June 9, 2002
Third Sunday After Pentecost
"What They Left Behind"
(Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26)
Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn
Matthew 9:9-13
[9] As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him.
[10] And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and came and were sitting with him and his disciples.
[11] When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
[12] But when he heard this, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
[13] Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."
Matthew 9:18-26
[18] While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."
[19] And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples.
[20] Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak,
[21] for she said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well."
[22] Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well.
[23] When Jesus came to the leader's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion,
[24] he said, "Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him.
[25] But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.
[26] And the report of this spread throughout that district.
[NRSV]
I just read a story about this woman who was visiting a church for the very first time one Sunday. That Sunday, the sermon wasn't like any of mine. It was one of those droners that just seemed to go on forever. And as a consequence a lot of people in the congregation fell asleep.
Despite that, the woman liked the church and decided after the service, to be sociable. So, she walked up to one of the very sleepy looking gentleman, extended her hand, and said, "Hello, I'm Gladys Dunn."
And the gentleman replied, "You're not the only one ma'am. I'm glad he's done too!!!" (1)
I hope none of you feel that way about my preaching., Though I am a realist and know that not every one of my sermons is a home run.
After their encounter with Jesus, the three people in today's passage from Matthew all have something in common with my opening story. The Tax Collector, the Synagogue Leader and the Woman with the Hemorrhage are all "Glad he's done, too."
They were all apprehensive at first. And it took a great deal of courage to step forward and do what they did. It also took a great deal of faith. For each of them, the call which they received was an act of courage and an act of faith.
That courage and that act of faith cost them dearly. There was lots of stuff they had to leave behind. But Oh, What They Gained. Let's look at WHAT EACH ONE LEFT BEHIND, AND WHAT THEY GAINED.
A. Look at Matthew, also known as Levi, the Tax Collector. Before his encounter with Jesus, a movie about Matthew's life might have been titled: "Swindler's List."
If this were an old audience participation story the audience would "boo" and "hiss" at the mere mention of the "Tax Collector."
There are lots of words to describe how people felt about "Tax Collectors." They didn't collect local taxes. The money didn't go to the school or the city or the region. The money went to Rome. So words like: Traitor. Defector. Betrayer. Turncoat. Collaborator. And Double-crosser describe how the people felt about "Tax Collectors." They worked for the enemy and had become the enemy themselves.
But there were other words for "Tax Collectors" as well. For you see, "Tax Collectors" made their money by charging "market price" if you will.
We went to lunch one afternoon of Conference and decided to eat seafood. Almost everything on the menu, though was fried. And you all know I'm staying away from anything fried.
However, they did have one item that sounded good. It was called "Seafood Grill" and consisted of shrimp, scallops, the catch of the day and maybe even lobster, I don't remember, all grilled together. Everything else on the menu was pretty standardly priced somewhere between $8 and $18.00. But the "Seafood Grill" simply said "Market Price." So I asked, "What's the Market Price." The waitress said, "$32.00." And she didn't even bat an eye or apologize. I got something else.
"Tax Collectors" were given a set amount they had to raise anything above that was profit. It was theirs to keep. Consequently words like: Chiseler. Crook. Cheater. Cut-Purse. Thief. Robber. Swindler. And those are the polite ones. Tax Collectors all used the same lawyers as the Three Stooges, Dewey, Cheatham and Howe.
Tax Collectors were rich. They had all the finer things of life. They had everything money could buy. They had all the friends money could buy, as well. But they didn't have any respect in the community. And for the most part, they didn't have any self respect because they made their money cheating others.
They were the Rodney Dangerfields of society. No respect. They were outcasts and looked down upon. And they were lonely.
B. Maybe that's what Jesus saw in Matthew. Whatever it was that Jesus saw in Matthew, what Matthew saw in Jesus, wasn't what HE expected.
Most people, when they see a hitchhiker with his thumb out, drive on - and for good reason. But on this day in Rhodesia, Roy Comrie had the courage to stop. The hitchhiker had an AK-47 rifle in his hand. It was shortly after the end of the Rhodesian civil war. Most people would've said Comrie was crazy for stopping. But obviously God had something planned.
Anyway, the guy climbed in and sat down with his rifle between his legs. He didn't say anything; just looked around the car for clues as to who this madman was who stopped to pick him up. He saw a Bible and said some unfriendly things about Christians and missionaries.
