Tax Collectors and Sinners

The Gospel of the Kingdom - Message 63 - Tax Collectors and Sinners - Matthew 9:1-13. This final miracle in the second group of 3 in Matthew 8-9 finds Jesus healing a paralytic and an even greater work – forgiving his sins! The self-righteous Pharisees react and accuse Jesus of blasphemy, claiming that only God can forgive sins. And they are right! Yet they refuse to confess that Jesus is God and then try to find reasons to further accuse Him of scandal as He goes on the eat with sinners. In these accounts Jesus is teaching us about the importance of compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. He values these things more than sacrifice.