AtomOutsiders? Come on In!
Matthew 9:9-13,18-26
You know we just finished Bible School week here at First Lutheran. It was an amazing week…lots of energy, lots of music, lots of fun, and lots of evidence of the Holy Spirit at work. And one of the clearest evidences of that Holy Spirit at work was seeing folks come from the outside of our congregation – friends and neighbors and grandchildren, and their parents – who came not sure where the Sunday School rooms were in the building, let alone the bathrooms, who came feeling like they were outsiders and wondering if they fit in and by the end of the week seeing them coming and going like “regulars” – part of the family. If you have ever been on the “outside looking in,” wondering where you fit and if you fit – you know what I mean. There may even be some of you here today that feel that way.
If so, you will no doubt connect with some of the folks in our Bible reading from Matthew, folks who also found themselves on the outside looking in. Imagine with me, if you will, Matthew, the “tax collector” at his little booth just up from the shores of the Sea of Galilee. From behind the table, he can see Jesus and a group of his followers making their way up from the beach front. The are smiling and laughing, and obviously enjoying one another’s company. And Matthew’s heart sinks. How he would like to be a part of such community, to be included among the followers of Jesus. He has listened in from time to time and been deeply impressed but what he has heard, but he knows in his heart of hearts that he can never belong. He is an outsider and will always be an outsider because of a decision he made early in life.
You see, Matthew was yet a young man when he answered the call to be a tax-collector. “Customs Officers” is what the government recruiter called it. He was a “younger son” in his family and when you are the younger, you know early on that you will not find a place in the family business. The oldest has that honor. So he went looking…and when the officials from the emperor came looking for tax collectors, it seemed like a good way to support a family. And indeed it was…it was more than good. Matthew soon discovered that tax collectors had opportunity to become among the wealthiest folks in town. They were licensed to not only collect taxes on all goods carried through or produced in the country, for the sake of maintaining the roadways and the occupation forces, but they were also authorized to rake off the top for themselves. Now Matthew didn’t rake off as much as his brothers in the trade, but he took enough to live better than most.
What Matthew hadn’t counted on was the deep resentment of his neighbors and how they would hate him for what he represented. To them he was a traitor who took from his own to support the enemy and to line his own pockets. He and his family were ostracized by the community. They were not welcome in the schools or public gatherings, or even at the synagogue where God’s people gathered for worship. And deep within, Matthew believed that maybe they were right. He had so wronged and betrayed his neighbors that there was no longer a place for him among God’s people. He would always be an outsider.
I have met people like Matthew – people who believe that the decisions that they have made in life, the wrongs they have done others, will always exclude them from God’s grace. Perhaps it was the hard way that they lived when they were younger. Perhaps it was the way that they took advantage of people in business, even if allowed by the law. They had done wrong and knew it and the people knew it and they would forever be on the outside. Or they were like a young woman I once knew who got pregnant when she was very young and not married. She knew she was not ready to care for a baby and wasn’t sure she could go through the pregnancy. So she opted for an abortion. It was allowed by law. Her friends sort of shrugged when she told them. No big deal. But she hadn’t counted on how big a deal it was and how she never forgot it and how deep inside she believed she had done a wrong that God could never forgive. She would always be on the outside looking in, like Matthew.
And then there is another outsider in the story…the woman with the issue of blood…another on the outside looking in, but due to no decision of her own. Life decided for her. Some twelve years before, when her menstrual cycle began it wouldn’t stop. And ever since she had been losing blood and no one seemed to be able to help her. Even her prayers had not removed her trouble. But worse, she found herself cast out by her community.
Her people were very frightened by blood – the “stuff of life.” Anyone losing it must surely be cursed and should be avoided. Ancient peoples routinely separated women from the community during their cycle…but this was something worse…and they wanted to make sure that they wouldn’t catch it from her. She was no longer welcome where “whole” people gathered…she was forced to stay to herself, even avoiding folks on the road. Parents would steer their children across the road to avoid her. For twelve years she had been on the outside, looking in, hungering to be touched and held, and loved.
There are those who gather with us who know what that is about. Something has happened in life to change them. It wasn’t their choice. It just happened. Perhaps it was a change in their body…or a change in a significant relationship and it has left them less than whole…and now people are not quite sure how to deal with them, or if they want to come near, because of some innate fear that they might “catch” what this person has.
