What is your favorite book of the Bible? What is your favorite Bible verse? If we asked Jesus this question, he might well answer that Hosea is his favorite book of the Bible and Hosea 6:6 is his favorite passage: “For I desire goodness, not sacrifice; Obedience to God, rather than burnt offerings.” Jesus not only quotes this passage in today’s Gospel but also later in this same Gospel (Matthew 12:7).
In this latter passage some Pharisees are complaining that Jesus’ disciples are doing something unlawful by plucking grain on the Sabbath. Jesus defends his disciples’ action on the grounds of their hunger. Jesus goes on to explain that God desires mercy and compassion instead of quick and harsh judgement. He then quotes the prophet Hosea to declare his disciples innocent: “If you knew what this meant, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned these innocent men.”(Matthew 12:7).
In today’s Gospel passage some Pharisees object to Jesus’ eating with tax collectors and sinners such as Matthew the tax collector. Jesus justifies his actions by first citing a proverb: “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.” Then he challenges these Pharisees to read and reflect on the words of Hosea: “Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” Sacrifice was an important part of Jewish worship and its cult. One way that Jews show their love for God is through pray and sacrifice. Hosea teaches that love of God expressed through sacrifice must always be cojoined to mercy, love of neighbor. Jesus made this teaching of Hosea his own when he was asked which is the most important commandment:
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40).
Jesus invites us today to reflect on the words of Hosea. Both Hosea and Jesus teach that prayer and deeds of mercy go together because God desires mercy and not sacrifice.
Image: “Take and Eat” by Lawrence OP is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.