Readings and Reflections on the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Proverbs 3:1-6
2 Timothy 3:14-17
Matthew 9:9-13
Dear Friends,
Matthew 9:9-13 tells the story of Matthew’s call to follow Jesus. In a culture where rabbis recruited “the best of the best,” it is shocking to see Jesus ask a religiously failed and worldly corrupted man to join him as a disciple.
Jesus might well have told the critics of his association with tax collectors and other religious failures that he was merely enacting the words of Proverbs 3:1-6. He is living out a mission that restores Matthew, and others like him, into a wholehearted trust in the Lord and a new life of faithfulness.
Paul reminds Timothy of the great gift of the sacred writings that are animated by God’s own spirit to train and equip those who belong to God (and presumably desire to listen and be led by God!)
Comment: When approached as a rule book, scripture becomes a source of human judgment and division. When approached as a meeting place with the Lord, scripture becomes a source of faith, hope and love. Jesus seems to take the latter view, and calls everyone into a living conversation with the living God. Is my Bible reading more like consulting a book of rules and sayings – or does it lead me into genuine conversation with God about the things of my life world? May I have the boldness of Matthew to get up from that conversation and follow Christ!