Matthew 9:9-13
At that time, as Jesus passed on, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with publicans and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In our Gospel reading, we see how despised the publicans, those who collected taxes on behalf of the Romans, were despised by the Jews. I have often noticed that when someone admits to being an employee of the tax authorities of their nation, then almost always someone will joke: ‘Like Saint Matthew!’ I have even heard members of the clergy make such remarks. The truth, however, is that there is very little similarity between the work that Saint Matthew did and that that of today’s tax officials.
The error arises, I think because the word ‘publicani’ which used to be translated as publicans, is now usually translated as tax collectors. But a publicani was actually a tax farmer. The Roman government originally didn’t tax its conquered people directly using state employees to do the work. Instead, they farmed the work out. Rich men bid for the contract of raising the taxes in a particular region. If successful, they paid the government the amount up front. And then they or their agents went to the place they had bid for to collect back not only the money they had paid out, but a substantial profit for themselves as well.
And, of course, this wasn’t the kind of work that was done alone. There was a whole hierarchy of people involved. The region would be divided up, with a chief publican for each sub-division. We may think here of Zacchaeus, famous for being small of stature; but if you think back to the Gospel account of him, you will recall that he was a very wealthy man. Below him would have been men like Saint Matthew, sitting at booths here, there, and everywhere, squeezing money out of people for every little thing they could think of.
Under the Emperor Augustus, the first of the Caesars, who reigned from 27 BC to AD 14, things began to improve. He began the move to collecting taxes by way of men directly employed by the state. The idea was to ensure that more money flowed into the state coffers while at the same time reducing the tax burden on the people.
However, there still remained plenty of room for corruption and the publicans had very little to stop them from lining their own pockets. And, of course, from the point of view of the people of the provinces, they were still being squeezed for money by their conquerors, very little of which was used to benefit the communities in which they lived. This was doubly offensive for the Jews, who had a particular hatred for mixing with gentiles.
As a result, they despised with great fervour those who collaborated with them, especially the publicans, Jews who helped the Roman gentiles to take money from the pockets of their fellow Jews and enriched themselves in the process. You may note well the verse from today’s Gospel, intended as a very severe criticism of Jesus “Why does your teacher eat with publicans and sinners?” Publicans were in a class all of their own. There were all the other kinds of sinners. And then there were publicans, the worst of the worst.
And, so, the Pharisees are shocked and outraged when Jesus not only calls Matthew the Publican to follow Him, but then goes to his house to eat, where a large number of publicans and other kinds of sinners are also guests. What kind of a teacher does such a thing?
The answer is: a teacher like Jesus. The Fathers tell us that He ate with these men not because they were sinners, and not because they were not sinners, but because He understood that they were being moved to repenting of their sins. Recall Zacchaeus, whom I mentioned earlier. The ‘righteous men’ were offended when Jesus went to his house to eat also. But Zacchaeus that day began to repent of his sins and make reparations to the men and women he had sinned against, repaying fourfold those whom he had cheated, and giving half his wealth to the poor.
Recall also the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee. It was the Publican who left the temple justified that day, not because he was not a sinner, but because he understood himself to be a sinner, and repented of his sins, and cried out to God for mercy, beating his breast. However, the Pharisee who thought himself to be a righteous man was not justified.
The Pharisees in our Gospel reading no doubt think Jesus is speaking of them when Jesus says He has not come to call the righteous but sinners. But we may consider that He is speaking with a certain irony, for as the Fathers remind us, all men are sinners, and no one is righteous in God’s sight. Jesus does not call righteous men such as these not because they have no need of His help, but because they have no desire for it; and they will never feel that desire as long as they think themselves to be righteous.
Matthew the Publican felt that desire for Christ, for His mercy. And look where it led him. He became one of the twelve apostles, one of Christ’s closest companions. He became the writer of the first Gospel, sharing the words of Christ with all generations to come. And he became a saint of God’s church. This last one is something we all can and should aspire to be. And through repentance and crying out for God’s mercy it is some that we can be. And it is something that I pray you all will be. Amen.
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