Preffering empty sacrifice
TO MERCY
Among the Jews, tax collectors were a
despised group. They were Jews themselves, but they acted on behalf of the
occupying Roman government. As such they were considered traitors. They
received no pay from the Romans. They made their living by overcharging their
fellow countrymen; what was over and above the required tax they were allowed
to keep for themselves. For that they were considered thieves. As traitors and
thieves, they were treated with hatred and contempt, but not by Jesus.
In a way one cannot blame the Pharisees
for objecting to Jesus eating with tax collectors. After all, Amos the prophet
did condemn those Israelites who had cheated at business deals and taken
advantage of the poor. What the Pharisees failed to understand was that Amos meant
his words of condemnation as an admonition, which would lead to repentance. He
was like a doctor who warns a patient that his way of living is so injurious to
his health that if it continues it will prove fatal.