Suppose immediately after the mass if you go out and see me or one of the priests every day in the pub next door enjoying with a group of men and women; what will be your immediate reaction? I am sure you will not be pleased with it. You will say to one another “What happened to this man? Why is he behaving like this?” Doesn't he know how to behave properly as a priest?
Now, Why you do think you react like this? It is because you as the members of the church expect a certain type of an acceptable behaviour from your priest and if that expectations are not met you are upset with it. Often these expectations are born out of conventional wisdom. There is an age old saying “Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.” This means if you are seen always with the bad companions you are considered to be bad and if your seen in the good company you are considered as good person. And as a priest you expect me or some one to be in good company. If we are not, you will grumble, complain and stop associating with us. Is it not?
This is exactly what is happening in today’s gospel. By the time Jesus came to call Mathew he was already a well known Rabbi (teacher). He was being called into the Synagogues and was being asked to read and explain the scriptures and when he explained they were struck with wonder because he spoke with authority. Now like you and me they were also expecting a certain type of acceptable behaviour from their Rabbi, especially in public life. He was expected to be seen always in good company and denounce the company of sinners. After all he is teaching religion. But that is not what is happening here. Jesus is making friendship with a sinner and enjoying a party with a group of sinners. Conventional wisdom does not accept this. Hence this reaction from the Pharisees and elders. They mumble and grumble.
I read a few pages from a book written by Elizabeth-Anne Stewart. The title of the book is “Jesus, the Holy Fool”. She writes “Jesus, as the powerful messiah is expected to possess common sense, an intuitive grasp of another’s worth; I. e: what their life is and what will happen if he associates with them. He must know the age old wisdom-saying “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch”. But he rather than surrounding himself with people of good repute who would enhance his own social standing, is doing the opposite; it was as though he is going out of his way to look ridiculous.
And she writes, “Jesus invited into companionship: Peter the coward, Thomas the doubter, James and John the social-climbers, and Judas the betrayer- these very ordinary, flawed human beings, these parasites and simpletons, were the friends to whom he entrusted himself and his message. Adding to these he is inviting and dining with sinners.
By the world’s standards Jesus was setting himself up for failure and disgrace. Jesus the Holy fool surrounded himself with lesser fools- with sinners and prostitutes, as his enemies, the Pharisees would observe and comment. Their worldly wisdom does not accept this. Hence this reaction from them.
Perhaps, what they fail to understand here is that “God’s foolishness is better than the best of man’s wisdom.” That is what the author goes on to say. She says “Perhaps when all is said and done, only the Holiest of Fools can look beyond the imperfections and see what is in another’s heart. Perhaps when all is said and done, only one who is complete in himself can generously reach out to raise the weak and infirm beyond their own pathetic limits.”
Yes! dear friends, Jesus’ acts and words may sometimes look foolish to conventional wisdom. But Jesus’ wisdom is not the wisdom of the world. He is the wisdom of God. God's ways are not our ways. And God’s folly is better than man’s wisdom. By associating with sinners first of all he showed ‘how far human heart must stretch in acceptance and forgiveness.’ You can win a person by love not by hatred. And by his table fellowship with sinners he showed that they too have a place in God’s coming reign.
Secondly, by associating with those with disabilities and diseases and sins he showed how infinitely ‘touchable’ each person is regardless of social taboos. Each and every person is touchable, loveable. Let us not tag or reject any one person or section of the society as outcastes. All are God’s children and therefore all are loveable. This is what Jesus did. And this is what we are asked to do. Amen.
This is exactly what is happening in today’s gospel. By the time Jesus came to call Mathew he was already a well known Rabbi (teacher). He was being called into the Synagogues and was being asked to read and explain the scriptures and when he explained they were struck with wonder because he spoke with authority. Now like you and me they were also expecting a certain type of acceptable behaviour from their Rabbi, especially in public life. He was expected to be seen always in good company and denounce the company of sinners. After all he is teaching religion. But that is not what is happening here. Jesus is making friendship with a sinner and enjoying a party with a group of sinners. Conventional wisdom does not accept this. Hence this reaction from the Pharisees and elders. They mumble and grumble.
I read a few pages from a book written by Elizabeth-Anne Stewart. The title of the book is “Jesus, the Holy Fool”. She writes “Jesus, as the powerful messiah is expected to possess common sense, an intuitive grasp of another’s worth; I. e: what their life is and what will happen if he associates with them. He must know the age old wisdom-saying “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch”. But he rather than surrounding himself with people of good repute who would enhance his own social standing, is doing the opposite; it was as though he is going out of his way to look ridiculous.
And she writes, “Jesus invited into companionship: Peter the coward, Thomas the doubter, James and John the social-climbers, and Judas the betrayer- these very ordinary, flawed human beings, these parasites and simpletons, were the friends to whom he entrusted himself and his message. Adding to these he is inviting and dining with sinners.
By the world’s standards Jesus was setting himself up for failure and disgrace. Jesus the Holy fool surrounded himself with lesser fools- with sinners and prostitutes, as his enemies, the Pharisees would observe and comment. Their worldly wisdom does not accept this. Hence this reaction from them.
Perhaps, what they fail to understand here is that “God’s foolishness is better than the best of man’s wisdom.” That is what the author goes on to say. She says “Perhaps when all is said and done, only the Holiest of Fools can look beyond the imperfections and see what is in another’s heart. Perhaps when all is said and done, only one who is complete in himself can generously reach out to raise the weak and infirm beyond their own pathetic limits.”
Yes! dear friends, Jesus’ acts and words may sometimes look foolish to conventional wisdom. But Jesus’ wisdom is not the wisdom of the world. He is the wisdom of God. God's ways are not our ways. And God’s folly is better than man’s wisdom. By associating with sinners first of all he showed ‘how far human heart must stretch in acceptance and forgiveness.’ You can win a person by love not by hatred. And by his table fellowship with sinners he showed that they too have a place in God’s coming reign.
Secondly, by associating with those with disabilities and diseases and sins he showed how infinitely ‘touchable’ each person is regardless of social taboos. Each and every person is touchable, loveable. Let us not tag or reject any one person or section of the society as outcastes. All are God’s children and therefore all are loveable. This is what Jesus did. And this is what we are asked to do. Amen.
