Answer..?

This post is for Erin's question about "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" in Matthew 9:13. For some reason, I couldn't comment on your post, Erin, so I'm putting my answer here! Okay, so i dont know if this is 100 percent correct, or correct at all, and I can't take the credit for it either. I checked out some websites with commentary and stuff, and this is basically what I have in regard to your question...

First off, if you want a cross reference, Hosea 6:6 is a great one. "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings." That verse already begins to clear things up. I think basically what Matthew 9:13 is saying is that mercy is preferred to sacrifice. Check out this quote from a website I came across: "I am more pleased with acts of benevolence and kindness than with a mere external compliance with the duties of religion." So God prefers us to act the way he calls us to, in love, rather than simply "follow the rules" of religion. In this case, not sacrificing because you know you're supposed to, but instead being charitable toward the oppressed or something. Is this making sense? Or for another example, when we were little, I'm pretty sure most of us went to church just because. Maybe because our parents did or maybe we actually enjoyed it, but either way we knew we were supposed to go. so maybe it's saying that God would rather us go out into the world and follow in his footsteps than be a "good Christian" and go to church every Sunday because we have to. it kinda seems like the motive behind actions to me. but like i said, this could be totally wrong, so keep searching...

thanks for posting!

Alexa