“As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.” – Matthew 9:9
Jesus calls some of the most unlikely people into His Kingdom! The question for each of them is whether or not they will follow Him. Matthew certainly would seem unlikely to follow. He was a tax collector. He served the Roman Empire by taking (by force if necessary) taxes from his fellow Jews to fuel the Empire that was oppressing them. Given that, he probably wasn’t a particularly spiritual person. He certainly wasn’t a very popular person. He likely wasn’t a very ethical person. But Jesus called him…
…And he followed Jesus. That’s what matters! Matthew didn’t hesitate. He rose and followed Jesus. Not just that day but for the rest of his life. He left his tax collection business behind, seemingly without making provision for its future operation. He just followed Jesus every day and night for the rest of his life. Matthew followed through the earthly ministry of Jesus. Matthew followed through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Matthew followed through the early decades of the church.
That tax collector wrote the very book of the Bible this verse is taken from. The point being, many are invited to follow Jesus and we can never predict who might answer the call. As you reflect on this verse, is there anyone in your life whom you’ve held back on sharing Jesus with because you’re convinced they won’t respond well? Let the Holy Spirit surprise you! Share Jesus with that friend, relative, or colleague you’re convinced will never be interested. See what Jesus does in that person’s heart when they hear the words of life. They just might be the next Matthew!
In the meantime, how about yourself? Are you following Jesus? Are you following like Matthew to the extent that you’ve left things behind and radically altered the trajectory of your life to obey and follow Jesus? Have you answered the call of Jesus like Matthew? #FollowJesus