Gospel Reflection for The 13th day of January in the year of Our Lord, 2024
Gospel
Mark 2:13-17
13 And he went forth again to the sea side; and all the multitude came to him, and he taught them. 14 And when he was passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alpheus sitting at the receipt of custom; and he saith to him: Follow me. And rising up, he followed him. 15 And it came to pass, that as he sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat down together with Jesus and his disciples. For they were many, who also followed him.
16 And the scribes and the Pharisees, seeing that he ate with publicans and sinners, said to his disciples: Why doth your master eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 17 Jesus hearing this, saith to them: They that are well have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. For I came not to call the just, but sinners.
Today’s Gospel is yet another example of Jesus openly disobeying the laws of the religious Jews in His era. A tax collector was among the greatest of sinners, because he was a Jew who was working for the Romans. He was a traitor to his race, his religion and his nation. Jesus not only ate with tax collectors, but prostitutes and other publicly known sinners. He forgave their sins and they became his disciples and followers. This was extremely troublesome to the scribes and Pharisees. They spent their lives meticulously following the letter of the Law and enforcing it on others. They would not enter the house of a known sinner, eat with them, speak to them conversationally or touch them. According to the Law of Moses, such people were to be cut off and severely punished.
Elsewhere, Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” and He explains that those who heard His words did not understand the meaning of the verse He referenced. The Law condemned those who could not uphold it to damnation. Jesus, taking the penalty of death and hell upon Himself, suffered that penalty. Through His sacrifice, He fulfilled the “curse” of the Law. He took upon Himself the punishment we all deserve. For the tax collectors and sinners, He would take the punishment, forgive their sins and offer them a new life. He offers us mercy.
Unfortunately, the “scribes and Pharisees” could not accept our Lord’s mercy. They believed that they were justified in following the Law. They judged others who failed in upholding the Law. Yet, when the lady who was convicted of adultery was brought before Him, He answered that only one without sin should condemn her… and the religious leaders all walked away. No one is without sin. The mercy of God is our true and only hope.
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Gospel passages are taken from the Douay Rheims Bible.