how he heals people. And so Jesus gets up and goes with you to your house, where your daughter’s body is lying.

You barely notice when the crowd and the flute players laugh at Jesus. You simply hear Jesus’ authoritative words: “the girl is not dead but sleeping” (Mt. 9:24). You hope beyond all hope that it is true. And then you see Jesus take your daughter by the hand and raise her from the dead. You are overwhelmed with thanksgiving and gratitude, and you hold your daughter tight. You give thanks for Jesus’ compassion and life-giving power.

Now, assume for a moment that you might be a professional mourner. You have been hired to come and wail and lament upon the death of a young girl. You are there with the flute players and a crowd of people, wailing and mourning when the girl’s father arrives with Jesus and his disciples. You can’t help but laugh when Jesus comes out with an outrageous statement: “The girl is not dead but sleeping.” Who does this guy think he is? Of course she’s dead! People don’t hire professional mourners if somebody’s not dead!

Nevertheless, you back off and watch to see what will happen. You are astonished beyond all belief when the report reaches you that the girl is up and walking around. You wonder who this man is who seems to have such knowledge and power.

Finally, assume for a moment that you might be a woman who has been hemorrhaging for 12 years. Because of your constant flow of blood, you are treated as unclean, and nobody will go near you or touch you. When you see Jesus coming, you presume that he will not go near you either, and so you approach him from behind. You have seen the healing power that seems to emanate from him. You figure that if you can just get close enough to touch his cloak, then you, too, will be healed.

You touch his cloak, and Jesus turns and gives you a message that you will never forget. “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well” (Mt. 9:22). In that moment, you are healed, and you are accepted, not as an outcast, but as a daughter – a daughter of Israel. You are tearful and overjoyed all at the same time. You give thanks for Jesus, who has healed you of your disease and has accepted you as a part of the community.

So... did you find yourself anywhere in this gospel? Are you like Matthew or the disciples or the Pharisees or the leader of the synagogue or the professional mourner or the bleeding woman? Whether you see yourself in one of these people or in the crowd who stands by and watches, Jesus has come to you today. Jesus has come as the one who heals and who eats with sinners and who brings life out of death. Jesus has come as the one who challenges assumptions and who calls people to come and learn from him and who commands mercy and loving-kindness. Jesus has come as the one who forms us into a new kind of community, and welcomes us into the household of God. Thanks be to God for the gift of Jesus, for he is the source of all health and salvation. Amen.

Lectionary 10(A)        Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
June 8, 2008
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore

© 2008 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved