There are two key statements Jesus makes in the Gospel today that challenge most of us. The first, “Follow me,” seems simple enough. We all seek to follow Jesus because he gives us hope, comfort, and release.  For me, that was the first step in my faith journey.  But as I sought to be a better follower, I came to learn that when Jesus asks us to follow Him, He is calling us to something higher than just seeking to meet our own needs. To follow Jesus is not so simple. We must learn how to do it. When I accepted that my salvation was a gift and not something I had to earn, I began to see the call to follow as a call to get closer to Jesus and to identify with His work as something I wanted to do out of gratitude, not something I needed to do out of duty.  The Gospel today reminds us that getting closer to Jesus does not mean joining a club of the sanctimonious righteous. It means sitting down with sinners.

And it means more than just sitting there.  To follow in the healing work of Jesus with our fellow sinners, Jesus tells us we need to learn the meaning of the words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”  To sacrifice is to offer something meaningful to God.  That is not necessarily a bad thing to do.  It is a way of setting priorities in our relationship with God.  But Jesus wants us to also set priorities in our relationships with others.  Jesus calls us to show compassion, kindness, and forgiveness to others, just as he does for us. That is a big challenge. It can be a lot of work and often a real burden.  It surely helps me to remember the words Jesus says, “Come to men, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

It is my prayer today that thinking about our calling as Christians to follow Jesus by showing mercy to our fellow sinners rather than passing judgement against them makes the words of the Psalm for today all the sweeter.  “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever!”