Mercy above Sacrifice

(Messiah's 38th Command in the New Testament)

By Brother R. Michel Lankford
It Is Written:

“So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men. As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”” (Matthew 9:1–13, NKJV)

# 38 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’

Note: In Matthew 9:9, the apostle Matthew is recalling the events when Messiah called him to be one of His disciples, using the imperative phrase, "Follow me." Please understand that that particular command or reference to that command is made no less 58 times in the gospel in the gospel accounts, (depending on translation). So basically, Messiah instructed us some 58 times in the Gospels to follow Him. With all respect and reverence toward God's Word, is not my intention to write 58 separate expository teachings on Messiah's command, "Follow Me." Suffice it to say that if God's Word repeats an explicit command more than 50 times, then it is imperative that we learn to follow, come along behind, and walk in the manner and in the footsteps of the Messiah. Now if we are a true and legitimate disciple of Yahweh Almighty God and His Son the Messiah, then doing this would be our desire, motive, intention and growing practice in any case, a gentle reminder should be sufficient. We should not have to be convinced and re-taught in detail 58 times what it means to come along behind you to walk in the manner and footsteps of the Messiah (1 John 2:1-6).

 

Contextual Background

Matthew 8:28-34 - Messiah heals and brings deliverance to a demon possessed man who could not possibly help himself
Matthew 9:1-8 - Messiah forgives and brings healing to a paralyzed man, many people are amazed and praise God for it, but others criticize and accuse Jesus of blasphemy because they claimed that only God can forgive sins. Jesus proves that he had the authority to forgive sins by healing the man.
Matthew 9:9 - Messiah calls Matthew to be one of his disciples. Now, we must remember that in the traditional human religious mindset of that day, calling Matthew to be one of his disciples was not considered a holy thing for Jesus to do, because at the time that Messiah called him, Matthew was working at the tax collector for the Romans. Israel while still technically a nation was a nation under house arrest. The King of Judah was appointed by Rome, the High Priest was appointed by Rome, etc. and some of the Hebrew people were appointed by Rome to collect taxes for Rome. Paying taxes to a foreign power was bad enough, but having a fellow Hebrew extort the money from your hands was worse. Moreover, it was virtually standard procedure for tax collectors to collect more than the Roman government required and to keep the surplus for themselves. So many tax collectors got rich by legalized thievery, and people were defenseless to stop it. As a result any Hebrew which became a tax collector was reviled as a collaborator, a traitor, a cheat and a thief who betrayed his own people, and usually made himself very rich by doing so. Tax collectors who lived this way clearly violated the Laws of God (Deuteronomy 25:16; Proverbs 20:20, 23; Micah 6:11). Therefore, a collaborator and a tax collector was considered the lowest form of life in Israel. Now it's possible that Matthew was a rare honest tax collector. Perhaps he collected only the bare minimum that the empire required. Scripture doesn't tell us, so we should not speculate Scripture does not expressly speak. The real point is that based on the reputation the tax collectors had at the time, for Messiah to pick Matthew, the collaborating tax collector as one of the disciples caused quite a furor in a religious community that was well trained by human tradition to believe that God only worked with and through the so-called, "Good people." Back then people had a difficult time wrapping their minds around how a truly righteous rabbi would ever call a tax collector to be one of his followers.
Today, the ideological pendulum has swung to the other totally opposite extreme. Today we are apparently so drunk and enamored by the supposed grace of God, that we often completely ignore God's righteous standards altogether. Modern Christianity often behaves as though they have the attitude that since Christ ate with tax collectors and sinners, the lessons from this must be that we must completely accept tolerate and never challenge any ungodly belief, desire, attitude or behavior, because modern Christianity appears to believe that failing to accept whatever someone believes says and does even Scripture identifies those ungodly things as sin, isn't tolerant and according to the mis-definition of the term grace, not being tolerant must not be Christian according to the way they re-define Grace. Using our re-definition of the word grace, people tend to fall into that misguided belief that there is no real critical urgency to turn away from sin and to learn, to choose and to do what pleases God. That misunderstanding could hardly be further from the truth the comment that Messiah made was taken from the so-called, Old Testament (Micah 6:8; Hosea 6:6). In those verses, God not only says that He loves mercy and loving kindness more than sacrifices, but that He loves justice, and that He is looking for people who have a fundamental understanding and knowledge of God and His principles. So, when we talk about mercy and kindness, it has to be mercy and kindness that is measured according to what God says is good, not according to what FEELS good to us. There is a huge difference.
The problem is that both the first century rabbinical Hebrew (notice I did not say the biblical Hebrew), and in modern-day Christian which teaches virtually absolute tolerance in the name of grace are both biblically incorrect. Both extremes are wrong because they missed the central point of Messiah's teaching. We must always remember and never forget that MATTHEW REPENTED. We must not forget that if Matthew had not actively chosen to turn away from his old life of tax collecting; if he had made excuses and found reasons to delay, if he had chosen to delay following the Messiah, he would not have been accepted as a disciple. How do we know that? We see direct examples of it illustrated just one chapter earlier in the same gospel (Matthew 8:18-22). Remember if Matthew had not repented, if he had not chosen to turn away from his old life, and actively walked with the Messiah, he would not have been accepted as a disciple. So please, do not miss this critical point. Matthew was not accepted as a disciple because he was a tax collector. Matthew was accepted because when he was offered the gospel when he was offered the chance to leave his old life and to follow Messiah, he took that opportunity to repent and chose to walk away from his old life and into new life with Messiah. (Recall: Genuine repentance; actively turning away from what God considers evil). He chose to actively walk toward what God says is good. This has always been a crucial aspect of restoration. And it will continue to be so to the end of the age into the new Heaven and the new Earth. The problem is that first century rabbinical Hebrews was so caught up in upholding their religious traditions that in the name of so-called Holiness to, they didn't notice, nor did they celebrate the fact that Matthew actually repented and was restored. No matter what Matthew had done in the past, so long as he was truly repenting, so long as Matthew was producing fruit in keeping with repentance, there was no legitimate biblical reason to consider him cut off from the Fellowship of Israel any longer (see it Ezekiel 18).
Today, the temptation is to miss the point altogether. We tend to think and teach that since Jesus ate with sinners, then the lesson must be then we must accept and tolerate almost every attitude and behavior without challenging it and that simply is the total opposite of what Scripture actually teaches, even in the so-called New Testament.

