The Calling of Matthew

Matthew 9:9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. Matthew 9:10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. Matthew 9:11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? Matthew 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Jesus was making his way down the street after healing the man with palsy and came upon a man sitting at the receipt of custom. During this time, the Roman government was in control of the Bible lands and demanded a custom or tax from its citizens. The Roman government would hire natural citizens of the country to collect the custom to make it less egregious for the citizens of Israel. Jesus commanded for Matthew to follow him. Matthew was immediately obedient to the command of Christ. He arose and followed him. Matthew invited Jesus to his home and they went to eat in the home of Matthew. As Jesus partook of the meal that had been provided by Matthew many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. No doubt, these were probably friends of Matthew from his work as a tax collector. The Pharisees, seeing the crowd with which Jesus was associating himself, found occasion to accuse Jesus. The accusation was plain and to the point. "Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?" The religious leaders were concerned that Jesus would surround himself with these sinners. The Pharisees felt that they were better than these sinners. Jesus answered the Pharisees and perfectly explained why he would associate with such as these. "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." Jesus was explaining that he was reaching out to exactly those that needed his help the most. Those that were carrying the burden of their sin around like a heavy weight on their shoulders. Those that were facing eternal damnation if they died in their sinful state. Jesus went to these, because they needed the message of repentance and forgiveness that he had to offer. Have you ever hesitated to take the Gospel message to someone because they seemed socially beneath you, maybe they were dirty or homeless, maybe just intimidating and you refused the nudging of the Holy Spirit to speak to them about their soul? We should never be hesitant to share the Good News of the Gospel with those that we come into contact with, regardless of social status. The message that Jesus offers is a merciful message. It is a message of forgiveness to those that need it most. Jesus explained that he didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Jesus and his disciples were carrying out the mission given to them by God the Father. They were taking the message of salvation to sinners in need of repentance and salvation.