Session 8
Matthew 9:10-19,23-26
Memory Verse: Matthew 9:12
Jesus said that people who have been forgiven the most love more freely
(Luke 7:36-47).
We love Him because of His mercy toward us
and the length to which He went to bestow mercy and forgiveness.
The song “Just as I Am” touches hearts made tender by Jesus’s willingness
to take us as we are and mercifully make of us
something different, something better.
The more we recognize our sin, the more we are grateful
for the One who said to a paralytic and to us, “Your sins are forgiven”
(Matt. 9:2).
Jesus demonstrated mercy by healing the sick,
raising the dead, and delivering persons afflicted by demons.
Perhaps more of us identify with His grace in the calling
of an ostracized tax collector-and then joining the forgiven publican and his friends for a meal.
When Christ saves us and calls us, He changes us and uses us as we follow Him.
Suffering is everywhere.
Hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and wildfires are in the news frequently.
Add to that cancer, heart disease, dementia, and broken relationships.
Overlooking the suffering of others is easy to do
when each of us is facing our own form of suffering.
We often neglect to extend compassion to others
when we ourselves need compassion.
Thankfully, Jesus never overlooks the suffering we face.
He shows compassion and mercy to all who come to Him. (PSG, p. 77)
Note that to this point, Matthew had not mentioned himself, even though he was one of Jesus’s early disciples.
highlight how Matthew revealed himself in today’s passages:
“The writer of the Gospel gives us a personal glimpse into his own calling to be a disciple.
While Mark and Luke also record the calling of Matthew, in those two Gospels he is called Levi, which was his Hebrew name.
Matthew was his Greek name.
He was a tax collector for the Roman government. .
. . No doubt Matthew included the story of his calling to point to the fact that Jesus extended grace
even to those considered to be outcasts.”
After calling Matthew, Jesus also attended a banquet with “sinners.”
As we study today’s verses,
focus on how Jesus showed mercy and how He wants us to follow His example.