The Lowest to Proclaim the Highest

There’s something deeply poetic about God’s continual use of the lowly and marginalized to proclaim His majesty and His Truth.

Let’s review; the ancient Hebrews were not exactly on par with mighty Egypt or Babylon, Assyria or Hatti, Greece or Rome, in terms of power and prestige among nations of the ancient world.

The father or their nation, Abraham? A decrepit old man.

Their mightiest prophet, Moses? A stutterer.

Even the line of Davidic kings was descended from shepherds, the outcasts and untouchables of the ancient near east.

But each of these were chosen to proclaim the Truth. God loves to use the lowly and marginalized to proclaim His majesty.

Indeed, the mother of Our Lord was no queen, but only a poor teenager. She submitted herself freely to God, and He has raised her now to be Queen of Heaven.

The first announcement of the birth of the Messiah? Shepherds again.

Christ’s herald, John the Baptist? A ragamuffin nomad who ate bugs. Bugs!

The first Gospel was written by today’s saint, Matthew, an apostle and evangelist whose words echo now throughout the ages. But when Jesus called him, he was practicing the most despised profession of his day: tax collector.

Now, as bad as modern tax collection is, it’s nothing compared to how the Romans did it. They figured out how much any given region should be worth in taxes, and then they hired locals to collect the required money any way they could.

Any extra, they could keep.

You can see how they might not be popular people. They were really little more than extortionists with the might of the Roman Legions at their back.

On the Social Desirability Scale, they ranked just below prostitutes.

But Jesus called Matthew, as we read in today’s Gospel:

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples.

The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

(Holy Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Chapter 9 verses 9-13)

And there it is. God desires mercy. Jesus here refers to the Prophet Hosea, who condemned the people because of their fecklessness of heart, even while they offered the sacrifices required by the Law.

In fact, this is a constant theme running through scripture (1 Sm 15:22; Am 5:22–24; Mi 6:6–8; Eccl 4:17).

Matthew himself revisits the idea later in his Gospel (Mt 12:7).

Obedience, not to the letter of the Law, but to the God of Justice and Mercy, is what is required.

And what better people to deliver that message than those who society sees as most in need of justice and mercy – the marginalized and the lowly.