Second Sunday after Pentecost
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Matthew 9:9 – “As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him.”
When Jesus talks, Matthew listens and acts. Jesus says, “Follow me,” and Matthew follows. What does this tell us about Matthew? It tells us that he believes in Jesus.
Our actions flow out of our faith. Show me what a man does, and I’ll tell you what he really believes. Our sinful actions uncover our false beliefs and our need for repentance and a return to the forgiveness we find in Jesus. Our godly actions display our faith in Jesus.
What kind of faith (or false belief) do your financial actions display?
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Second Sunday after Pentecost
Hosea 5:15–6:6; Romans 4:13–25; Matthew 9:9–13
Jesus Calls Sinners to Repentance and Newness of Life in Accordance with His Mercy
In calling Matthew the tax collector to follow Him, Jesus demonstrates that He has come “not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:9, 13). As a good physician, He comes not to confirm them in their sins, but to heal them with His grace, calling them to repentance, faith and newness of life (Matthew 9:12). He puts them to death by the preaching of His Law, in order to raise them with His Gospel, to live before Him in the righteousness of His resurrection (Hosea 6:1–2, 5).
It is in this way that God “gives life to the dead,” that is, through faith in Jesus, “who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:17, 24–25). Thus, sinners from all nations are called to share the same faith as Abraham, the father of all who trust in Jesus (Romans 4:16–18). And as our Lord in mercy thus welcomes us poor sinners to recline at the table in His house, so does He “desire steadfast love and not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:10, 13; Hos. 6:6), that we should have mercy on our neighbors and forgive their sins against us for Jesus’ sake.
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Life Thoughts for the Week
Second Sunday after Pentecost – Sin is the cause of all our woes in this life. God says so. Does it mean we can pick out particular sins as being the cause of particular woes? Quite often not. But we do know the cure to all our woes: the death of Jesus. His death paid for all our sins. His death gives us eternal life, no matter what sins we carry and no matter what woes we suffer. Jesus is greater than them all, and Jesus has paid the price for them all.
So, as St. Peter says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (Acts 2:38-39).
Repent of your sins and let Him cure all your woes.
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Lectionary Series – Sunday’s Scripture Readings © The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod 1333 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO 63122-7295 800-248-1930, Ext. 1265 • worship@lcms.org • lcms.org/worship. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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