While enjoying a dinner party with a crowd of interested seekers, a gaggle of Pharisees barged in and confronted Jesus about the guest list. Jesus gave these religious leaders a kick in the pants: Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

Pharisees were fastidious in tithing and sacrificing, but looser in their concern for the fate of immortal souls.

Like the Pharisees, I tend towards sacrifice. It’s easier. Take giving to my church for example. I believe it’s important to support local ministry efforts. I contribute monthly through an automatic electronic withdrawal. As the payment leaves my account I pay little attention, if I notice at all. It costs me, but it’s hardly a sacrifice.

Mercy, on the other hand, is way messier. It requires diligence. I have to pay attention and respond to people around me, listening and noticing those who need help. I must move toward someone in order to be merciful. They need my eyes to see them, my words to acknowledge their pain, and my hands to pick them up. Mercy is not monthly, but moment to moment.

Of course, sacrifice involves so much more than a contribution. Sacrificial acts and mercy go hand in hand. But some sacrifices feel transactional, while mercy involves giving without getting. Too often I focus on the things I’m giving up for God rather than the folks my gifts are intended to help. Mercy prods me away from myself and towards the people God places in my life.

Matthew 9:10-13

Photo by Rémi Walle