Matthew 9:13

Jesus quotes Hosea, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' and declares he came to call sinners. God prizes a merciful heart over mere ritual.

Cross-references · 37

• Mark 2:17On 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 19:10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
• Hos 6:6For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
• Luke 5:32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
• Matt 12:7If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
• 1 Tim 1:13–16I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.
• Prov 21:3To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.
• 2 Pet 3:9The 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.
• Mic 6:6–8With 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?
• Matt 21:28–32But 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.’
• 1 Cor 6:9–11Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts,
• Acts 3:19Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,
• Acts 11:18When they heard this, their objections were put to rest, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”
• Matt 3:2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
• Isa 55:6–7Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
• Matt 18:10–13See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.
• Rom 2:4–6Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
• Acts 5:31God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
• Rom 3:10–24As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.
• Luke 24:47and in His name repentance and forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.
• Matt 4:17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
• Acts 26:18–20to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’
• Acts 2:38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Matt 3:8Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance.
• 2 Tim 2:25–26He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.
• Luke 15:3–10Then Jesus told them this parable:
• Acts 17:30–31Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.
• Matt 21:42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
• Matt 12:3Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
• Acts 20:21testifying to Jews and Greeks alike about repentance to God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Mark 12:26But concerning the dead rising, have you not read about the burning bush in the Book of Moses, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
• Matt 12:5Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent?
• Matt 11:20–21Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.
• Matt 22:31–32But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you:
• John 10:34Jesus replied, “Is it not written in your Law: ‘I have said you are gods’?
• Matt 19:4Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
• Luke 10:26“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?”

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