Preached by Michael Cheuk
June 8, 2008, Fourth Sunday After Pentecost, Year A
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
My roommate from college and I are both doctors. I have a doctorate in religious studies, and he is a medical doctor. Though there’s a world of difference between being a minister and being a physician, we still share some things in common. First, when we’re at parties or meeting new people, many times, we hesitate to reveal our occupations. Here’s my situation: I can be having a great conversation with someone, laughing, and telling stories, and then out of the blue comes the question, “So what do you do for a living?” “I’m a Baptist minister,” I tell them, in the most casual and least-guilt-inducing way I can imagine – but it’s too late. Their faces blanche, their eyes get wide, they shift their beers to behind their backs, and say, “Well, uh, nice talking to you.” My former college roommate perhaps gets it even worse. When his new acquaintances find out that he’s a doctor, they often say, “An ear, nose, throat doctor, eh? I’ve got this growth on the back of my throat. Would you mind looking at it? People are always trying to get him to give free medical advice or sample medicines. I know, because I’ve tried to do that too when I visit him! The second thing we have in common is that, in our different callings, we are both interested in healing-I am interested in healing in the spiritual realm, and he in the physical realm.
In this morning’s Gospel lesson, we find Jesus involved in both spiritual and physical healing. In the previous chapters in Matthew, Jesus has been gaining fame and acclaim throughout Galilee for his healing ministry. He had just healed two demon-possessed men and a paralytic, and now, he invited a tax collector named Matthew to follow him as his disciple. In response, Matthew had Jesus over for a dinner party and invited a few of his friends. And what takes place is an interesting story filled with an interesting cast of characters. I’d like to spend a little time this morning highlighting these characters. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Michael 