Feast of Saint Matthew, apostle and evangelist
(Ephesians 4:1-7.11-13; Matthew 9:9-13)
Sojourners, the
premier Christian social justice magazine, recently featured a woman pastor
whose body was covered with tattoos. According
to the article the pastor is doing remarkable work shepherding a Lutheran community
that includes gays and lesbians. Seeing her
picture, however, strikes many as odd. It must have been as peculiar for Jews
to see a tax collector following Jesus in the gospel today.
In Palestine at the time of Christ tax collectors are
seen as collaborators with the imperial government. Moreover, they are generally considered as using
their authority to swindle people. This judgment
is not made of Matthew, but certainly the Pharisees criticize Matthew’s house
guests as sinful. Jesus, on the other
hand, is not repulsed by the company but attracted to it. He came precisely to tell sinners of God’s
unique love for them.
We need to refrain from judging others by their
appearance. Rather let us not be afraid
to dialogue with everyone. Like Jesus we
want to intimate God’s love by our friendliness. We also might relate how we find the hand of the
Lord making us into who we are.
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