Thinking this was the most violent man he had ever met, Comrie decided to take his passenger to the most violent place there had ever been. So Comrie told him, in his own native language, about Calvary.
The hitchhiker, in turn, told Roy about all that he had done during the war. He'd done and seen some gruesome and barbaric stuff that had led him to the point where he wasn't even able to sleep.
When they arrived in Harare the rifleman refused to leave the car until Roy led him to Christ. A week later when they met for Bible study, the man was excitedly shouting at Roy, "Baba Comrie, I'm sleeping now!"
The compassion, love and mercy of the cross of Jesus Christ changes everything in life and eternity. (2)
Matthew expected to look in Jesus' eyes and see the same rejection and animosity that he had seen in the eyes of every other person he had ever met. But that's not what he saw.
Matthew saw Compassion; Love; A desire to get to know him better; And an invitation to fill that gaping hole and aching loneliness in his life. All he had to do was "Follow Jesus."
And he did. But look at the cost. Look what he left behind. Power, position, money, possessions. Oh, yeah, and all those negative terms. Look What He Left Behind. BUT LOOK AT WHAT HE GAINED.
A. Then there was the Synagogue Leader whose daughter was dying. He was just the opposite of Matthew. He had all the respect of the community. He was a Synagogue Leader. He was somebody. He did have real friends and real power. His was a position to be envied. Words like: Successful. Insider. Elite. Upper Crust. Leader. Powerful. were used to describe him.
He may have been one of the Caring, Loving Leaders of the Synagogue. Not all of them were self-centered. He may have been one of the Kind, Committed and Dedicated Synagogue Leaders. We know he was curious about Jesus. He must have heard Jesus preach or seen what Jesus could do. If nothing else, the Leader of the Synagogue had heard about Jesus.
Speaking to Jesus, asking Jesus for help was just as hard for the Synagogue Leader as it was for Matthew. And he had just as much to lose only on a different level.
He found that he could no longer dit on the fence of indecision. He could no longer stand on the sidelines and not get involved. He could no longer keep silent. Today there was a crisis in his life. His daughter was dying.
He was suddenly found out what was truly precious in his life. It wasn't prestige. It wasn't power or position. It wasn't standing in the community or within the Synagogue. It wasn't the robes and the rings of office. It wasn't pride. The most precious thing in his life was his daughter and she was dying.
B. The evangelist, Luis Palau, met Maria Benitez-Perez. Maria had made an appointment under false pretenses. She claimed that she wanted to interview for a job. But as soon as she entered his office, Maria made her intent clear.
She was the secretary to the Communist Party in Ecuador. She denounced everything having to do with God or with Jesus Christ. Her bitterness overwhelmed Palau. But he listened respectfully and replied gently to everything Maria said.
Soon, Maria was telling him her life story. It was a tale of pain and suffering and sin. And she ended it all with one question, "Supposing there is a God. Would He accept a woman like me?"
Palau didn't hesitate. He turned to Hebrews 10:17 and read, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."
Maria tried to explain once again all the sins she had recently committed. Palau countered with Hebrews 10:17, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."
Seventeen times Maria tried to explain why she was unworthy to receive forgiveness. Seventeen times. Luis Palau repeated the words: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."
And finally, Maria Benitiz-Perez bowed her head and prayed to receive Christ. (3)
Just like in the life of Maria Benitiz-Perez, there comes a point when we all have to decide about Jesus. Either He is or He isn't what He says He is. He either does or doesn't do what He claims He claims He can do. If He IS and DOES, then what's the hold up. Why are you still doubting? And if He isn't and doesn't, then why are you still listening?
That's what confronted the Synagogue Leader that day. He had to make a decision. A decision that would cost him. Look What He Left Behind. BUT LOOK AT WHAT HE GAINED.
A. Finally there's the Woman with the Hemorrhage. All though she shares some of the same treatment as Matthew, there are a different set of words to describe her than the other two. Yes, she was an Outcast. But she probably could have lived with that, just like Matthew, had her circumstances been different.
But the words that describe her went deeper than just Outcast. She was Unclean. Untouchable. Damaged Goods. She was a Woman who wouldn't and couldn't heal. For twelve years, she been to every doctor and every quack imaginable and no treatment had helped.
She was lonely and cut-off. According to strict religious law, no man could touch her. For twelve years she and her husband couldn't touch. Maybe because of that, he had left. If nothing else, they were both under the heavy burden of her illness.
