Matthew the Tax Collector
Matthew
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! As I sit to write this week’s article I do so with a renewed since of excitement for the future. The season of the year is seen in full array around us. As the trees fill with leaves and we await the full revealing of Spring, with the blooming of the flowers and the new life flouring in our midst. Much has happened through winter, spring, and before long we will be in the hot days of Summer. As the year moves forward, we can see the hand of God, guiding His people.
As we once again focus our attention on the apostles of our Lord, it is with the same emotions of the season that we look at the Apostle Matthew. In his life we see a renewed excitement for the future, for he was a man who had everything and yet had nothing until he met Jesus. Much had happened in his life, but God guided him and what was yet to come was the best part of the whole.
The very choice of Matthew as an apostle reveals to us that Jesus chose men from every walk of life to be in His service. The reason we can say this is that Matthew was different from the other eleven in that Matthew was a man acclaimed to be a sinner. Not just the common, run of the mill sinner. Matthew was a sinner in the worst way. He was publicly and unashamedly a Roman tax collector and as such he was an outcast from all that God's people saw as holy.
Matthew's love for money drove him to throw away all of who he was to get what he wanted. He left family; sold out his country; and even betrayed his conscience for the riches the world has to offer.
The name Matthew was actually not his given name. Matthew is a Greek name. It was not uncommon for people to have more than one name. Especially among the Hebrews, having a Greek name made business dealings easier. The name given to this man by his parents was Levi. This name reveals a great deal about the family of this man. First, he was of the tribe of Levi. This was the priestly tribe. These were the men who were to serve before God in the temple. John the Baptist's father, Zachariah, was a priest of the tribe of Levi. As a Levite, Matthew would have been instructed thoroughly in the Old Testament Scriptures to prepare him for the day when he would serve as a priest. But evidently before that day came Matthew's life changed direction. He went from a respected member of the tribe of Levi to a scorned, outcast, tax-collector. The reason for such a drastic change had to be what so many suffer from today, the love of money.
As a Roman tax-collector Matthew like Zacchaeus would have made his living off what he could cheat away from the people who came through his tax booth. The city of Capernaum was on the North-West shore of the sea of Galilee. This was a place Jesus frequented often. This once respected member of the community was now an outcast. His love for money cost him his family. Faithful Jews, including family, would have viewed Matthew as a sinner and thus they would have disowned him. To his parents it was as if he had died. At times families of such men would even a hold public funeral service for a child who had become such a sinner, even though physically they were fine.
Matthew was viewed to have sold out his country. The Roman soldiers were hated by the Jews. Their land was occupied by these foreigners and the only people they hated more than the Romans was a fellow Jew who helped the Romans maintain that control. As a tax collector, Matthew's job was to work for Caesar to elicit taxes from the people. Matthew was a traitor and thus had no respect from any Jew.
Matthew also must have sold out his conscience! Matthew was raised to know the ways of God. Now he sat and stole from God's people. His was a dishonest profession.
We don't know the first time Matthew came in contact with Jesus. It is believed by most scholars that the Sermon on the Mount was delivered by Jesus in the area near and around Capernaum. Matthew may have very well been in the crowds who sat and listened to Jesus as He extolled the virtues of the Kingdom. He heart may very well have been pierced when Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. “You cannot serve God and mammon.” It does not matter when Matthew first knew of Jesus. What does matter is that when Jesus walked through the streets of Capernaum and saw Matthew in the collector’s booth, Matthew's heart heard those words of Jesus, "Follow Me." Matthew immediately got up and left all behind to follow Jesus.
In Jesus, Matthew found what all the money he had amassed could not give him, joy in his life and peace with God. Matthew was rich as is seen in the fact that he threw a lavish banquet for Jesus and he invited all those who were like himself. Sinners and tax-collectors filled his house and Jesus sat in the midst of them rejoicing to be God among His people. When Jesus was questioned about why He ate with such people, Jesus spoke those dynamic words, "I did not come to call the righteous but sinner to repentance."
For Jesus there was no contradiction. To be Savior meant to go where the sinners were and to show them the love of God. Matthew came to realize this all to clearly as Jesus revealed Himself as Savior. Matthew had left all behind to follow Jesus. Soon he found what it was like to share in his Master's poverty. Matthew saw the poverty of Jesus as He hung on the cross, dying for the sins of the world. Jesus came to where sinners were, and He showed us all the love of God by His death on the cross!
After Jesus' Ascension to the Father, Matthew told of all Jesus had done. He also recorded these events in the Gospel which bears his name. The Gospel according to St. Matthew was written by a son of the tribe of Levi for Jews who were looking for the Messiah. With such an emphasis it is easy to see why it was placed first in the New Testament because it serves as a bridge between Old and New.
If we are to learn anything from the life of Matthew, it should be this. Jesus saved him while he was in the midst of his sins. Matthew did not leave the tax booth and get right with the local synagogue and then come to Jesus. Jesus came to Matthew in the midst of His sin to save him. God has done the same for each of us. From the midst of our sin God has called us to experience the joy and peace only He can give through the blood He shed on the cross. All the riches in the world cannot buy you what God freely gives in Jesus. May we like Matthew forsake all, that we might have all in Jesus. In the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Russ
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! As I sit to write this week’s article I do so with a renewed since of excitement for the future. The season of the year is seen in full array around us. As the trees fill with leaves and we await the full revealing of Spring, with the blooming of the flowers and the new life flouring in our midst. Much has happened through winter, spring, and before long we will be in the hot days of Summer. As the year moves forward, we can see the hand of God, guiding His people.
