MATTHEW:
Luke 5:27-32 NKJV
[27] After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” [28] So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. [29] Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. [30] And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” [31] Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. [32] I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Some of the many who had an encounter with Jesus discovered their true destiny in life. These include His first disciples and also Saul, who became known as the Apostle Paul. Today’s lesson is about Levi, also known as Matthew, who wrote the Gospel of Matthew.
Jesus Christ saw Levi sitting in the tax office, and simply said to him, “follow Me”, and he immediately left everything and FOLLOWED Jesus Christ. Little is said about Matthew in the gospels. He was possibly a very quiet man as compared to prolific and impulsive talker, Peter.
One of the things he did was to throw a big party for Jesus Christ and also invited many tax collectors and sinners to the party. I believe he threw the party in order to get his former friends to get to meet his new friend and Master, Jesus Christ, with the hope of them being transformed too. But the scribes and Pharisees murmured against Jesus eating with sinners. Friends, Jesus came to CALL SINNERS TO REPENTANCE, He didn’t come to call the righteous. Those who are well (righteous) don’t need a doctor. Only the sick (sinners) do!
Have you ever thrown a party with the aim of getting people to meet Christ and be transformed? Do you have the desire to see souls saved at all? What have you done to satisfy that desire? The evidence of true desire is what you pursue!
Many of us have left all to follow Christ to help advance His kingdom. But this is not the same for everyone. Some have been called to serve in the marketplace like Daniel, Joseph, and others. Some have been called to support the preaching of the gospel (Luke 8:1-3). Wherever you have been called to minister from, what is required is that you must faithfully follow your Master’s instructions. True disciples of Christ FOLLOW HIS INSTRUCTIONS.
God’s word to you and I today is, “FOLLOW ME.”