 

God Desires Compassion More Than Sacrifice... but What Is True Compassion?

We live in an age where the good and true terms have been grossly perverted. Homosexuality is called an alternative life style, a different form of love. The murder of innocent babies by the millions abortion is called a woman’s right to choose. Fornication is now called sex between two consenting "adults." Even among our teenagers "Bad," or "Sick," stands for something they want to call good. The term compassion has suffered the same ideological hatchet job. It has become fashionable to mistake the term license and permissiveness with compassion. Even churches have been infiltrated. Couples living together are rarely called sin and fornication anymore, alcoholism is called a disease instead of sin, and a hard line position on biblical truth is considered unloving and bigoted. Does such ideological perversion of the language really make such a difference? Yes!
Political correctness has definitely run amuck. I’ve been blessed by the LORD to be able to lead Christian discipleship training classes. On one occasion I was working with a new believer. She was a young mother who was just starting in her Christian faith is in the midst of allowing God to put her life back together. She was actually told by a parenting training teacher that she should not put her six-year-old daughter in the corner for misbehaving! The term discipline has been confused by our more liberal "friends" with the term abuse. Such ideological sabotage most certainly has a profound effect on society and it can have disastrous results with the state exercising such power over families as to enable our children to rebel against their parents. In this document we will look at the best definitions of compassion and direction along with the practical application of the terms.

What Is Biblical Compassion?

If you look at today's passage carefully, you will find that it is encapsulated in single quotation marks. In some translations, the phrase, "I desire mercy more than sacrifice," contains all capital letters. Remember that whenever you see such things in our English translations of Scripture, it is because what is being said is a direct quotation from a so-called Old Testament verse or reference. So when Messiah said, "I desire mercy more than sacrifice," He was quoting from something that was already in the Scriptures, and He was reminding us of what God already says in Scripture (Micah 6:8; Hosea 6:6; Isaiah 5:20-24). Again remember that we cannot redefine God's definitions of key terms to suit ourselves. We must use God's definitions and everything.

