God Desires Wholeness – 11 June 2023

Matthew 9:9–13, 18–26

Three distinct themes in this gospel pericope could [each] be developed homiletically: . . . the calling of Matthew the tax collector. . . Jesus' table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners. . . two healing stories, one within the other. The calling of Matthew is noteworthy for its brusqueness; Jesus simply says, “Follow me.” He has already issued the same imperative to Peter and Andrew (4:19). He gives the same order to a disciple who hesitates in order to bury his father: “Follow me, and let the dead bury the dead” (8:22). He will teach his disciples that “whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (10:38). He will tell the rich young man to give away his possessions and “follow me” (19:21).

Jesus' eating with outcasts and sinners in the face of pharisaic disapproval shows his radical practice of table hospitality. Jesus' response to the Pharisees' implied criticism is to align himself with the prophetic tradition, specifically Hosea 6:6 in verse 13: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Neither in Hosea nor in Matthew should this be taken to mean a rejection of the ritual law over the moral law. The prophet is saying that the ritual practice is unacceptable to God if it is not accompanied by moral action. In Jesus' table fellowship with outcasts, he is demonstrating God's chesed—mercy, steadfast love.

In the healing of the woman suffering from a hemorrhage and the raising of the synagogue leader's daughter, Jesus demonstrates the will of God for wholeness and life and God's power to bring it about. . .

Disciples are called to learn from Jesus in his willingness to transgress boundaries in order to reach out to all people. –– Frank C. Senn

Romans 4:13–25

Paul continues his discussion of a righteousness that not only transcends but also precedes the law, since the law had not yet been given to Moses when Abraham heard the call of God and followed it. Paul uses Abraham as an example of a faith that justifies. . . Paul deals with Abraham not just as a historical figure, but also as the father of believers. Faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God who comes forth from the tomb of death justifies us. –– Frank C. Senn

Hosea 5:15––6:6

This pericope is undoubtedly chosen because it is the source of the quote in the gospel reading. Hosea is an eighth century B.C. prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel, which he calls Ephraim. He is concerned about the lack of leadership on the part of King Jeroboam II (781–53) and his successors in the face of Assyrian expansion under Tiglath-Pileser III (745–27).

Exacerbating this foreign threat is Israel's unfaithfulness to the covenant with the LORD. In spite of this, Hosea affirms God's mercy as cause for hope.

Hosea 6:1–6 has served as a reading in the historic Good Friday Liturgy because it has been seen as a prophecy of Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection. As applied to Israel and Judah, the Lord's grace is not cheap. The raising up comes only after the people have been slain with a prophetic word. . . Resoluteness of political purpose will only follow from absolute fidelity to the covenant with YAHWEH. –– Frank C. Senn

Frank C. Senn, an ELCA pastor who served Immanuel Lutheran Church in Evanston, Illinois, from 1990-2013, has also taught liturgy courses at a number of seminaries and divinity schools and published thirteen books mostly on the history of the liturgy.

Homily Service 41, no. 3 (2008): 45–53.