Hosea 5:15-6:6
June 7, 2026
Imagine discovering one day that your spouse has done something very hurtful, that completely shattered your trust. When you confront them, they don’t want to talk about it; but the next day they make breakfast for you and give you flowers at the kitchen table. Do you feel better? Imagine that same week you discover a small dent in your car after your teenager had driven it. You confront your teenage son or daughter about it, but instead of explaining what happened, they simply give you $100 and say, “There, are we good?” Does that make you feel good? Imagine by the end of the week you learn that a friend has said some things about you on social media that weren’t true. You are very disappointed, so you confront your friend about it. Unfortunately, your friend does not understand why you are upset and doesn’t think it is a big deal. But the next day your friend sends a receipt to you, indicating that a donation has been made to a charity in your name. Does that make you happy? In all three situations, the response of your spouse, your teenager, and your friend feels insincere, hollow, and entirely disconnected from the relationship you actually desire. You don’t want their gifts, their money, or their receipts. You want a restored relationship with them, you want some kind of apology or acknowledgement that what they did hurt you, and some indication of a changed heart.
In the verses leading up to our Old Testament lesson for today, God looked at the people of Israel and was very upset with their behavior. He loved them, He cared for them, He had a relationship with them, they were His chosen people, but they had become corrupt, ripping off their neighbors, acting selfishly, and ignoring God’s ways. As He looked at them He said through the prophet Hosea, “There is no faithfulness, no love, and no acknowledgement of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery.” Now on the outside they appeared to be good, religious people, who honored God as they observed religious festivals and brought sacrifices to the temple that were required in those days. But on the inside they were very different and this kind of charade did not fool God. So God said that He would hide himself from them until they admitted their guilt and sincerely sought to change their ways.
Now they tried to tell God, on the outside, that they were sorry and it definitely sounded good. After losing some military battles, they decided they needed to get God back on their side, so they said in verses 1-3 of our text, “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, but he will heal us; he has struck us down, but he will bind us up…he will revive us; he will raise us up, that we may live before him…he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” That’s what they wanted. When they talked to God they expected His response to be like the soft, soothing rain of a springtime shower. Instead, they got a storm. God said to them, “Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears;” meaning, “it doesn’t last long.” “Therefore, I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you.” Their understanding of God was seriously flawed. They treated him like a vending machine, just put your money in (just bring some sacrifices to the temple) and out will come forgiveness. They wanted God to act according to their expectations, but they were not willing to act according to His. They brought God their pocket change, but God was looking for a change of heart. He wanted more than just “lip service.” He said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
While it is true that God required many sacrifices from them, as part of God’s preparation for a Savior to come from them, the people missed the point of what they were doing. They came to see their religion as an obligation to be fulfilled rather than a relationship with God. They also did not see the connection between their worship life and the way they treated people the rest of the time.
But before we become too critical of them, it is important for us to examine our own lives to see if we’re guilty of doing the same thing. How many times do we just run through the words of the Apostles’ Creed or the Lord’s Prayer without really thinking about what we’re saying? Do we view worship on Sunday morning as something we have to do, as though we are checking a box on Sunday morning so God will be pleased with us and will let us into heaven or as something we get to do as a result of God’s mercy and love for us? Someone once said that “90% of life is just showing up.” But that is not the case as a follower of Jesus. We have not been called to just “show up” and go through the motions of worship. We have been called to show mercy and to participate in Jesus’ life.
I once heard a pastor say that as followers of Jesus we have been called “to dramatize the Gospel.” The word “drama” comes from a Greek word that means “to do.” So I guess you could say that the church needs more drama today, not less. And I love how we dramatize the Gospel each year in our Vacation Bible School that begins one week from tomorrow. Followers of Jesus lead lives of drama, because they “do” their faith, they participate from their heart.
The Old Testament prophet Hosea demonstrated this in his life. His wife had committed adultery and she left him. God’s Word would allow for divorce in such circumstances, for the marriage covenant had been broken. But God told Hosea to take her back and to love her, despite the fact that she had been unfaithful. So Hosea did just that, even though it cost him money to get her back, he did it. That is mercy and that’s the way God loves each of us.
In our Gospel lesson for today, Jesus calls a tax collector named Matthew to follow Him. Tax collectors in those days ripped people off by collecting far more in taxes than the government required and keeping large amounts for themselves. But Jesus did not insist that Matthew change his ways, he didn’t tell him to get his life in order first before he followed, he didn’t demand that he make himself worthy of such a calling, Jesus shows mercy, unconditional love to sinful people like Matthew, and you, and me, by simply calling us as we are to follow Him. Notice in our Gospel lesson those who are sitting with Jesus and eating with Him at a table – tax collectors and sinners, we are told in verse 10 – people whose lives may have been an absolute mess. Notice, as well, those who are not at the table – the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day who thought their lives were in good order. The Pharisees are standing off to the side, feeling better than the tax collectors and sinners. They have no interest in mercy. Instead, they have this condescending attitude, which leads them to compare themselves to those people at the table, and many times we are tempted to do the same thing. A homeless man holding up a sign at a busy intersection; the socially awkward coworker or student; public figures who make mistakes and are forced to resign; or people in prison. We too easily judge or compare ourselves to them to make ourselves feel better. And yet, Paul says in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So who should be eating with Jesus? None of these people, and certainly not us.
And yet, Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. All are invited to eat with Him, including us. Everyone is equal and everyone is forgiven. When Jesus called Matthew to follow Him, Matthew immediately left his tax collecting life behind. Did he think of it as a sacrifice, giving up a large income? Probably not when compared to the mercy that Jesus first showed him in loving and accepting him just as he was, as one of His own. Jesus knew that mercy had to come from Him first if there is to be mercy shown to others. So Jesus showed mercy in calling Matthew, in healing many people, and even in praying for the people who were nailing Him to the cross as He gave His life, as He paid the price to buy us back as His children so we could live with Him forever. That is mercy. Jesus doesn’t want our sacrifices. Instead, He calls us to follow Him just as we are, and He counts us unworthy sinners as His friends to do ministry with Him. May we all participate as His drama disciples this week as we show mercy to others in ways that the world may never understand, but in ways that people will want to know more about our Savior.
