Matthew and Jesus

Last Wednesday night at our follow up class we have been holding which has allowed for discussion based upon the recent movie: The Son Of God, specific questions came up about Matthew. I thought this to be a wonderful display of divine direction as this individual played such a huge role in the mission and ministry of Jesus. I had those present ponder the possibility of whether Matthew would be welcome in our places of worship today? Would we trip over the same personal prejudices that imprisoned the religiously uptight then as it still seems to do today?
Matthew was the disciple everyone loved to hate! Tax collectors were in cahoots with the enemy. He was extorting money from his own people. He was originally named Levi and the Levites were supposed to be representing God before the people. Matthew by his chosen profession was making no advancements towards a possession of any true faith. He had become a lonely man with a ton of means and yet nobody to share it with. Nobody was having Matthew over for dinner. Nobody was inviting him to be part of their inner circle and you can be sure that he was not welcomed anywhere near the local synagogue!
And along comes Jesus and even though the word on the street is to steer clear of this shady character, our Savior walks right up to the table where Matthew is conducting business and in broad daylight, before an audience of jeerers, Jesus calls him to break bread together. The Pharisees almost pass out on the spot! “He eats with sinners,” they cry out! And Jesus makes no apology to the stuffed shirts of hypocrisy and proceeds to invite Matthew to the big dance. Jesus cries out, “I have not come to call those who think they are righteous!” Jesus went on to make it perfectly clear that, “I am here to save the ones who know they are sinners and have no hope apart from a little love resurrection and sincere divine intervention!” Matthew followed. The religious party-poopers pouted. All of heaven rejoiced and most of earth sneered.
Matthew is all that is right about the ministry of Jesus! On the same day Jesus invited Matthew to follow him Matthew threw a great farewell feast in his home in Capernaum, inviting his cohorts in crime so that they could have a chance to meet Jesus too. From that day on, instead of collecting coins, Matthew collected hearts for Christ. And despite his sinful past, Matthew was given a prestigious future because he was an accurate record keeper and keen observer of people. He captured the smallest details. Those traits served him well when he wrote the Gospel that bore his name some 20 years later.
By surface appearances, it was a scandalous and an offensive move for Jesus to pick a tax collector. Yet Jesus did it anyway! And even though his fellow Jews hated him, nobody did a better job at showcasing Jesus to the Jews as their hoped-for Messiah. Matthew knew his audience and specifically tailored his account to answer the right questions. Matthew displayed one of the most radically transformed walks in response to the call of Jesus! Matthew willingly left behind a pile of wealth and security for poverty and uncertainty. He abandoned the pleasures of this world for the promise of a relationship with a God who would never let him go! Matthew was the first to know what the Beatles would sing years later: “Money Can’t Buy You Love!” Legend has it that he even died as a martyr in the cause of Christ!
Yet how many people today would do more criticizing than celebrating if a known notorious criminal would walk through the doors of their Sanctuary this Sunday? I can almost hear the critical questions being whispered by the Faith Police. “What are they doing here?” “How dare they show up to our church?” “Who do they think they are?” And I can picture God shaking his head at the snobbery of his people and ask, “Did you not learn anything from Jesus and Matthew?”
We have a saying here at The Lighthouse Church: “NO PERFECT PEOPLE ALLOWED.” Many have misunderstood its meaning. Many have criticized our use of such a slogan. Let me explain why we say what we do here. God isn’t waiting for you to clean up your act before you come to him because he knows that on your own you could never generate enough holiness to meet the necessary required amount on your own. All of us have sinned and fallen way short of the glory of God. This is why we all desperately need Jesus. The sad fact is that too many people in our culture would rather try to apply a load of religious make up over their mess and hide their filthy rags with some fancy faith facade outfits but none of that can do a thing for our lost and broken hearts! Only by us humbly looking up into the eyes of the one who had a genuine and unconditional love for us and by admitting to him our need that we are dying of this disease called sin and by inviting Jesus to do radical heart surgery within us can we be born again. Anyone and everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. It is not based upon what you did, but solely upon what Jesus did for all of us!
Matthew is a reminder that none of us deserve grace! Matthew is the culmination of what really good news the gospel is. Dear Jesus, I want to say ‘Thank You,’ for being willing to eat with the tax collectors and the sinners. Your mercy to them opened the door for your salvation to me. O Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I will be healed and loved and held forever more. Amen and Amen!
And if you don’t believe me, just ask Matthew! He knows!