This week’s readings focus on the idea of following God’s law to remain in communion with Him…but also on the fact that Jesus/God loves us so much that He meets us wherever we are, loving us despite our sinfulness. What we are seeing between our Old Testament reading and the New Testament passages is a growth in understanding and relationship that came from Jesus’ incarnation. It is through Jesus’ words and actions that Christians came to understand that God’s love isn’t conditional. He demonstrates that, while we do have the ability to distance ourselves from God through our sinful choices, God’s love remains. God is waiting for us—reaching out to us with a forgiving and merciful heart.
To explain, our first reading (Exodus 19:2–6a) offers a glimpse of Israel as God’s chosen people. There, we hear God’s voice, ensuring, “Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people.” While we share in a covenantal, deeply formed, almost familial bond, the “if” of following God’s commands casts a very conditional light on our relationship with Him. This view, though, gets thrown out the window once Jesus comes on the scene. Jesus, for example, constantly reaches out to those on the margins and forgives sinners, forging communion with them. We see this in today’s Gospel (Matthew 9:36–10:8), where we read, “Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for [the people of Israel] because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” He asks His disciples to reach out to them, saying, “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” He calls them to a heart of love and service, especially to those who are struggling and feel lost, without depending on any level of “worthiness.” This love for all, regardless of status, sinfulness, or sanctity, is the hallmark of Jesus’ ministry and that of His followers. As a matter of fact, in Romans (5:6–11), St. Paul tells us that, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” What more could we ask for? God makes us worthy as we are formed in our mothers’ wombs. In a line (from “Lump,” a short film within Rob Bell’s NOOMA series, which I love), it is God saying, “There is nothing that you could ever do to make me love you less.” (Sorry for the spoiler!)
So, now it is our job, as Jesus’ disciples, to tell the world that it doesn’t matter what they’ve done or how long it’s been since they last attended church. They are welcome here. God loves them. That means we need to open our hearts to refrain from judgment and to forgive others, just as the “Our Father” prayer demands. In addition to that, though, is the reality that this profound message of God’s love and forgiveness is something that every corner of our wounded world needs right now. All believers are encouraged to ask themselves, “How can I spread the Word of God’s forgiveness?”
