January 16, 2016 Saturday, 1st Week in Ordinary Time 1st Reading: Heb 4:12-16 Gospel: Mk2:13–17
As Jesus walked along, he saw a tax collector sitting in his office. This was Levi, the son of Alpheus. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And Levi got up and followed him.And it so happened that while Jesus was eating in Levi’s house, tax collectors and sinners were sitting with him and his disciples for there were indeed many of them. But there were also teachers of the Law of the Pharisees’ party, among those who followed Jesus, and when they saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why! He eats with tax collectors and sinners!” Jesus heard them and answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE (Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Tax collectors in the time of Jesus remitted a fixed amount to the Roman government for the right to collect taxes within their Jewish districts. Since they were at liberty to collect any rate for as long as they remitted the fixed amount to Rome, extortion was rampant. People hated them for this and for the fact that they were loyal to the Romans instead of remaining loyal to their kind. The hatred was so intense that it extended to the whole household of every tax collector.
Despite this Jesus dined with Levi – the tax collector he recruited personally. House visits such as this sent to the Jewish society a message more ugly than the “birds- of- the- same- feather- flock- together” insinuation. In their culture, sharing a meal with someone also meant sharing his views and his values. They took Jesus’ presence at table with Levi as Jesus’ imprimatur of Levi’s corrupt profession as tax collector. Jesus turned the table against his critics when he said that only sick people would need a doctor. It was an indirect attack against their self-righteousness. Being self-righteous, repentance had no relevance to them. As such they would never understand the language of salvation. They would never understand that dealing with big time sinners like tax collectors required drastic measures that could offend norms and customs. That others are worse sinners than us is no license to claim righteousness. When we believe we are too good to repent, we pull ourselves out from God’s salvation list. What Jesus told self-righteous people in the Gospel according to Matthew is valid warning for all today. Jesus told them, “I tell all of you with certainty, tax collectors and prostitutes will get into God’s kingdom ahead of you (Matt. 21:31). —Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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