T
he winds were listless. It took a lot longer returning to Capharnaum than it did sailing to Gergasa. The previous day and night had been eventful and we were all tired. Most of us slept while others took at the tiller. Jesus slept, too. The sea was smooth as we approached the city and not surprisingly, we could see people standing on the shoreline, many of them waving. Word apparently traveled fast. Our little flotilla of boats was anticipated. The boats docked among cheers and applause. The welcome was warm and . . . well, welcome. On the fringes of the crowd however, I noticed Rabbi Asher and a few of his cohorts. Despite the celebrity, the day passed uneventfully, and we all rested as much as we could.
That evening Matthew held a great banquet for Jesus at his home. It was at times like this that we were all reminded of Matthew’s background. His home was well appointed in rich furnishings. We felt out of place. He had invited a large number of his friends — tax collectors and other persons of nefarious reputation — most of them government types and bureaucrats. Some of them brought their mistresses dressed in expensive silks and under which you could see shapely contours. The talk, the laughter, the wine all flowed freely. It was a fine party and a sumptuous meal. All were reclining at a large banquet table with Jesus. The Master seemed to be enjoying himself and having a good time. He was in an animated conversation with one of the guests when Asher entered the room.
The eminent Rabbi had been invited by Matthew as a courtesy, but God knows, he was not expected to attend. A Jewish Rabbi at a social event in the home of a tax-collector? So when he came through the door with his friends in ceremonial attire, the noise in the room subsided. Both of Asher’s friends were scribes. These scribes were not mere copyists of ancient texts as some think. These men were experts in Torah. They were lawyers, a political sect within the larger framework of the Pharisees. It was clear from the expression on all of their faces that they found the festivities repugnant and worldly. They took advantage of the interruption their presence had caused. Asher took the lead and pointedly asked, “Why do you eat and drink like this?” As if Jesus himself were actually caught in wrongdoing. “And why are you here — a so-called spiritual leader — cavorting with tax collectors and disreputable people?” This remark did not offend Matthew’s guests. They considered Asher and his crew something of a joke. To them he was a pompous ass. A nothing. Were it not for Jesus he would no doubt have been instantly thrown out for his trouble.
But Jesus had a response for Asher and his two scribal friends, “It is not the healthy and robust who need a physician, Asher, but the sick. To your mind no doubt, my friends here might fall into that last group. Fear not, my pious friend, I have not come to call you self-righteous prigs, but those who seek the need for change. So now, you can leave. You are not welcome here. And while you go and think upon this moment, think upon this also, ‘Mercy is what I desire, and not sacrifice.’ Someday the meaning of that may begin to dawn in your thick, prejudiced mind.”
As Asher left embarrassed and humiliated he muttered, “What he desires? Who does he think he is? King David?”
“God, Rabbi.” Spoke one of the scribes. “He thinks he is God. He quotes Hosea, not the psalmist.”
“Hosea?” exclaimed the Rabbi, knowing better than to challenge the scribe. “How so?”
“He applies Hosea’s prophecy against Ephraim and Judah to you — and clearly — to us.”
“I must examine the passage myself.” This was Asher’s way of saying that he was ignorant of the prophecy but it did not fool the scribe.
“You need not look it up, Rabbi. I will quote it for you.” Without waiting for Asher to reply, he continued . . .
“O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? Your goodness is as a morning cloud, like the early dew it goes away. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets. I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and thy judgments are as light that shines. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. But they like men have transgressed the covenant. They dealt treacherously against me. Gilead is the city of them that work iniquity and is tracked in footprints of blood.”
“And we shall see whose footprints they are!” fumed Asher.
