Eucharistic meditation, First Sunday After Easter

Matthew 11:19: The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners.

Jesus’ teaching in this chapter is all about timing. He is the Coming One; the time of fulfillment has come, and the evidence is that He heals and teaches to the poor. John’s ministry divides the times in two.

The time has come for Israel, but Jesus also says that Israel doesn’t know the time of her visitation. This whole chapter is about timing, and about how Israel doesn’t know what time it is. She isn’t in tune with the times.

The distinction between John’s time and Jesus’ is a musical one. John came with a dirge, singing a song of mourning over Israel, announcing Israel’s doom, calling Israel to repentance. That was the time for her to begin mourning as well, but Israel refused to join in the dirge. Instead, as they did with Jeremiah, they arrested John and put him in prison.

Jesus comes with a different music. He comes with a song of gladness, a song of festivity, a wedding song, but Israel is still deaf. Israel did not join in John’s dirge, and she doesn’t join in with Jesus’ song of victory and joy.

For the Jews, the offensive thing was that Jesus associated with all the wrong kinds of people. Instead of joining in Jesus’ song, and dancing with His tune, Israel grumpily accuses Jesus of being too generous. He eats with tax-gatherers and shares a table with sinners. Jesus is tolerable, perhaps; but He sings His song surrounded by all the wrong people. Can’t he find a people of better quality for choir? Israel is offended, as she always is, with the wideness of God’s mercy. Israel doesn’t join in because she doesn’t like the composition of the choir.

The question is, Do we have ears to hear? Can we hear the tune that Jesus plays? Are we like the Jews who don’t hear the tune of mourning when we are called to confess and repent of our sins? Are we like the Jews who don’t want to join in with Jesus’ song of joy? Are we also offended that Jesus when Jesus chooses to surround Himself with all sorts of lowlifes and sinners?

If we want to dance to the tune of Jesus, we need to recognize that the tax-gatherers and sinners belong here with Jesus at this table. If we want to dance to the tune of Jesus, we need to accept Jesus here at this table, by accepting one another.