Matthew

Matthew 9:9 NKJV — As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

It seems so very simple.

Jesus calls.

Matthew follows.

But was it?

We know little about this tax collector, before Jesus called him.

The scriptures do not give us an account of how he became a tax collector, what choices led him to that despised profession.

We don’t know if Matthew was familiar with Jesus before He called him.

What we do know are his actions.

He followed.

No questions asked.

No, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” (Matthew 8:21)

“So he arose and followed Him.” Matthew 9:9b

Wow!

If Jesus were to show up at your job, look you in the eye and say, “follow Me” would you?

Although, Jesus has ascended into heaven, His call is just as real today as it was on the day He called Matthew.

Jesus’s call isn’t simply a call to another profession.

It was and still is a call to live completely for the glory of God.

A call to love as He loves, to live with eternity in mind, to fashion our choices, mindset, attitudes, and actions in line with the Bible.

What Matthew did that day eventually would change the world.

He followed Jesus.

Later, he wrote the Gospel of Matthew.

He never returned to the tax collector booth.

Praise God!

His faith in Jesus is truly astonishing.

His actions are a testimony to the power of God to change the lives of those who choose to follow Him.

This man who would have been hated and rejected by all he knew, was loved by Jesus.

Through that love, Matthew has become a respected mam throughout the body of Christ as one of the twelve and the hand which penned the Gospel bearing his name.

What an incredible change!

All because Jesus called.

And Matthew followed.