The Kingdom That Would Have Us as a Member

Groucho Marx was the star of dozens of films, author of multiple books, and host of You Bet Your Life. One of his immortal lines remembered today came from a telegram, however, not a comedy act. In the telegram sending his resignation from the Friar’s Club, Groucho said: “I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members.”

As depicted in Matthew’s Gospel, the Pharisees who confronted Jesus seemed to harbor the opposite sentiment: They didn’t want to be part of a kingdom that would accept others as members. When Jesus called a tax collector, Matthew, to follow Him (v. 9), Matthew immediately responded. Soon he and Jesus went to Matthew’s house, joining a dinner whose guests included other tax collectors and sinners.

This situation scandalized the Pharisees, who questioned His disciples: “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (v. 11). Jesus detected the antagonism within the question, which presumed such associations made Him a sinner. He responded by pointing out that it is just such people who require the kind of healing and forgiveness that He had brought into the world. After all, people who are sick need a doctor most.

We might also recognize that the Pharisees’ self-confidence is misplaced. It is not just “tax collectors and sinners” who needed the healing and forgiveness Jesus brings—the Pharisees did, too. After all, John the Baptist had already noted that they did not “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (3:8). And as Jesus’ own conflict with them ultimately reached its climax, He condemned them because they “do not practice what they preach” (23:3). No one is perfectly righteous. But Jesus promises that we can be healed.

Pray with Us

Today is the last day of classes. Celebrate in prayer today with our Educational Ministries faculty—Dennis Fledderjohann, Peter Worrall, Timothy Downey, and Mary Hendrickson—another completed semester and enriching time of teaching and learning.