Sermon Tone Analysis

Opening Illustration

There's a new translation and commentary on the Egyptian Book of the Dead by Dr Rameses Seleem.

The book of the dead is full of words to be recited and enacted by the living to help the dead in their journey through the underworld.

So if you've tragically lost Grandma; or you've just wrapped up your dead Pharaoh; these will be the words to say to help them find the garden of reeds.

And true peace.

The right words to say.

The right ritual at the right time, to get the right results.

Chinese Religions, gets into the rhythms of the universe .. the yin and the yang; Rituals and festivals to mark the seasons, and it's all trying to restore balance.

Cosmic harmony.

There’s Confucianism.

A mixture of all kinds of Gods and spirits and philosophies; but typically they'll all have shrines and similar principles.

Like washing your hands in a fountain and throwing money in the pool to bribe the local spirits.

There's a god for everything.

Even the kitchen god…twice a day, there'll be family sacrifices where as part of the kitchen routine, mum presents a sacrifice of some incense and a bowl of fruit to the ancestors and the spirit Gods.

There’s a book called the A to Z Guide to the Catholic Faith which is chock full of washings and statues and incense and ceremonies as well.

Judaism has worship in the temple .. washings .. ritual .. sacrifices .. incense .. priests etc

We can forgive people for saying things like .. all religions are basically the same.

All looking for things to do and ways to do them that get God's attention whoever you conceive him to be and shape certain outcomes.

The right words, the right actions, done in the right ways at the right times.

Then Jesus bursts on to the scene and there is none of that .. Christianity is not about rituals .. cathedrals .. ornate vestments .. it’s not some code book, secret or otherwise, in which keeping rules guides and assures you of eternal bliss

Jesus is NOT a RELIGIONIST If you think doing particular things at particular times in particular ways is the way to God's heart... you've got God all wrong.

The RELIGIOUS MOB in Israel will have to come to terms with this .. God has ALWAYS desired MERCY rather than SACRIFICES

Jesus wants us to be rightly related to Him .. and all our responses are due to our love for Him, not religious duty .. and we are drawn to Him and desire to FOLLOW Him .. and that changes HOW we live

In this passage there are THREE conversations

Forgiven!

And you can see what he's about in three key conversations.

Starting with the words he says to the paralytic guy in chapter 9. Follow it with me.

Jesus crossed the lake and he's back home.

And verse 2, a group of guys bring him a paralysed friend on a mat.

Full of hope that Jesus can do something.

Full of confidence that he will.

And Jesus sees their faith.

And he does do something.

"Take heart, son... your sins are forgiven."

Woah! .. what did Jesus say?

What has FORGIVENESS to do with HEALING?

The RELIGIOUS guys heard it.

This fellow is blaspheming!

This fellow is blaspheming!

Well .. it’s only blasphemy if Jesus isn’t God

And Jesus says, take heart.

You've come to me in faith.

Which is all you need to do.

To have your sins forgiven.

Now in that, you've got the essence of exactly what Jesus is on about.

That here is the one promised by the prophet Isaiah... who would take up their infirmities.

Who would carry their diseases.

Who would be wounded and bruised and crucified... to take the penalty of sin on himself.

So no wonder he's entitled to say your sins are forgiven.

And Jesus says to these blokes with the paralysed friend, take heart.

You've come to me in faith.

Which is all you need to do.

To have your sins forgiven.

And yet all the teachers of the law can say is, "He's blaspheming" to say that.

Who does he think he is.

Forgiving sins.

Y’see .. these DISEASES and DISFIGUREMENTS are evidence of a fallen world.

A SINFUL WORLD.

We need our SINS dealing with way more than HEALTH ISSUE.

And so those next few verses, Jesus demonstrates his AUTHORITY to deal with sins... by dealing with the paralysis.

And he says in verse 6, get up.

Take your mat.

Go home.

And he does.

And the crowds are still wondering … WHO IS THIS!!

Can you see, it's not as if Jesus is just sprinkling sparkle dust around.

It's not as if he's just like that Doctor Patch Adams who'd go around hospital wards cheering people up a bit.

Jesus is the REAL DEAL.

He's here to address Israel's real problem.

And to call for a response.

Follow

Calling all sinners

He's a doctor alright.

But he's going to the heart of the problem.

And he's calling for a response.

Pick up in verses 9 to 13.

Where again, he's under attack.

Because he's mixing with all the wrong people.

9.As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth.

“Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10.

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.

11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12. On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’a

For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Here's Matthew himself.

Who I take it is the same Matthew who goes on to write this gospel.

Chapter 9 verse 9.

And he's a tax collector.

Which means he's a Jew working for the Roman occupying forces.

Taxing his fellow Jews on behalf of the Romans.

Skimming a healthy percentage for himself.

And Jesus walks by the tax collectors booth, and he says follow me.

And without even reconciling the books, Matthew, verse 9, gets up and follows.

And in verse 10, Jesus is having dinner in his house with all his colleagues.

Many tax collectors.

And all sorts of other sinners are partying with Jesus and his disciples.

Which to the Pharisees, is the ultimate in bad taste.

They draw the disciples aside, they say, what's he doing?

Eating with tax collectors and sleazy sinners like that?