My former colleague’s grandson is a lovely young boy – 10 year’s old now – but not like other little boys. Because of his premature birth, his legs didn’t develop quite like other little boys…he didn’t learn to walk until he was two years old, and even today, his steps are not smooth like others. He also has a problem with his eyesight and though he has had repeated surgeries, he still can’t quite look you in the eye. And then there is his speech. He has trouble getting the thoughts from “up here” (head) to come out “down here” (mouth).
He is not quite like other little boys and so other children sometimes stay away…and I have this fear for him that he will grow up as one of those young people who never quite feels as if he belongs. To be sure his family is working very hard so this will not happen, but you know what I mean…and some of you have been there with your own families…always on the outside, looking in.
And finally, there is this “leader of the synagogue,” one who usually would have been on the inside – a recognized leader of the community and of its worship – but who on this day also found himself on the outside standing in the doorway of Matthew’s house looking in. Those gathered were eating and drinking and telling stories and slapping one another on the back. And he wondered if he would ever again know the inside of such happiness. At this moment his heart was breaking. His little girl – the love of his life – had died that very morning and somehow he had stumbled his way through the city streets to this house, a place he would have never come to before today. Matthew was a tax collector, after all, and his house was off-limits to the faithful. But on this day he had heard that the Healer was here and he had come…hoping.
There are those of you here who also know what that is about. You have suffered a deep loss; you have lost the love of your life and you wonder if you will ever be on the inside of joy again. My Dad has been feeling some of that these weeks. The resort is up and running again…but it is not quite the same without my Mom. People get together to eat and laugh. His neighbors gather at church and he goes. But it is not the same. He is surviving, but when he tells me about the quiet and emptiness in the house after 53 years of marriage I here him asking, “Will I ever be on the inside of happiness again?”
Now, I don’t know where you find yourself this morning – perhaps in any of these stories, maybe in none of them. But if you do have a sense of being on the outside looking in, then Jesus has a word for you here. It is the same word he spoke to Matthew as he made his way past his tax booth that morning. He looked deeply into Matthew’s eyes and into his heart and said, “I want you. Come and follow me!”
It is the same word Jesus spoke to the woman who came seeking a healing touch. When Jesus sensed her touch, he turned and sought her out and said, “Daughter…” Did you hear that? “Daughter…” That is an insider word. It is a name that says you belong, that you are a part of this family, a part of this community. “Daughter, your faith has made you whole.” And whole is more than healing of the body. It is healing of the spirit. It is once again being embraced and restored to the community. It’s about being brought in from the outside.
It is the same word Jesus spoke when he came to the home of the leader of the synagogue. He chased the mourners away, saying to them, “She is not dead, but only sleeping.” And then he took her by the hand and raised her to life. We would long for such a resurrection, wouldn’t we? It rarely happens in such a way and yet each time we say goodbye to a loved one, each time death claims them, Jesus says to us, “They are not dead, but only sleeping, and I will…I have raised them to life. Trust me. Let your joy be made new. Come back in to life!”
If you have been on the outside looking in, these words of Jesus are for you!
For those of us at Bible School this week, we have mostly been learning words for people on the inside – who know Jesus. Young people, this week we learned that “Jesus gives us the power to be thankful.” (Aha!) We learned that “Jesus gives us the power to be brave.” (Aha!). We learned that “Jesus gives us the power to live forever.” (Aha!) These are words for believers. And…we learned that “Jesus gives us the power to help others.” (Aha!) And that Jesus gives us the power to tell others about God.” (Aha!) These words remind us that the task of those on the inside – who know Jesus – is to invite others to join us, to let the power of Jesus show through us. It’s like the little story I once heard about the little girl who came home from worship and said, “Mommy, I’m confused about what Pastor said today.” “Oh,” said her mother. “Why?” “Well, he said God is way bigger than us. Is that true?” “Yes.” “And he said that God lives inside of us. Is that true, too?” “Well, yes.” “Well, if God is bigger than us and lives inside of us, won’t God show through?”
Indeed. God wants all to know that there is no one who needs live outside the circle of God’s love and promise! There is room inside for everyone. Let’s pray…
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