Bible Strands
Matthew 9:13
But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks to Pharisees who have just criticized his table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners (v. 11). He follows his "not the healthy but the sick" remark (v. 12) with this citation.
The words — ἔλεος (eleos) = mercy, and θέλω (thelō) = I desire; the verb is first-person singular, making it God's own stated preference rather than a general principle.
The thread — The citation is Hosea 6:6, where God rejects ritual without relational faithfulness. The "calling sinners" clause echoes Luke 19:10 ("seek and save the lost") and appears in the parallel Mark 2:17.
Why it lands — It inverts the assumption that religious performance is the currency of God's favor. The reader is placed in the category of "sick" and "sinner" — the ones who need what Jesus came to give.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Cross-references
- Mark 2:17 On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
- Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
- Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
- Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
- Matthew 12:7 If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
- 1 Timothy 1:13 I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.
- Proverbs 21:3 To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.
- 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
- Micah 6:6 With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?
- Matthew 21:28 But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’