Jesus and Sinners

Call to Worship: John 1:14 // Prayer

Adoration: Son of God, we praise you, since you have revealed the Father’s glory to us in all of your steadfast love and faithfulness, grace and truth. Through you the Father has comforted us, and announced to us that our warfare has ended, and that we have peace with God through you. In you full payment has been made for our sin on the cross, the display of the limitless love of God.

Confession: Yet you know: the love we return to you is weak and unsteady. We confess to you: our hearts still contain the remaining leftovers of pride, in which we forget your majesty and live as we please; and selfishness, in which we place our own interests before the needs of those around us. Father, forgive us, for in these things we have sinned against you.

Thanksgiving: Yet we take heart, for through your Son you have said to us, “Take heart, my children; your sins are forgiven.” And we know that he has done all things well: what is forgiven can never be brought back; our guilt is removed forever.

Supp: And since you have spoken so tenderly to us, and given us such comfort through your Son, we bring before you also our pains and sorrows: only you know them fully in number and depth; please comfort us in the sorrow of lost loved ones, in the difficulty of ongoing pain, in hopes and dreams which have failed, in the darkness of depressions, in the trial of fears; please send out your light and your truth, and lead us to your holy hill—to a place of faith and worship; please support and sustain us in these trials, and uphold each suffering brother and sister // and we ask this not only for us, but for the American Church in general—that you would shape your people in this country toward a tough and durable faith, that has the fiber to last through various trials, that in the end your name would be glorified and the light of your gospel would shine brightly through the witness of our faith // and we ask for our brothers and sisters in Burma, as they endure the horrors of war and injustice, that they would know you deeply, and therefore shine as lights of love and truth, and that many would turn to your gospel through them // and we ask for Mayor Callaway of Hillsboro, and the city counsel, that you would bless them, and that you would guide their hearts toward wisdom and justice in all of their governing activities, that we might live quiet lives and have freedom to preach your gospel to our neighbors // and now, as we turn to your word…

Family Matters

Arthur and Esther Magezi will be in town, will attend the music conference with us, and Arthur is schedule to preach for us on Oct. 6th!

Benediction

Psalm 67:1–2 ESV

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.

Sermon

Intro

The world around us is deeply sick.

It’s sick with a disease that has many different symptoms: there’s the deceptive half-truths spouted by powerful people on the airwaves, or the unspeakable horror of a school shooting. Or, closer to home, fathers that abandon their families because it’s too hard, or words used like swords to attack you in the workplace. Or, even closer: there are the selfish desires that wage war within your soul, that you had to wrestle with even this past week.

It’s a spiritual disease called, “sin,” and the prognosis is eternal death—eternal divine justice against the darkness of the disease. It is a deadly condition. It’s what ails us and the world around us.

But the disease has a double-deadliness to it, because one of its most common symptoms is delusion:

The sin-infested patient, so often, is confident of one thing: “I am not sick.” Or at least, “I’m not very sick.” Maybe that’s you. Maybe you feel that, on the whole, you’re pretty good; there isn’t a ton to straighten out in your soul. You’re doing pretty good, not in need of spiritual healing, thank you very much.

Or, maybe you’re the opposite—you haven’t turned to Jesus yet, and you’ve come to see that your soul is in deep trouble. You are guilty under God’s judgement, and removed from communion with him. Maybe you’re asking, “Who or what can save me from this disease?”

The answer to both of these problems—the deadly disease itself and the delusion that makes you think you don’t have it—the answer to both these things can be found in the authority and words of Christ as the great physician, as we will see in our passage today. And what’s more, believers can struggle with our own versions of these problems: either we fail to see the deadliness of indwelling sin and thus our ongoing need of Jesus’ help, or we fall into doubt over whether the authority and power of Jesus are really enough for us in the struggle against sin.

In answer to all these troubles, we will see in our passage today that Jesus is the one physician—the only doctor—with the remedy for sin. His words have the ability to strip away our delusions of self-goodness, and his authority is able both to forgive and to restore every kind of person. In short: Jesus has the power to forgive and restore sinners, and you need him.

Jesus’ Authority to Forgive Sins

This starts to unfold for us as some folks bring a paralyzed man to Jesus. Verse 2:

Matthew 9:2 ESV

And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

So, these folks had faith in Jesus, and brought him a friend in need of healing. And if you’ve been reading Matthew up to this point, you might expect the next line to say, “and Jesus healed him.” But instead, it says, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”

It’s a surprising direction for the story, but at the same time, it makes a lot of sense. For this paralyzed man—just as for everyone else—his main problem was the fact that he was guilty of sin, which separated him from God and condemned him. And so, Jesus went straight to the core of the issue—not the man’s paralysis, but his sin. He saw his faith and pronounced forgiveness.