For her it was sort of a last ditch effort. "If I only touch the hem of his coat, I'll be made well."
But she did it at great risk. What if she got caught and even Jesus rejected her. She wasn't sure she could handle one more rejection. And if it didn't work, then there was really no hope left at all.
B. Joe Garagiola tells the story of catching a young pitcher one day when Stan Musial came to the plate. Joe signaled for a fast ball, and the young pitcher shook it off. Joe signaled for a curve, but again the pitcher shook it off. Joe called for a slider, and the pitcher shook it off.
Having gone through all the pitches this young man could throw, Joe Garagiola called time out and approached the mound. "I've called for every pitch in the book," Joe said. "What in the world do you want to throw?"
With his voice quivering, the young pitcher said, "Nothing, Joe. I just want to hold onto the ball as long as I can!" (4)
Sometimes doing "anything" is more frightening than doing "nothing." The Woman with the Hemorrhage could have done nothing. Her disease was something she knew. She knew how people would react. She knew how they would treat her. And changing all of that could be a scary proposition for some. But she chose to do something about it.
Look What She Left Behind. BUT LOOK AT WHAT SHE GAINED.
This is a real-life story from New England. A 16- year old boy was arrested for stealing a car. He was a previous offender. He was very rebellious, outwardly very hard. All attempts to get through to him and to counsel him had failed.
In the trial, the prosecuting attorney was harsh and judgmental, attempting to break the boy down, pointing out to the jury and others that he was incorrigible, that he had caused trouble before, that he should be put behind bars to protect society.
The judge, also in a harsh spirit, continued trying to break this boy down. When he had finished, the boy startled everyone in the courtroom by saying to the judge, "I'm not afraid of you."
There was a man in the courtroom named Mr. Weston who runs a farm for delinquent boys. The judge turned to him and said, "Mr. Weston, I feel that this boy is hopeless and that there's no need sending him to your farm. We'll have to send him to jail."
Mr. Weston got up and said, "Your Honor, I don't feel the boy is hopeless at all. I feel that beneath that rough, bluff exterior he is very frightened and confused. I happen to know that he has never had a father's love and has never had a chance to make anything of himself. I would like to give him that chance."
The only sound in the courtroom was the sound of this boy breaking down and crying. As it turned out, that moment, that statement at that particular time in the boy's life was the turning point toward his rehabilitation. A full half-hour of the judge's harsh, judgmental condemnation had only driven him deeper into himself and into his rebellion. One statement, nonjudgmental and compassionate, had released within that boy the power of reconciliation, healing and hope. (5)
Look What He Left Behind. BUT LOOK AT WHAT HE GAINED.
Look What They All Left Behind. BUT LOOK AT WHAT THEY ALL GAINED.
Matthew had to leave behind his wealth but also some of the more negatives names. But he gained his self respect, new life and even a new vocation.
The Synagogue Leader, had to leave his pride and position behind. But he gained his daughter's life.
And the Woman with the Hemorrhage had to leave behind the comfort of the sameness and her loneliness. But she gained wholeness and new life.
When John D. Rockefeller died, one man was curious about how much he left behind. Determined to find out, he set up an appointment with one of Rockefeller's highest aides and asked, "How much did Rockefeller leave behind?"
The aide answered, "All of it." (6)
Jesus is reaching out to you just as sure as he was reaching out to all three of these people.
What is it that you need to leave behind? What burden do you need to lay down? What is it that's breaking your heart. What area of your life is filled with pain?
You can leave "all of it" behind. You can leave it at the foot of the cross. BUT LOOK AT WHAT YOU WILL GAIN.
I'd even bet that you'll be "Glad he's done, too."
1. Ray Owen's Clean Joke A Day mailing list, adapted.
2. Stockman, Steve. "The command and the promise about our youth." Rhythms of Redemption. stocki.ni.org/caress/com-mand.phtml.
3. Luis Palau, Answers to Life's Most Perplexing Problems (Sisters, OR: Multonomah Books, 1998), pp. 29-31.
4. www.sermonmall.com
5. Sunday Sermons CD-ROM Collection, (Voicings Publications, Ventnor. NJ.,1997-2001) www.voicings.com
6. The Autoillustrator, (Greeley, CO, 1993) 970.330.1925 (Autoill@AOL.com)
www.SermonWriter.com (Copyright, Richard Niell Donovan, 2000)
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