Day 215: Matthew 9
I figured that now would be a good time to to talk about the author of the first gospel of the New Testament: Matthew. Matthew is called by Jesus in this chapter, and the call of Matthew is such an amazing, inspiring story. Jesus was walking along and sees Matthew sitting at a tax collector's booth. He tells Matthew to follow him and be his disciple. Matthew immediately got up and followed him. In the next paragraph, we learn that Matthew invites Jesus, Jesus' disciples, tax collectors and sinners to his home for dinner.
Let's unpack this story a little more.
1. First, Matthew immediately gets up when he's called. He follows Jesus and becomes a disciple.
2. Second, Matthew invites over followers of Jesus to sit down for a meal with his friends--other tax collectors--and so-called "sinners." Matthew gets it. He gets what Jesus is all about, and he plows in headfirst. He doesn't wait around to be told what to do; rather, he starts implementing the teachings of Jesus immediately.
3. And, finally, we can see that God uses Matthew's talents. Before being called, Matthew is a tax collector. Tax collectors were not well-liked at the time and were often thought of as being crooked and unfair. Matthew must sacrifice a lot to follow Jesus, more than some of the other disciples, I would argue. Peter, James, and John--they were fisherman. They didn't give this up when they became disciples. Luke was a doctor, and most likely he didn't have to quit this job either. But Matthew, he was a tax collector, and following Jesus meant that he couldn't collect taxes anymore. But God didn't let the talents and skills Matthew learned and practiced as a tax collector go to waste. No, God calls Matthew to write down and record all that he witnesses in the life of Jesus. Matthew's attention to detail is used for the glory of God.
How amazing is it that we have a disciple such as Matthew be the one to pass on what he has witnessed to all the generations after him.
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