Pentecost+2/Proper 5A (Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26)

​There must be something about Jesus that attracts so many people. Once you encounter him, it is hard to forget who he is and what he does. His warmth, non-judgmental openness, wisdom, deep concern, and care for others are all qualities that can be summed up as holiness. Holy people draw others to themselves, as though there is no barrier before them. They are always open, encouraging, intriguing, serene, and calm. It is not too difficult to imagine that those who want to change their lives would always follow and surround Jesus in the gospel stories.

However, not all appreciate his sacred presence. Those who think they are better than others and thus perfect do not need it. When they are already so much holier than others in their own right, why would they need someone like Jesus? They are even holier than Jesus in their self-perception. It is their freedom to believe however they think about themselves, but their actions do not attract anyone who wants to be holy like them. Their version of holiness is not that of Jesus. They are always closed, discouraging, black-and-white narrow-minded, judgmental, and anxiety-producing out of fear of breaking any religious laws. They are perfect archers who never miss the target. The so-called sinners, on the other hand, are unskilled archers who keep missing the mark. They are the ones who come to Jesus. They want to make a radical change in their lives. They desire a different identity other than how society or religion or the power that be defines who they should be.

In the gospel lesson this morning, we encounter poorly performing archers. You might wonder why I keep talking about archery. The Greek word ἁμαρτάνω (hamartano) is the root word for "sinner." Its literal meaning is to miss the target. So, instead of calling the folks Jesus hangs out with sinners, let's see them as imperfect, below-average, unskilled archers. This is where we can resonate with them. How often do we feel like missing the target or messing up or feeling incapable and inadequate on certain tasks? Perhaps we may pick the wrong arrow to shoot but never miss the target. Say, some may shoot an arrow of hostile behaviors and words and hit the bullseye. In this case, they may be skillful archers but unwise at picking up a godly arrow, if not Cupid's arrow!

Not only does Jesus share meals with unskilled archers. Here comes this woman suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years as well as this twelve-year-old girl who is reported dead. The woman according to Jewish halachic law is considered unclean or ritually impure. The girl's case (corpse uncleanness) is even worse. One becomes unclean and ritually impure by contacting either directly or indirectly a dead human body or even by entering a place where a dead body is located. These two characters are the archers who have not even been provided with arrows, to begin with. They are the archers who never got a chance to shoot an arrow.

To these various unskilled and unproven archers comes Jesus. He is an experienced coach for these archers. Those who delusionally believe they are good don't need a coach. "For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." Let's imagine the fundamentals Jesus would instruct his students. First, focus on the bullseye. For us, it is to concentrate on God's kingdom in us, not out there. This is the faith or conviction the woman suffering from hemorrhages persists with. Then we learn how to stand and hold an archer with an arrow to the anchor point, which requires patience and strength. Our anchor point before the release is our contemplative center. It is where all distractions are filtered away. Whatever is in our view of the bullseye is set aside. We listen to our breath and make it steady while focusing on the mark and pulling the arrow backward. This act of pulling it back to shoot eventually is like a process of having a long loving look at reactionary thoughts and feelings without acting on them. And when it comes to the release, we relax our fingers and let go of the string. We don't attach to anything but the love of God and neighbor and let go and let God.

We will of course miss our target. Yet, we learn from mistakes and try not to make the same mistakes. This is how we become more skillful in our actions. When we come to this stage, human customs and traditions which are the means to define who we are and how valuable, pure, and righteous we are do not matter. We are judged by how skillfully we hit the bullseye of God's Presence in us and others.

So, why don't you join Jesus' archery crew? He's not just good at fishing but also at archery to the point where he himself has become our bullseye.