Matthew 9:9–13

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

⁹As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him. ¹⁰And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" ¹²But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.

When Matthew got home from work that night, his wife asked him, "How was work today, dear? she may not have been prepared for the answer: "Oh, Jesus stopped by this afternoon, you know, that itinerant preacher from Nazareth."

"That's interesting," she replied, "What did he want?" "He invited me to become one of his followers, so I went with him." "That's nice," she said, "should be interesting. What will you do?" "Well, I will be doing some traveling. Oh, I also quit my job. Won't have much time to be around the tax office."

"What, and you didn't even ask me?"

"There wasn't time. I couldn't let an opportunity like this pass me by. By the way, I invited Jesus and his friends and all my co-workers down at the tax office over for a banquet tomorrow night. I hope that's OK with you, honey."

Matthew's tax office was a booth alongside the road at the city gates where he collected duties on people as they came and went from the city of Capernaum. He was an independent entrepreneur licensed by the Roman government to collect taxes. He had to pay a set amount to the government, but could charge whatever he wanted to the people, keeping the profits for himself. More than likely he was a wealthy man, most tax collectors were. However, they were considered traitors by the Jewish people because they worked for the Romans, and the obvious personal gain they made from this position earned them the reputation of being corrupt and thieves.

As it turned out, Jesus did come over for dinner and his disciples with him. There was also a crowd of Matthew's friends and co-workers, tax collectors and other people who were considered sinful, wayward, corrupt, and unrighteous. There may have been several of the poor, homeless and marginalized people as well. It was a real banquet.

But it was much more than a banquet; it was God himself sitting down to share a meal with Matthew, a sinner. Table fellowship was a sign of intimate friendship. Sitting down and sharing a meal was reserved for only your intimate friends and people who believed the same as you and had the same faith. It was a sign of oneness of faith and confession. It signified peace, love and blessing amongst all who shared the food. Table fellowship reflects the goodness of God and the blessings he bestows on his people. It is an echo of the peace, joy, and bounty of life in heaven.

The biblical theme of table fellowship began in Eden with God providing all kinds of trees, fruits and vegetables for Adam and Eve. However, they broke the boundaries of this fellowship with God by eating from the wrong tree. By breaking the fellowship with God they were cast out of the garden and separated from fellowship with God.

But the theme of table fellowship continues all through Scripture. We see table fellowship when Abraham and Melchizedek ate bread and drank wine together. We see table fellowship when three angels appeared to Abraham in the form of men and Abraham shared a meal with the Lord himself. The concept of table fellowship comes to a climax with the Passover meal and here is seen to reflect salvation from sin. Later seventy elders of the Israelites were invited to the mountain with Moses where they saw God and ate and drank a meal provided by God himself.

Table fellowship has three essential elements: the presence of God, the teaching or revelation, and the meal. The presence of God reveals God's true character as a God who dwells among his people; a God who lives in the presence of his people, an intimate, personal God who even shares meals with his people. Table fellowship always begins with teaching and instruction first, then the meal that follows reflects God's blessing and provision for his people, a God who is always with them and who always blesses them and provides for them. When Jesus ate in the home of Mary and Martha, Mary was completely involved in the teaching of Jesus, but Martha wanted to go right to the meal. Jesus rebuked her for that.

The theme of table fellowship is central in the liturgical life of God's people. It is the center of Synagogue life. The weekly Sabbath was and still is celebrated with a service of Scripture reading and teaching that is followed by a Seder meal. For that matter, table fellowship is the basis of our worship service. That is why our service is divided into two parts, the service of the word and the service of the Sacrament. In fact table fellowship is what is implied in the common table prayer: "Come Lord Jesus, be our guest..."

The entire ministry of Jesus was wrapped up in the context of table fellowship. He had table fellowship with his disciples. He had table fellowship with Mary and Martha. He had table fellowship with Pharisees, with publicans, with sinners. He had table fellowship with a prostitute in the home of a Pharisee and he proclaimed forgiveness of her sins. He had table fellowship with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He prepared and served breakfast for his disciples after his resurrection. The climax of Jesus' table fellowship was when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples in the upper room. Often table fellowship includes the element of forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

So, when Jesus sat down at the table with Matthew that day, it was not an ordinary meal, it was God incarnate sitting down to share a meal with his people. It was God in the flesh revealing himself by teaching and eating and drinking. It was the presence of God. The presence of Jesus at that table makes this meal different from all other meals. It is a meal with God! No matter how simple or ordinary the food might have been, it was an extraordinary meal because God was present with his people.

