06/03/2026
Wednesday's Word: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-36
"Seen & Called"
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is often pressured to avoid certain people and places, but in our Gospel this week, Jesus blurs the lines by crossing the boundaries others want him to hold. Jesus sees Matthew sitting at the tax booth, with a reputation for cheating and manipulation. Yet Jesus sees his humanity and potential and calls him to follow him offering relationship before judgment and invitation before exclusion. This act catches the attention of those who feel they have the corner market on righteousness and they ask, “Why does your teacher eat with such people?” It is a question communities still wrestle with: Who belongs at the table? Who is worthy of love, dignity, and welcome? Jesus’ answer is clear: God’s heart is mercy.
The second half of our Gospel reading finds Jesus once again expanding the circle as he heals a woman who has been isolated and unseen for years because of her hemorrhagic condition. However, rather than shaming her, he turns toward her, calling her "daughter" and restoring not just her body, but her belonging. We see this happen again as Jesus heals a little girl and restores her to her grieving family.
During Pride Month, many LGBTQ+ people and their loved ones reflect on journeys of longing to be seen, accepted, and embraced. Some carry wounds from places where they were told they did not belong and others continue to feel out of place, awkward, and rejected. However, our Gospel this week reminds us that Jesus notices those others overlook. Jesus touches lives others avoid. Jesus makes room where others exclude.
Not just during Pride Month, but every day, we are invited to remember the sacred worth of every person, created in God’s image.To practice the mercy Jesus speaks about—not just as an idea, but as a way of living. This looks like listening, compassion, and making room at the table. Mercy invites us to remember that we are more than our labels, we are made in the image of God and beloved - seen and called to follow!
