Refereeing Righteousness

[Christ4Ever]

When Jesus heard [that], He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. "But go and learn what [this] means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Matthew 9:12-13 NKJV

Jesus ate with people who used the tax system of the time to steal money, often condemning families to poverty and ruining lives.

When asked why He would do this, Jesus reminded His questioners that He didn’t come to referee the righteous. He came to redirect sinners and heal the hurting.

Jesus constantly confronted pious people, pointing out the lack of compassion in their arduous rules:

• requiring the priests to deal with the rule-breaking healing of the leper (Matthew 8:1-4),
• telling the faithless in Israel that a centurion had more faith than they did (Matthew 8:13), and
• confronting the teachers of the law with their lack of mercy when He healed a paralyzed man Matthew 9:3).
• Jesus’ friendship with the despised and rejected irritated and infuriated the Pharisees (Matthew 9:11-13). Why sip lattes with losers?

Like these religious evangelists, God’s people often spend more time refereeing righteousness than referring the lost to Jesus. They think it’s wiser to focus on people who further their comforts, so they invite the socially righteous to dinner. Jesus didn’t think this way.

Jesus ate with the marginalized because He knew His sacrifice could move the margins.

Your sacrifice of comfort and time can do the same.

Prayer: Father, help me spend more time referring than refereeing.