Matthew 9:9-13 (NIV)

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

“Follow Me” (v. 9)

• “The juxtaposition of fishermen (respectable, working-class) with Matthew (despised, collaborator with Rome) highlights the radical inclusivity of Jesus’ call.” (Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009, 300–306)

“Many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples” (v. 10)

• “Jesus’ meals with sinners were central to his ministry.” (E. P. Sanders, Jesus and Judaism, Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985, 174–212)

“I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (v. 13)

• “By invoking Hosea, Matthew shows Jesus fulfilling Israel’s Scriptures, redefining holiness as mercy rather than boundary keeping.” (Richard B. Hays, Matthew, Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2016)

“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (v. 13)

• “Jesus’ declaration, ‘I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners,’ is in effect a mission statement. It sums up not only this incident but the thrust of his ministry as a whole. He associates not with the self-satisfied but with those who know their need, and it is they who respond to his call.” (R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007, 354–359)

CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER 

Before beginning your time in the message and scripture passage, consider sharing answers to the following prompt: Share about a meaningful time around a table, sharing a meal with others. What made it memorable?

CONNECT WITH GOD (Select one of the below practices or choose a practice from a different week.)

Attending to God through Art

Alone: Using the artwork Mercy by Heather Caliri, highlighted on Sunday, September 21st (solanabeach.church/invited-series-artwork), spend time reflecting and journaling on what you see in the piece. Pray that God quiets the many distractions within you and beyond you in order to focus on the gift of this artwork before you. As you focus on the painting, you might journal your reflections to the following questions: How does this deepen my understanding of invitation? Where does God meet me in this piece of art?

Breath Prayer (5 minutes)

This is an ancient practice that invites us to slow down from and awaken ourselves—even our breath—to the presence of God. It is an invitation to remember that God is closer to us than even our own breath! This week you are invited to use the phrase: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” As you focus on breathing in and out, allow the words to flow out from inward breath to outward breath.

• Inhale: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God.” 
• Exhale: “Have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Continue on for a few minutes at a slowed pace, making space for a growing awareness of God’s Holy Spirit.

CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER 

• Together or in smaller groups: Pray and Read Matthew 9:9-13
• Alone: Read John 1:35-42
• Reflect/journal on the following prompt: 
• Where does your imagination or memory take you as you read this story about Jesus? 
• What connections, questions, or curiosities do you have about this gospel passage?

• Together as a whole group: Share your questions about the passage. Encourage one another to engage their curiosity and questions. For now, let the questions be without an answer. A facilitator may jot down questions and themes to return to in depth at a later time. 

CONNECT WITH SCRIPTURE 

If needed, read the passage again. Then select the best questions or customize the questions for your group.

• Review the main points from the sermon outline. 
• Share with one another what you notice about the themes of invitation in this passage.
• Building on the passage from last week (John 1:35-42), how do these two stories of invitation look similar? Different? 
• Where do you find personal connection in the passage? 
• Who do you most connect with or relate to in this passage?
• Read Hosea 6:1-6. Why does Jesus reference this text? 
• How does the passage point to Jesus’ way in the world? 
• What can we learn about hospitality from this passage? 
• How does Matthew 9:9-13 challenge how we think about church and mission?

ENGAGE AND EXPLORE 

Together: explore the quote below, in connection with Matthew 9:9-13.  

“People view hospitality as quaint and tame partly because they do not understand the power of recognition. When a person who is not valued by society is received by a socially respected person or group as a human being with dignity and worth, small transformations occur… Because such actions are countercultural, they are a witness to the larger community, which is then challenged to reassess its standards and methods of valuing…hospitality can begin a journey towards visibility and respect.” -Christine D. Pohl, Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition

PRAYER 

As a whole group, pray for one another. Share needs, hopes, sorrow, and joy. Trust that God is holding each one of you as you share and pray for one another. Close your time of prayer by praying Psalm 23 together.