Tuesday's Tidbit

Matt 9:9-13 NLT

⁹ As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

 ¹⁰ Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. ¹¹ But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

 ¹² When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” ¹³ Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Wow!  That gives me hope - how about you?  You've gotta wonder what Jesus saw in Matthew!  After all, he was a tax collector - an IRS agent in today's society - and not too popular.  Tax collectors back in the day were seen as the betrayers, the turn-coats because they took from their own people and gave to Rome.  Not only that, but as long as they met their quotas they could tax whatever they wanted as much as they wanted!  Hey-at least our IRS agents are not given quite that much liberty!  People hid when they saw Matthew and his kind coming - yeah, kind of like we try to do when the IRS shows up on our caller ID.

Not only was Matthew a tax collector, but he was a public tax collector.  Some collectors hired other people to do their dirty work for them, but Matthew did his own!  He wasn't shy!  He was the low of the low!  He pulled his stretch limo right into the ghetto and set up shop and demanded his cut.  That's where he was when Jesus called him - right in the middle of doing wrong things the wrong way with the wrong intention!

I also wonder what Matthew saw in Jesus.  Think about it.  He was dirty, holes in His sandals, no headquarters, no big fancy sanctuary to work from, no committees, no Pastor's council and no clout with the local church!  In fact the local clergy won't have anything to do with Him.  This guy claims to be the Messiah??

What a duo these two were!  Whatever it was they saw in each other - it must have been something special!  Matthew heard the call, dropped everything and never went back.  He spent the rest of his life convincing people that this carpenter was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  Jesus gave the call and never took it back.  He spent His life dying for people like Matthew - like me and you - so we would know that if He had a place and a plan for Matthew - He has one for us, too.