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Homily, Pentecost IV (2008) Mt 9:9-13
Fr. Albert Scharbach
Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont
June 8, 2008
Dinner for a Sinner with
Jesus
In the + Name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.
To
have a Christian faith that makes a difference in the world, you need
to be both a conservative and a liberal. Or so I heard Richard
John Neuhaus say on Friday, the author and well-known spokesman for
the catholic faith. You have to be conservative in the sense that
you trust in Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith. You
have to be liberal in the classic sense, which means that you must be
generous toward others—even as Jesus is generous toward you.
But then, he added, the entrance requirements of the church are scandalously
low. All you need to be is a sinner in search of a Savior.
In
our gospel reading today, the Pharisees were surprised to see Jesus
eating with sinners. Of course, the Pharisees were not referring
to sinners in general, because they knew as well as you and me that
everyone sins. Those who earned their title as “sinners” were
different—they were notorious offenders—those whose sins were so
repugnant to the Jewish mind that they were beyond the pale of fellowship.
Yet there is another sense in which these sinners were different from
those who did not eat with Jesus that night. These sinners each
knew that there was something wrong with their lives. They knew
that something was missing. And they each saw that Jesus had answers.
Clearly,
Jesus treats them differently than the Pharisees. He does not
condemn them. He does not belittle their desire for truth.
He simply gives them the answers that they crave. Jesus ate with
sinners and showed them a better way.
What
was true that day is true today: Jesus eats with sinners. Yet
many Christians lose sight of this simple truth.
I
had a coworker named Jeff who was an enthusiastic Christian when I first
met him, but a year later he could not bring himself to pray.
Why? He had ceased to be faithful and had fallen into patterns
of behavior that were unbecoming of a Christian. He was ashamed
and thought he needed to clean up his act before he could face God.
But
Jeff needed to hear that nothing he could do would make himself worthy
to talk with God. Jesus was the only one who is worthy of the Father.
Yet he was separated from the Father on the cross so that we can approach
the Father in him. Like Matthew, Jesus tells us to come first,
and then our lives are changed with him.
One
of our recent confirmands was not sure that she was ready for confirmation
because she wanted to be more spiritually prepared. But she also
needed to be reminded of the way Matthew responded to Jesus’ invitation.
You don’t go to Jesus to bring anything to him: you go to receive.
If you want what he has to offer, then you gain nothing from delay.
And
so we have the problem of those of us who do not think that we are worthy
to eat with Jesus, and so we hesitate to come. We need to remember,
that like Matthew, Jesus takes us as we are.
But
we have another problem, which is of those who feel like they
are worthy to eat with Jesus. In our gospel passage, this
is represented by the Pharisees. However, the Pharisees do not
eat with Jesus much. Or when they do, they complain about what
he says and does. Unlike the sinners who joined him that day,
the Pharisees saw themselves as righteous. They are not hungry
for something more from Jesus because they are full of themselves.
This
situation is not limited to the Pharisees; the Bible is full of examples
of how Jesus’ followers act the same way. Take the example of
Peter, who said on Holy Thursday that he would never fall away or deny
Jesus. He thought that he would remain righteous and worthy of
his Lord.
Peter
had to be brought to a place where he knew that he had nothing to give
to Jesus. And so he was brought to the point when the cock crowed,
and he had fallen away like the rest. It was only then that he
could come to Jesus empty handed, even as a sinner. And only then
can Jesus build him up again in mercy.
In
our culture, you and I are likely to be duped into feeling worthy of
Jesus through the concept of self-esteem. Self-esteem is not a
biblical goal; it is the goal of pop-psychology. It diverts us
from the biblical goal of finding all our worth in Jesus. When self-esteem
is the goal, your focus is more on what you have and do rather than
on having Jesus who died for you.
A
billboard for the investment company Charles Schwab plays on this desire.
It begins with the question, “If respect is free, then why do I need
money to get it?” The answer? “Talk to us.”
After highlighting the hypocrisy of money as a source of self-worth,
the ad encourages you to capitulate and play the game with everyone
else.
But
Jesus calls us out of that game. He calls those who want truth.
And you get it when you come as you are.
True
Christianity is conservative because we are called to this gospel that
never changes. Jesus is the author and finisher of our salvation,
and we are only worthy in him. True Christians are also liberal
because we share freely of all that God gives us. And so we must
find the hungry ones: those who know that they have need.
Too
often, when we share the faith, we go to the appealing neighbors: those
who have it all. And then we say: come to church, and have a little
more. This is how you build a country club, not a church.
But
we must go to the hungry ones. Those who are brought to a place
where they know they don’t have what they need. They are looking
for truth, hope, and love. These are the ones who will receive
Jesus as their all in all.
Indeed,
the entrance standards of the church are scandalously low—and you
only meet the minimum requirement. As you reach out to the needy, identify
with them. You are needy, too. You can invite them to the
table because Jesus even feeds a sinner like you.
In the + Name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.
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