Matthew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He, like all the others, had a changed life once he met Jesus. Matthew was a tax collector before his salvation. Tax collectors were known as legal thieves. If your tax bill was equivalent to $100.00, they would charge you more, maybe $200.00, and the money above what you owed was theirs. No one liked the tax collectors, but it was a part of life, so they paid what they were asked to pay.
In Jewish law, his profession was considered a betrayal of Jewish identity because he worked for the Roman Empire. During this time, the Roman Empire was occupying Israel and oppressing many. The Jews ostracized Matthew because of his occupation. Any Jewish tax collector was considered a traitor to their own people and labeled as unworthy to participate in their religion. He would be what we would call a loan shark. He took advantage of the people because he could.
In Mark 2:14, Matthew was originally known as Levi. Jesus was in the city of Capernaum by the seaside, and he was teaching the multitudes that followed Him. Matthew was sitting at the receipt of customs, which was the place of tax collectors. Jesus looks at Matthew and tells him to follow him, and immediately Matthew leaves his job and follows Jesus. As we look into this passage, we see no hesitation on Matthew’s part to become a follower of Jesus. I am sure he had heard about Jesus and how he was healing people and teaching the multitudes. It must have been a beautiful moment when one who was so hated by the Jews was asked to follow the Messiah. He obeyed and left his old life when he placed his faith in Jesus. This was his call to discipleship, and he was not going to let it pass.
Matthew invites Jesus to come to his house and eat a meal with him. Because of his former occupation, it was only natural that other people, such as publicans and sinners, as noted in verse 15, were there to eat with Matthew and Jesus. After all, these were the only ones who would spend time with Matthew. In verse 15, we see that there were many publicans. This was a person who served the Roman government, as Matthew did. Jesus does not hesitate to sit and eat with them. In verse 16, the scribes and Pharisees observe that Jesus was eating at Matthew’s house with all these sinners, and they ask his disciples, “How is it that he eats and drinks with publicans and sinners?” In verse 17, Jesus hears them and responds. “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Jesus was letting them know that His proper place was with those who were sin-sick. A doctor does not stay with those who are perfectly healthy; his job is to heal those who are sick. He was letting them know that they did not show a need for Him. They thought they were already pure and holy. Their self-righteous attitudes prevented them from the company of the Master.
Mark 2:13-17 “And he went forth again by the seaside; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. And it came to pass that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he said unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
As we look at Matthew, we see a man who, seemingly by the world’s standards, had all he needed to have a life that was filled with pleasure. He had friends who were just like him. A home with plenty of food, so much that he had opened his home for a big meal with others. Yet, when he met Jesus, his soul longed to have what Jesus was offering. He was not satisfied with a life of things and pleasures, and he needed Jesus.
What can we learn from this man, Matthew, who was used by God to win many to Christ and write the gospel of Matthew? First, he obeyed immediately. How often does the Holy Spirit prompt you to do things that are uncomfortable to you, and you second-guess His request? Maybe He is calling you to a life that is totally out of your comfort zone, so you make many excuses and therefore disobey. Second, he did not just make a profession of faith and go about his business. He left all his baggage behind and surrendered his life to the authority of Jesus. Third, he wanted all his associates to know the one he was now following. He gave Jesus a ready-made audience of people that needed Him. It was a perfect place for Matthew to begin sharing what Jesus did for him. We need to share Jesus with all that we know, not just those who are like us, but everyone. Matthew is attributed to sharing the gospel in what is now Africa and Ethiopia. He started at home and never stops or looks back on what he left behind.
Where are you in the Matthew story? Maybe you are a believer and you are just enjoying God’s blessings and waiting to join Him one day. Remember, the main reason you are still here is to tell others about Him. Today is the day to be a Matthew.
