02/12/2022 - THE MISSING LESSON

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But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9.13

As we know, Jesus ministered in at least three ways – teaching, preaching, and working wonders in the power of God. We cannot accept the statement that “times have changed” and that people need to obtain teaching that surpasses the human, in a natural way, by reason. That was tried, in the middle of the 2nd century, and it came to nothing. This was the mistake of those days: the leaders were impressed by the apologists of the Roman Empire and decided to prepare themselves intellectually to face them.

Often the Pharisees read the Old Testament and therefore thought they were the best servants, but they were not. Paul stated that the letter kills:  Paul asserted that the letter kills: He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3.6) According to the Bible, the Christians are ministered by the New Testament and, in the baptism in the Holy Spirit they are anointed to do the same works of Christ ( John 14.12). 

Jesus had them investigate the cause of humanity’s suffering and find out how to heal it from the scourges that attack it today. He said that he did not want sacrifices, but mercy. I understand mercy as an extreme kindness, in which God sees people who are in crime, prostitution, with terminal illnesses or other misfortunes, and offers to heal them. Man can count on the Lord, for He wants to bring good to His creation.

The therapy used by science to alleviate the suffering of the sick cannot be used by the church, because the church has something better to offer: repentance and new birth, symbolized by baptism (Acts 2.37-39). We need to understand how to lead people to use these two blessings; otherwise, they would have no need to exist. Jesus taught us to consecrate ourselves to God, to minister about His love, faith in Him, and obedience to the Scriptures. That makes the difference!

The Lord calls sinners to repentance (Luke 5.32), to a complete change of life. The saved do not need to teach what science says, because it already does it’s job well, but they must do the same works done by Jesus. The Savior is our example. The world expects more from us, especially that we are not religious, because this is what people are, and this does not alleviate anyone’s anguish.

Jesus’ message is the remedy to get man out of the abyss where he finds himself. So, let us study divine precepts, without inventing others. Whoever adds or subtracts anything from the Word will perish (Revelation 22:18,19). We must be merciful to all. In this way, we will be imitators of Christ!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares