Filling a Need

Remember how special you felt when the teacher would call on you for the answer?

Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." - Matthew 9:13

In business, we learn that we should seek to hire the most qualified candidate for the job.  The one we choose should not only be able to do the work we need done, but should get along well with the team.  He or she should fit in.

But in today's Gospel, Jesus calls one who might be considered least likely to fit the mold, someone who breaks or bends the rules to his benefit.

Now there could be some real value in having someone like that on your team, but Jesus wasn't looking to use the skills Matthew brought to the table, at least not in the way Matthew had used them.  He called him to be an example of salvation.

We don't hire people to save them.  We hire them to help us achieve our goals.

So, all those who need work to help them out of poverty or despair need to have something valuable to offer in order to be hired, in order to become a member of the team.

Modifying the job to fit the needs of those who need it most is not the model we follow.

But that is what Jesus did.  It is how God works. 

What we are called to do is become a part of the body, a member of the team, offering what we can, not as a sacrifice, but as a service, a contribution for all.

When Jesus called the sinners, he told them there was a place for them as well at God's table.  Whose they were was as important, if not more, than who they were or what they were.

So, what about us?

Many times in my career opportunities came along that I didn't expect, and I managed to get jobs I knew I was not the most qualified to hold.  And once I had the job, I discovered how many skills I had that I could bring to the table.

The need I was able to fill was a need I had to add value.

That, I think, is the lesson here.  We all need to be of value to each other, and in doing so, to God.

So, we are called, not because we are specially talented or skilled, but because we need the work.

Now, how do we go about calling others?

More to come...