Saturday after Ash Wednesday – February 20, 2021
In today’s gospel reading, we encounter another great insight into the healing powers of Jesus through love and acceptance. From the scripture, we see what is, at the surface, just another narrative of Jesus being inclusive and loving to people despite their troublesome pasts or unholy actions. But if you look a little deeper, you can see that there are more profound messages he wishes to convey that are still relevant even in today’s society.
Levi, the tax collector that Jesus calls to him, is looked down upon as a religious outcast. Generally treated with disdain, when called upon by Jesus in a forgiving and loving way to join him in celebration, he accepts and responds to love with love. When the Pharisees and scribes objected, distraught that Jesus would call such a sinner to his own table, Jesus answered saying, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” Some Pharisees went astray in that they used their own lives as a means to judge others. This misstep is relatable to our modern world.
Today our world is challenged with a myriad of social issues: racism, sexism, social injustice, and crime. People that contribute to these issues can be seen as our modern ‘tax collector’; they are the sick who need the physician. By treating those people with hatred and cold-heartedness, they will always return it with the same hostility. Instead, show them forgiveness, show them love, and then hope that they will follow your lead. In the event that they do not, however, do not be discouraged. Those who can be made to see the errors of their ways can be nursed back to health. And though it can be a struggle to respond to such hatred with love, it is necessary to be like Jesus and show to all the love and support that God our father bestows upon us all.
Q: When am I the tax collector in my own life, and what does Jesus call me to do about it?
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