The Holy Martyr Agrippina
Apostles’ Fast.
Read
Romans 8:14-21; Matthew 9:9-13
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Today we may grumble about taxes, but we know that, at least in principle, they go to important work – building schools, paying firefighters, caring for the homeless. But in Jesus’ day, taxes were a different story. The Romans would sell a contract to collect taxes to the highest bidder. Whoever won the contract would squeeze people in his district for all they had – as long as the Romans got their minimum, they didn’t care how much he gouged the local population. This is why tax collectors were so hated – anyone who had two coins to rub together knew that, given the chance, tax collectors would take them both away. These men weren’t just ‘sinners’ in some vague sense; it wasn’t just that they worked on the Sabbath, or hung around with loose women – they were enemies of the poor! Their greed made life miserable for everyone, especially for those who could least afford it. In every sense of the word, they were unrighteous.
But Jesus was willing to be with these people. Why? Perhaps it was because they knew they were unrighteous: everyone had good reason to hate them, and, if there was a God, he couldn’t possibly be pleased with them. Maybe there is a lesson for us here: if we want fellowship with Jesus, then perhaps we need to reconsider our image of ourselves. Often we read passages like today as a reminder to be kind to outsiders; in other words, not to act like the judgmental Pharisees. But maybe the really important message is deeper: that, unless our first identity is that of “sinner,” we shouldn’t hope to find ourselves at the table with Jesus.