However, table fellowship with Jesus almost always resulted in scandal. Table fellowship indicated intimate communion with the others at table so this meal in the home of Matthew, the tax collector, the corrupt official, a traitor to his nation and a selfish thieve resulted in the predictable complaints of the Pharisees. This man was eating and drinking in the presence of sinners. How could he have been a prophet from God if he had table fellowship with sinners.

We are often guilty of the same attitudes. In fact we are often Pharisees ourselves. When Jesus addressed to Pharisees his words applied just as much to us today. We who are good people, church goers, and upright citizens are often tempted to be Pharisees. We are often the ones who think we are good people and don't have great sins. We are the ones who are likely to think that because of our good works God is pleased with us and will bless us. We are the ones who think that because we come to church and have the pure doctrine and follow the ancient liturgies of the church and sing the greatest classical sacred music and Lutheran hymns that our worship is more pleasing to God. These are indeed good things but they don't save us. They don't make us better than others. They don't make us more special to God. They teach and proclaim God's word and gospel and announce the absolution of sins in a clearer and more powerful way than any other style of worship, but they don't save us or make us better Christians.

Like the Pharisees we are often the first to criticize when we see others who lead sinful lives. We might not even welcome some people into our church. We might be uncomfortable if homeless, the poor, the alcoholic, or the drug addict were sitting next to us in the pew.

So it was with the Pharisees. They couldn't understand how Jesus could associate with and have intimate fellowship with sinners. After all, they kept the rites and traditional ceremonies. They kept all the regulations and traditions of the ancients. They observed all the proper sacrifices and fasts. This Jesus didn't do the right things or keep the traditions of the fathers. He hung around sinners and the outcast.

So Jesus explained it to them. He came to save sinners. He came to seek and save the lost. The problem is that the Pharisees, just as much as many of us today, didn't realize that they were the lost. They didn't repent of their sins because they didn't recognize that they are sinful. They are the ones who say they don't need to come to church because they aren't sinners. They think they are spiritually healthy and well. But the well do not need a physician, only the sick. Jesus is the physician of our souls. He is the one who cleanses us of our sin and makes us spiritually well and healthy.

Jesus was not saying that the Pharisees didn't need his healing forgiveness. He was saying that because they were self-righteous and rejected his forgiveness that they would not be forgiven. They were just as sinful as anyone else. Just as we are equally sinful as anyone else. In fact, perhaps more so. Because all of us are sinful, but those who think they are good in fact reject the healing balm of the physician.

Jesus himself is the presence of God and he himself is the meal; his very own body and blood; his sacrifice on the cross is our fellowship with God. Jesus is our Passover Lamb who frees us from the slavery of sin. Jesus forgave the sins of the woman who washed his feet with her tears at the feast of the Pharisee. Jesus is the Lamb who gave his body and shed his blood for the forgiveness of sins in the Lord's Supper. This very Jesus is the presence of God in flesh and blood. The presence of Jesus takes away our sin.

So what is the meaning of Jesus' table fellowship with Matthew? It means that God comes to be present with sinners like you and I. It means that in worship and the Lord's Supper God is fellowshipping with us; his presence is here in his teaching and his meal. God is present with us just as our name reminds us: Emmanuel—God with us. And where God is present, there is forgiveness, just as he forgave Matthew, he forgives us. Where God is present there is peace with God. where God is present there is hope and love. Where God is, there is life; eternal life. Only in the presence of God do we find true goodness and blessing. God is light and there is no darkness at all in him. Therefore, in the presence of God there is light and no darkness can be found. God dwells with us here on earth in worship. Our table fellowship here on earth echoes the eternal fellowship we will have at his banquet in the kingdom of heaven. As we gather around the table to communion with God, we receive the body and blood of the incarnate Christ who became a man in order to live and dwell among us men and remove all guilt and sin from us. Our table fellowship with God here in this life is the anticipation of eternal fellowship with God in the life to come.

Amen.

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But the answer lies in the root meaning of table fellowship. It is fellowship with God. It is God coming to dwell with his people. It is the presence of God. God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. Jesus is God's presence. Jesus is God with us. Jesus came to forgive the sins of the sinner. The very presence of Jesus removes our sin on account of his suffering and death on the cross. Jesus does not just have table fellowship with people, he is the table fellowship.

Jesus ate with sinners like Matthew. He eats with sinners like us. He calls us to follow him and he comes to have table fellowship with us in his Supper which he himself prepares and in which he himself is the meal.