Exodus 34:5-8 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD. Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. Exodus 34:5-8 (NASB)

- We know that true biblical compassion is a characteristic of Yahweh's nature. We know that it is in Yahweh's very essence to be merciful and forgiving. At the same time we also know from the way that Almighty God has revealed Himself that His mercy CANNOT deny His righteousness. True godly compassion cannot pretend that what the Righteous Almighty God has identified as being sin is somehow not sin. So true biblical compassion does not deny the truth or reality of a situation. True biblical love and compassion always tells the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6); not because it wants to instigate conflict or make someone feel bad, but because love understands that upholding the truth will ultimately only accomplished one thing... SET PEOPLE FREE (John 8:31-32). So if you love people and you truly want to see them set free in Messiah, we have to tell the truth about what God says is sin and how to get out of it, we have to tell the truth about what God says is good. Anything else is merely the illusion of freedom, and not freedom at all. True compassion tells the truth because it will set people free.
 

Sometimes We Need to Be Afraid

Let's be absolutely clear. There is absolutely nothing loving or compassionate about letting somebody go to hell unnecessarily. There is absolutely nothing loving or compassionate about letting someone run headlong into God's wrathful judgment, especially when having the courage to teach them how to repent could prevent such eternal disaster. Do not be deceived. There is absolutely nothing loving or compassionate about making someone comfortable while they remain in their sin. What is so blasted loving about letting someone run comfortably unobstructed into eternal separation from God?!
Contrary to some misguided theologians, we are not here to make Jesus more popular. He wasn't going to be popular and He knew it. He also knew that those who faithfully follow Him were not going to be popular with those who love darkness, and He told us so (John 3:19-21; John 15:18-19; 1 John 3:13; 2 Timothy 3:12; Luke 6:26). So when we try to make Jesus more popular in the eyes of sinful people, then we are undoubtedly compromising the true and saving message of the gospel somewhere.
Beloved, I tell you the truth. Sometimes, people legitimately NEED to be afraid. Scripture clearly says that the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). So without a healthy fear of offending the Righteous God of Heaven, we cannot even begin to know anything.
The person who lives a lifestyle of rejecting and disobeying Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah), NEEDS to be afraid (John 3:36).
The person who is NOT actively seeking learning and doing the will of Almighty God the Father in Heaven NEEDS to be afraid, because they would not enter the Kingdom (John 7:21-23).
The person who is maintaining attitudes desires and behaviors which Almighty God specifically says WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM of God, that person NEEDS to be afraid and must be taught how to truly successfully overcome and turn away from those things before it's too late, (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8). These warnings were not written to unbelieving heathens. They were written to the churches; people who claimed to be believers in Messiah. If merely accepting Jesus Christ was absolutely all it took, then why were such warnings written to the churches in the so-called New Testament??
The person who claims to be walking with God and the Messiah who is light (1 John 1:5; John 8:12), and yet they continue to indulge in the deeds that are of the darkness (see above), that person NEEDS to be afraid, because they are deceiving themselves and walking in deception (1 John 1:7-8), and where do all liars end up (Revelation 21:8)?
The person who sits in church listening to God's Word week after week, but they don't submit to God and let God's word change how they think and choose to live, that person is deceiving themselves. They are practicing self-deception (James 1:19-27). That person NEEDS to be afraid, because again, where do all who practice deception wind up (Revelation 21:8)?
The person who remains enslaved to their pet sin NEEDS to be afraid. Even Yeshua the Messiah specifically says that the one who remains a slave to their sin DOES NOT HAVE A PERMANENT PLACE in God's household. Folks, I didn't say it. Yeshua the Messiah and Christ of Almighty God is the One who said it. I just believe Him, and declare what He already said (John 8:34-35). Somebody will no doubt say to yourself, ‘I am free because I've proclaimed Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.’ The reality is that if we are truly free, then we do not continue to sin, and if we continue to sin it demonstrates that we are still a slave and not truly free.
The person who claims to know Almighty God and His Son Jesus Christ, Yeshua the Messiah and yet continues to disregard and disobey that His Laws Commandments and Instructions while they proclaim to be under God's grace, that person should be NEEDS to be afraid, because the Word of God even in the so-called New Testament calls such a person a liar, and the truth does not live in that person (see 1 John 2:1-6). Folks, even the Word of God in the New Testament openly claims that Yeshua the Messiah who is the truth (John 14:6), does not live in such a person.
There is nothing compassionate about letting someone run headlong into eternal destruction when teaching them a healthy reverential fearful Lord, and how to produce fruit in keeping with repentance could prevent it. Compassion tells the truth that will set people free and save them from God's wrath.
Brother R. Michel Lankford