St.Matthew’s Day
TOPIC: HARVESTING LIKE THE MASTER
TEXT: Matthew 9:9-13(NKJV)
9:9. As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
9:10. Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, [that] behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.
9:11. And when the Pharisees saw [it,] they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
9:12. When Jesus heard [that,] He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
9:13. “But go and learn what [this] means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
STUDY:
Matthew was a Jew appointed by the Romans to collect tax. He collected taxes from the citizens as well as from merchants passing through town. At the time, tax collectors were expected to take a commission on the taxes they collected, but most of them overcharged the people and kept the excess to themselves. As result of this, they were hated by the Jews because of their reputation for cheating and because they supported Rome. Despite this, our Lord Jesus Christ still went for Matthew, a man who would have been regarded as an oppressor and a terrible sinner, by the Jews. Jesus hurt his reputation among the religious elites to reach out to those who were lost. We must all follow our Master’s example by spreading the gospel to all without any discrimination – the poor, immoral, lonely and outcast, and not just the rich, moral, popular and powerful. We should not be afraid to reach out to people who are living in sin. God’s message changes people, and He is concerned for all people, including the sinful and hurting. Matthew, on hearing the call to abandon all and follow Jesus, got up and followed, leaving the so-called lucrative career without any regret. Sometimes, the decision to follow Christ requires difficult or painful choices. But like Matthew, we must decide to leave behind those things that will keep us from following Jesus.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus give me your spirit to love all and reach them with the gospel of peace.
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