Daily Reflection Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

I’m going to do something I sometimes do and talk about tomorrow’s readings instead, since no one reflects on Saturday and today’s readings have been covered before. In tomorrow’s gospel passage from Mark 2 on the call of Levi (or Matthew as he is better known), what happens to Levi is not nearly as important as what Jesus says to the Pharisees. 

All three synoptic accounts speak of the call of Levi (in Mark and Luke) or Matthew (in Matthew) and say largely the same thing. They differ in two important ways. Only Luke says that the meal Jesus ate with Matthew (described in Mark and Matthew as just a dinner) was actually a large banquet Matthew had thrown for Jesus (which implies that Matthew was, like most tax collectors, a person of means). That detail would go a long way in better understanding the Pharisees’ shock, which doesn’t seem as self-righteous knowing that detail.

But the biggest difference lies in Jesus’ reply in Matthew as compared to those in Mark and Luke. Matthew has Jesus reply to the Pharisees’ complaint by saying, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” The part of the phrase, Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice, is found only in Matthew’s account but it fully completes the encounter. Jesus will say this again later in Matthew 12, but he says it only in Matthew.

Both Mark and Matthew’s version of Levi’s call confronts us with an important question, namely, do we see ourselves as sick rather than well and as sinners rather than the righteous? Only one group is called by Jesus, Jesus plainly states. That takes a great deal of humility to face fully. That is where, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” helps us in our weaknesses. God’s mercy is always triumphant, it is always perfect and it is always desired and longed for by God in all of us. If God has such mercy on us poor sinners, how can we not seek to have that same mercy on one another and on ourselves. It would enable us to forgive all and embrace all for we are all the same, sick and sin-filled and greatly needing help. It would bring great peace. Let us pray for it always.