As we once again focus our attention on the apostles of our Lord, it is with the same emotions of the season that we look at the Apostle Matthew. In his life we see a renewed excitement for the future, for he was a man who had everything and yet had nothing until he met Jesus. Much had happened in his life, but God guided him and what was yet to come was the best part of the whole.
The very choice of Matthew as an apostle reveals to us that Jesus chose men from every walk of life to be in His service. The reason we can say this is that Matthew was different from the other eleven in that Matthew was a man acclaimed to be a sinner. Not just the common, run of the mill sinner. Matthew was a sinner in the worst way. He was publicly and unashamedly a Roman tax collector and as such he was an outcast from all that God's people saw as holy.
Matthew's love for money drove him to throw away all of who he was to get what he wanted. He left family; sold out his country; and even betrayed his conscience for the riches the world has to offer.
The name Matthew was actually not his given name. Matthew is a Greek name. It was not uncommon for people to have more than one name. Especially among the Hebrews, having a Greek name made business dealings easier. The name given to this man by his parents was Levi. This name reveals a great deal about the family of this man. First, he was of the tribe of Levi. This was the priestly tribe. These were the men who were to serve before God in the temple. John the Baptist's father, Zachariah, was a priest of the tribe of Levi. As a Levite, Matthew would have been instructed thoroughly in the Old Testament Scriptures to prepare him for the day when he would serve as a priest. But evidently before that day came Matthew's life changed direction. He went from a respected member of the tribe of Levi to a scorned, outcast, tax-collector. The reason for such a drastic change had to be what so many suffer from today, the love of money.
As a Roman tax-collector Matthew like Zacchaeus would have made his living off what he could cheat away from the people who came through his tax booth. The city of Capernaum was on the North-West shore of the sea of Galilee. This was a place Jesus frequented often. This once respected member of the community was now an outcast. His love for money cost him his family. Faithful Jews, including family, would have viewed Matthew as a sinner and thus they would have disowned him. To his parents it was as if he had died. At times families of such men would even a hold public funeral service for a child who had become such a sinner, even though physically they were fine.
Matthew was viewed to have sold out his country. The Roman soldiers were hated by the Jews. Their land was occupied by these foreigners and the only people they hated more than the Romans was a fellow Jew who helped the Romans maintain that control. As a tax collector, Matthew's job was to work for Caesar to elicit taxes from the people. Matthew was a traitor and thus had no respect from any Jew.
Matthew also must have sold out his conscience! Matthew was raised to know the ways of God. Now he sat and stole from God's people. His was a dishonest profession.
We don't know the first time Matthew came in contact with Jesus. It is believed by most scholars that the Sermon on the Mount was delivered by Jesus in the area near and around Capernaum. Matthew may have very well been in the crowds who sat and listened to Jesus as He extolled the virtues of the Kingdom. He heart may very well have been pierced when Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. “You cannot serve God and mammon.” It does not matter when Matthew first knew of Jesus. What does matter is that when Jesus walked through the streets of Capernaum and saw Matthew in the collector’s booth, Matthew's heart heard those words of Jesus, "Follow Me." Matthew immediately got up and left all behind to follow Jesus.
In Jesus, Matthew found what all the money he had amassed could not give him, joy in his life and peace with God. Matthew was rich as is seen in the fact that he threw a lavish banquet for Jesus and he invited all those who were like himself. Sinners and tax-collectors filled his house and Jesus sat in the midst of them rejoicing to be God among His people. When Jesus was questioned about why He ate with such people, Jesus spoke those dynamic words, "I did not come to call the righteous but sinner to repentance."
For Jesus there was no contradiction. To be Savior meant to go where the sinners were and to show them the love of God. Matthew came to realize this all to clearly as Jesus revealed Himself as Savior. Matthew had left all behind to follow Jesus. Soon he found what it was like to share in his Master's poverty. Matthew saw the poverty of Jesus as He hung on the cross, dying for the sins of the world. Jesus came to where sinners were, and He showed us all the love of God by His death on the cross!
After Jesus' Ascension to the Father, Matthew told of all Jesus had done. He also recorded these events in the Gospel which bears his name. The Gospel according to St. Matthew was written by a son of the tribe of Levi for Jews who were looking for the Messiah. With such an emphasis it is easy to see why it was placed first in the New Testament because it serves as a bridge between Old and New.
If we are to learn anything from the life of Matthew, it should be this. Jesus saved him while he was in the midst of his sins. Matthew did not leave the tax booth and get right with the local synagogue and then come to Jesus. Jesus came to Matthew in the midst of His sin to save him. God has done the same for each of us. From the midst of our sin God has called us to experience the joy and peace only He can give through the blood He shed on the cross. All the riches in the world cannot buy you what God freely gives in Jesus. May we like Matthew forsake all, that we might have all in Jesus. In the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Russ
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