Throughout the Bible, God favors right relationship over roles and prefers mercy to punishment. In Hosea, the prophet reminds us that God desires loyalty rather than words or meaningless deeds, and in Romans, Paul presents Abraham as a living model of right relationships. Though Jesus was a devout Jew who practiced his faith, he was criticized for eating with tax collectors and sinners—the religiously nonobservant. Jesus criticizes the self-righteous and reminds us that mercy is to be at the heart of our religious practices. God continues to be made known in those on the margins of society, like Matthew the tax collector and the hemorrhaging woman. Jesus demonstrates God’s mercy and power, accepting the unacceptable and curing the incurable. Even the dead receive new life. As we gather each Lord’s day, we receive the healing that makes us well and sends us forth to be signs of God’s mercy for the world.
image: Jesus Eats With Publicans and Sinners by Alexandre Bida. Credit: ruskpp – adobe.stock.com