Matthew 9:10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
As we watch the Son of God interact with people in the Gospels, there are not a lot of mentions of His hearing, as He always was able to read people's hearts and minds. But on a few occasions the writers record that Jesus heard what was said in order to preface something important He had to say in response. It is the combination of the word "heard" in a sentence beginning with "But." Jesus heard and corrected false statements and twisted theology. Here, Jesus was about to contradict their statements and their misunderstanding. When He does so, the significance of His proclamation is huge: "you must first realize you are a sinner in order to receive mercy and grace." Often when we cry out to God we think He does not hear us. He does. We just need to realize His answer may (and often will) begins with correcting the false views of Him, our situation, and reality itself.
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