Mercy at the Table: Matthew 9:9-13

Neville's Inner Vision

In the inner theatre of your life, Matthew is a state of consciousness bound to the receipts of a world of appearances. When Jesus says 'Follow me', he speaks to the I AM inside you, the aware moment that can lay down old commitments and stand anew. The feast at the house—publicans and sinners reclining with him and his disciples—is not a literal meal but an inner communion where the sense of separation dissolves. The Pharisees' question mirrors the rebel voice inside you that clings to 'us' and 'them'. But Jesus answers with a principle: those who think themselves whole need no physician; those who feel sick are summoned to mercy. The famous line, 'I will have mercy, and not sacrifice,' marks a turning from ritual to living awareness. You are not being called to join a creed, but to awaken to the mercy that is your own 'I AM'. Repentance, then, is not a judgment but a reorientation—turning toward the radiant, forgiving center within. In this light, Matthew becomes the awakened self and every other part of your life becomes a guest at the table of your consciousness, healed by mercy.