Matthew 9:9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
Matthew the publican was an outcast in Jewish society. The tax collectors of Jesus’ day were notorious for being thieves, traitors to their country, and companions with the baser members of humanity, hence the phrase, “publicans and sinners.”
What a great scandal it must have been to the self-righteous Pharisees when Jesus called one of these outcasts into His discipleship! Praise the Lord that God is in the business of “choosing the foolish things of this world to confound the wise.”
Jesus did a great thing for Matthew when he spoke the two words, “Follow me,” to him; and in doing so, He showed us that all the invitations in the Bible (the “whosoevers” and the “all men’s”) are true. No matter your background, you have an opportunity to follow Christ and be in His discipleship. As the song so clearly states it, “Whosoever surely meaneth me!”
The Opportunity Is for the Humble
Publicans and sinners enter into the kingdom of God before the self-righteous (Matt. 21:31-32). The self-righteous refuse to follow Christ because of their pride and will die in their sins (Luke 11:18).
Outcasts like Matthew were at a spiritual advantage because they knew their life was a wreck and that they were wretched sinners apart from Christ. When Jesus called them, they quickly accepted Christ’s condemnation of their sin and gladly received his mercy.
How do you see your life apart from Christ? Pretty good? Not so bad? Or an absolute wreck! If you answered yes to number three, you’re on your way to discipleship.
Matthew 9:13a “…for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
The Opportunity Is for Those Ready To Forsake Their Old Lives
“Follow me” were the only two words Matthew needed to hear to get on board with Christ. He gladly repented: he did an about face. He gladly turned from “the pleasure of sin for a season,” esteeming “the reproach of Christ greater riches” (Heb. 11:25-26).
Matthew, after enjoying the sweet companionship of Christ, must have looked back to tax booths and dens of iniquity with absolute disgust. Christ was so much better! The Apostle Paul thought this way: he considered his old life of being a ruler, a Pharisee, and a scholar to be “dung” in comparison to Christ. (Phil. 3:8)
A disciple finds Christ to be so much better than his old life, and he gladly forsakes it. We should ask ourselves if there is some part of our lives that we are holding back from Christ’s complete control? Let’s forsake it and follow Him!
Matthew 16:24-26 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?