9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”REFLECTIONSWritten by Chris BransdonI have a coffee friend at work. Every day at 10:00 am, rain or shine, we amble over to our favourite cafe. The excursion only takes about 15 minutes but a little every day makes for a meaningful friendship. One day, she told me that she could never step foot in a church because she is not holy enough. Do you have a friend or family member who thinks like that?In today’s passage Jesus encounters Matthew, a man who is not holy enough by anyone’s standards. Yet instead of condemning him, Jesus commands Matthew to follow him. Matthew doesn’t hesitate, but readily submits to Jesus’ authority. Matthew’s humble obedience is in stark contrast to the stubborn questioning of the religious leaders. They are holy in their own eyes and so they are critical of Jesus. If Jesus is a man of God, as he claims to be, then why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?Jesus knows the hearts of the Pharisees and he rebukes them in their self-righteousness. They believe that their knowledge of the law, their good works done in public, and their fancy titles will make them holy. These men don’t believe they need any help to come to God. But men like Matthew - men who have felt the shame of their sin and borne it like a disease which can’t be cured - they fall upon Jesus’ mercy. And that is why, Jesus says, I have come for them.By God’s grace I have been a Christian for a long time. Sometimes I am tempted to think that I am nearer to God than my neighbour because of my works. But decades in, I remain a sinner who must rely on Christ. My prayer is that my friend, who understands something of her unworthiness, would now respond to Christ’s call and take up a seat at his table. Who will you pray for this week?QUESTIONDo you ever feel like you need to become good before you can come to Jesus?ABOUT THE AUTHORChris is a member of our Fairfield morning congregation.