Description
Our lectionary readings this week give us the opportunity to explore Genesis 12:1-9 and Matthew 9:9-13; 18-26, through three different creative Bible engagement ideas and an interactive prayer idea. The faithfulness and goodness of God is at the fore of Genesis 12, where God chooses Abraham, calls him out of the familiar and into the unfamiliar, and accompanies him every step of the way. The richness of God’s elaborate promises are evident as God promises start with Abraham, but will eventually see their fulfilment throughout the whole world.
In our Matthew reading, we see Jesus completely turn social and religious norms and expectations upside down. First, in Matthew 9:9-13, Jesus calls a tax collector (of which a synonym at the time was ‘sinner’- they were seen as corrupt and dishonest) to follow Him, the last person the religious leaders at the time would have expected or endorsed. And then, in Matthew 9:18-26, Matthew makes a stark statement by starting to tell the story of a prominent, wealthy, upstanding, senior leader in society, and interrupts this story to tell the story of one of the lowest outcasts of society. Matthew wants us to know that Jesus gives his grace, healing, love and restoration equally; how society viewed these two individuals does not reflect Jesus’ deep love and compassion for them both.