Here is the offer of the gospel in a nutshell: turn to Jesus, and be forgiven. And see the tender words he says it with: “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And if you have believed in him, these words are for you: “Take heart, my child; your sins are forgiven.” It really happened. It’s really done. Your sins are forgiven.

But not everyone is happy about this. Look at verse 3:

Matthew 9:3 ESV

And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

So, some scribes who overhear Jesus’ declaration of forgiveness are scandalized by it.

Now, as scribes, they were experts in God’s Law. And to their ears, Jesus’ words are blasphemy—meaning, they are a slander against God. How so? For one man to declare the sins of another man ‘forgiven’—that is taking for yourself an authority that belongs to God alone. That is assuming the role of ‘Judge of all the Earth’—the role of God. How could a mere man dare to do such a thing?

Well, Jesus has a response, starting in verse 4:

Matthew 9:4 ESV

But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?

In other words, Jesus is saying, “No, it’s not my words of forgiveness, but your thoughts, that are evil.” Why? Because here was their King, who had already showed his authority and power through his teaching ministry and miraculous healings—but they were refusing to recognize him and believe. Jesus continues in vs. 5:

Matthew 9:5 ESV

For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?

In other words, he’s setting up a test. Sure, anyone can claim to forgive sins—but is it a proper claim? Are the sins really forgiven? Have your sins really been forgiven by Jesus, brothers and sisters? Or is it all just some delusion? But if you claim to heal someone physically, the proof will be right there: either the person will be healed, or not. And so Jesus goes on:

Matthew 9:6–7 ESV

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home.

So, the forgiveness of sins is the more profound thing. It’s the core thing—the central purpose of Jesus’ first coming. But it’s invisible. And so, here, Jesus puts his authority on visible, physical display by commanding the paralyzed man to stand up and carry his bed home. And the man’s body responds exactly to Jesus’ words: it becomes healed, and then the man obeys Jesus and walks home as though he never had a paralyzed day in his life.

And so Jesus’ point is this: you cannot deny my authority over the material world right after I command a paralyzed man to walk, and he walks.

=> And for us, if you’ve been reading Matthew up to this point, you know it goes far beyond this as well. It’s total divine authority over storms and waves and legions of demons. Divine authority which demonstrates that Jesus is none other than God in human flesh. Jesus actually is the judge of all the earth.

But the point is this: if we cannot deny his authority over the material world to heal, then neither can we deny his authority over sins, to declare them forgiven. Jesus said to the paralyzed man: “Your sins are forgiven.” And it was so. And not an ounce of guilt from those sins could ever come back and condemn that man again. And if you have believed in Jesus, it is the same for you. He who rules over wind and waves, demons and diseases, has declared you ‘forgiven.’ It is done.

But there remains a danger here: we can see this and acknowledge it, and yet give an incomplete response:

We who have already believed can fail to take confidence in the forgiveness we’ve received. This will rob us of joy and sap us of spiritual vitality to walk with Christ.

Or, like the scribes, we can bristle against Jesus’ decision to forgive someone else: it is wonderful that Jesus has forgiven me… but it can be difficult to swallow that he has loved and forgiven that other person, who has caused me so much pain… but this story is a call to submit to Jesus’ divine authority to forgive.

Or, like the crowds in verse 8, we can marvel at what we see, but fail to understand it. They saw that God had given such authority to a member of the human race—for, Jesus is truly human. But they failed to see that he is also the divine Son of Man and King of God’s Kingdom. And so, as we go through Matthew, we’ll see that the loyalty of the crowds to Jesus is quite fickle.

Or, if you’ve not yet trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of your own sins, there’s the danger of hearing this story and just moving on. If that’s you, I’d urge you to consider this: the main problem of every person alive is the disease of sin. Its symptoms come in many shapes and sizes, to be sure. But they are there, in your life. And it’s a deadly disease—the guilt of your sin is driving you toward judgement and spiritual death. You need help! And the only one who can declare you ‘forgiven’ is Jesus.

Jesus has the power to forgive sinners, and you need him.

Jesus’ Power to Restore Sinners

But Jesus’ power to forgive sins is connected to something else: his power to restore sinners. And this is crucial, for sin causes not only personal guilt, but also a separation from God’s people, and ultimately, from God himself.

And we see this power to restore sinners unfold in vs. 9 and 10:

Matthew 9:9–10 ESV

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.

Now, this is kind of fun, because here in verse 9 Matthew is writing about himself. He’s remembering that moment when Jesus saw him and called him. He’s remembering how he responded to Jesus’ call: he rose and followed him.

But Matthew also ties himself into a larger story here. Matthew was a tax collector at that point—someone who worked for Rome, and thus was a traitor to Israel. Ultimately, a traitor to God’s people. And yet Jesus, the King of God’s people, walked right up to him and commanded him to become a disciple. And next thing you know, Jesus and his inner circle of disciples are in a house having what amounts to a dinner party with a whole bunch of tax collectors and sinners. And yes, we are all sinners. But the word ‘sinners’ in verse 10 means folks who had a reputation for shocking sins. Drunkards, prostitutes, violent malcontents… you can fill in the blanks there. But these were not the folks you hang out with if you’re trying to keep your reputation clean.

And he’s not just speaking with these folks. He’s having dinner with them. And sharing a meal with someone is significant in any culture. But in that culture it was doubly so: Jesus was not just sharing food, but offering fellowship to each one of those folks who came, and teaching his disciples to do the same.

And so it really doesn’t matter what you’ve done. Sexual sin? Jesus can cleanse and restore you to God. Violence? Jesus can forgive you and restore you to God. Wasted time? Selfish living? Jesus’ forgiveness cleanses you and makes you fit, by grace, to enter the presence of God. There is no kind of scandalous sin which is too much for the mercy of God in Christ.

But again, there comes an objection. Verse 11 says:

Matthew 9:11 ESV

And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Of course, this question is not a simple request for information. It’s an objection: If your teacher was legit, he would not be dining with these folks.

What should we think of this objection? Well, it’s a half-truth. Sin is serious. It’s an offense against God, and a killer of human souls. It’s what ails the world. And so if Jesus was having dinner with these sinners in order to normalize their sin, or in order to say it wasn’t a big deal, or something like that—that would have been a legitimate objection.

But what did these Pharisees miss? What did they fail to calculate? Mercy. Forgiveness. Divine power leveled against the problem of sin, to save sinners and restore them to God. That’s what Jesus was doing, having dinner with sinners.

England in the 1920s and 30s was a land filled with churches but devoid of the gospel. That’s when and where my personal hero, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, got into pastoral ministry. He ended up at a small church in a forgotten backwater of Wales, and simply began to faithfully preach the gospel. And after he’d been ministering there for a few years, there was a man in that town who was known to be a drunk who totally neglected his family. And that man was sitting in a pub on Sunday morning, when he overheard some other men saying, “That new preacher in town. Strangest thing. He says that Jesus is for everyone, even sinners.”

And this man, who had grown up in ‘Christian’ England, had never heard such a thought before. Do you see? It’s not just those Pharisees who miss the point. Well, the man left the pub and went up toward the church, but was to afraid to actually walk in that Sunday. And for a couple more weeks—if I remember the story right—he did the same thing. He went up to the church building, but was too afraid to enter. Then finally someone was walking up while he was there, and pulled him inside. And he heard the gospel and was saved and was totally transformed in how he treated his family.

And so the grace of God doesn’t excuse sin. It defeats sin. Jesus’ mercy toward sinners doesn’t enable sin. It forgives sin, and thus provides the only real path back to God and to a God-pleasing life. And that’s what Jesus did for Matthew, and was offering to the other tax collectors and sinners who dinned with him. That’s what God has done for us. Forgiveness and restoration to God.

But let’s look at how Jesus himself responds to the Pharisees’ objection

Matthew 9:12 ESV

But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

Meaning, what? That Jesus is a physician of souls. And doctors don’t hang out with healthy people all day—they spend time with the sick. It’s the whole reason they go to work in the morning. And so the Pharisees have it exactly wrong: Jesus’ whole reason for coming to earth is to heal those with the terminal spiritual illness of sin—not to keep himself separate from them.

Then, next, Jesus quotes a verse from the OT. He tells the Pharisees, vs. 13:

Matthew 9:13 ESV

Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

So Jesus tells these Pharisees—men who were experts in God’s Word—you need to go back to the drawing table. You’ve missed something big in the OT. You need to go back to Hosea 6:6 (that’s the verse Jesus is quoting) and learn what it means.

But when the NT quotes the OT, these quotes are often more profound than first meets the eye. Often, they are meant to bring not just that verse itself, but the whole passage from the OT to bear on the NT situation. And that seems to be the case here. So the verse itself that Jesus quotes is Hosea 6:6, which doesn’t say anything itself about healing or physicians. But listen to Hosea 6:1—just six verses earlier—which is about repenting from sin to God. It says:

Hosea 6:1 ESV

“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

So who is the Great Physician in Hosea chapter 6? The Lord God himself—the great I AM. Do you see that? It’s the divine physician.

Now, we’re not doing an in-depth analysis of Hosea 6 this morning. But to explain it briefly: verse 1 says that if Israel turns back to God, God will be their spiritual physician, forgiving and restoring them/healing them spiritually. And then verse 6—the verse that Jesus told the Pharisees to go back and study—explains what was wrong with Israel’s hearts in the first place. Why they needed to repent and receive divine healing in the first place. They may have worshiped God externally, making sacrifices to him; yet their hearts contained no mercy or love. So God said to them, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

That’s the exact sin of the Pharisees—external righteousness, but no mercy in their hearts. Here were all these tax collectors and sinners, seeking fellowship with God through Jesus, and they had no thought of joy that these sinners were repenting and turning to God. They couldn’t see the beauty of it.

So to sum it up, Jesus is saying to the Pharisees: ‘I’m the divine physician, and you yourselves are sick. I came to call sinners, and if only you could see that you yourselves are sinners, then you’d be able to hear my call and be saved!

[Applications}

Now, that’s sobering: the Pharisees—good people if ever there were any—needed salvation from judgement as much as the tax collectors and sinners.

They needed to be forgiven and restored to God by the mercies of Christ. They needed forgiveness for their merciless hearts! But because they could not see their own need, they could not receive this gracious, divine cure.

And yet, the very fact that Jesus was challenging them to go back to Scripture and learn their need for him is very gracious, because it means that the offer of salvation was still open to them. And so the offer of salvation is still open: the only thing is for you to see your need. That’s it. It’s painful, but simple. See your need of the great physician. See the darkness of your heart, whether that darkness is mostly those so-called ‘respectable sins’—pride, worry, selfishness—or the more ‘spectacular sins’ if you could call them that—pornography, murder, drug abuse, or whatever.

Every kind of sin is a manifestation of a sick disease; it is all evil and leads to death. It is all ugly. BUT: see the grace of Jesus! Here, he shares dinner with sinners like us. He calls sinners like us. He forgives and restores sinners like us. And ultimately, he does all of this by the power of his death in our place: that he took the guilt and shame of these things away from us and paid it himself, so that he could then pronounce us forgiven, and bring us with joy into the presence of the Father, restored and made into children of God.

There is no mercy like this anywhere. Sufficient for sinners, tax collectors, Pharisees, fishermen—everyone. Sufficient for me. Overflowing for you. Yes, your sins to mount up to heaven in their ugliness and evil. But his mercies soar infinitely high over them! He is the divine physician, and his medicine is sufficient for our souls.

Now, in some sense, if you’ve already believed this message, already come to Christ and been restored to God by his mercy, there’s still another level where this applies. You’ve experienced the mercy of God, yes. But do you remember it? Does it rule the way you think of and treat others?

Who are the folks in your own life that you struggle with? Who are the difficult ones? If you believe in the mercy of Christ toward you, you will be merciful also to them. And when you find yourself acting unmercifully toward that difficult coworker, that messy child—at least in that moment, you’ve forgotten the mercy of Christ toward you.

What to do? Repent. His mercy is enough. Confess your mercilessness to him; remember his forgiveness afresh; delight in is mercy; and ask him to help you reflect it in your own life. And maybe that means sometimes you’ll just have to step away from a situation and go pray for a minute sometimes. But the goal is what Paul said in Ephesians 5:1.

Ephesians 5:1 ESV

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

He holds you in his grace: now go show grace to others.

Or maybe it’s not individual folks, but categories. Tax collectors and sinners. Perceived enemies of Christianity. Would we be happy for homosexuals or lesbians to show up here, interested in the gospel? Would we be glad to see a man show up who is confused about his gender? Would we welcome racists and anarchists who come to see if God is truly among us? I trust the answer is yes. But sometimes it’s good to check ourselves there.

As we have received mercy, let us long and hope and delight for others also to find mercy in Christ: the only one with the power to forgive and restore sinners.