Interpretation of the Bible / Matthew 9:13

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees (the church leaders of that time) after healing a paralytic. The Pharisees criticized Jesus for associating with sinners and tax collectors, to which Jesus responded with the phrase, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

The Pharisees believe that righteousness consists in offering the sacrifices established by the law, but they forget the words of God, spoken through the mouth of the prophet Hosea: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hos. 6:6). The Lord means that sacrifices and all formal piety without love for others, without deeds of mercy, are worthless in the eyes of God.

"For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" or, in other words, the Lord came so that sinners would repent and correct themselves. He came to call to repentance not those who consider themselves righteous and imagine that they have nothing to repent of, but those who humbly recognize themselves as sinners and ask God for mercy.

True, the Lord came to save everyone, including the imaginary righteous, but until they abandon the dream of their righteousness and recognize themselves as sinners, their calling will be fruitless, and salvation is impossible for them.

To summarize, it is necessary to understand and accept that all people are sinners! We must apply mercy in our lives, always thinking about helping our neighbors, and not justifying ourselves by observing all religious laws. Mercy is a call to action, to be attentive to the needs of others and to act when necessary to help those in need, thus we reflect the love that God gave us.