Which Way?

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 (ESV)

Had Jesus polled the first six disciples—Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, and Bartholomew—and taken a vote to see if they wanted to let Matthew into the club, what do you think their responses would have been? I believe there would have been a boisterous collective, “Yeshua, are You outside of Your mind right now?”

You have probably heard or read about Matthew before. He is the human author of the first book in the New Testament. He was one of Jesus’ twelve apostles. He’s also known as Matthew the Evangelist. But I bet you, almost exclusively, know him as Matthew, the tax collector. OK, so he was a tax collector, but what does that really mean?

It was standard Roman practice to recruit and install tax collectors from among the countrymen of the nations they seized. When Rome conquered Israel in 63 BC, it did just that—all over the territory. The people hated Rome, but the local tax collectors were despised even more. They were considered turncoats by their fellow Jews.

Extortion was common among tax collectors, as they were allowed to demand more from the people than was owed, tucking the difference neatly into their fanny pack. When a citizen refused to pay what was due, the tax collectors had the full backing of Rome, including the might of the Roman army. 

Matthew was from Capernaum on the NW shore of the Sea of Galilee. In addition to the direct taxes he collected from the people, he would have also collected taxes on the goods coming across the Sea of Galilee from the East or South.  He was undoubtedly a wealthy man, as were most of the other tax collectors. It was an extremely lucrative vocation.

The disciples, who were fishermen, surely “stroked a check” or two to Matthew as they sold their catch on the docks. Peter and his band of brothers would have considered Matthew, the vilest of sinners.

And this is the one Jesus says, “Follow Me” to? In my mind I can hear Jesus’ entourage: Peter, “Wait, what?” Andrew, “C’mon, man.” Philip, “Say it ain’t so, Joe!” Bartholomew, “Not him. I’m not working with that guy.”

If you are going to hang with Jesus, you better stay on your toes because when you expect Him to zig, He zags. They may not have been able to articulate who they expected Him to call next, but it definitely wasn’t this guy. But Jesus had an uncanny ability to look beyond Matthew’s job and standing in the community. He clearly saw Matthew’s potential and value to the team. This teaches us that our past or social status does not handcuff Jesus. He calls us to follow Him regardless of our backgrounds or past failures (sometimes even because of them).

When Jesus looks at Matthew and says, “Follow Me,” how does Matthew respond? He doesn’t say, “Let me pray about it for a day or two?” Doesn’t say, “I need to talk it over with my trusted advisors, and I’ll let you know at the end of the week.” He immediately left his life and followed Jesus. Matthew gave up the wealth and privilege of his office. And he gave it up permanently, as he would never ever be able to find another job if this whole disciple thing didn’t work out.

My good friend and actor Cameron (Camy) Arnett runs a ministry called Christ Over Career. Years ago, he was asked by a Director to perform in a scene that violated his Christian ethos. He refused and was promptly blackballed by Hollywood for 20+ years. In 2013, the Lord resurrected his acting career in the faith-based film and media industry. Camy is a mighty spokesman for the sake of the Gospel, and he is a blessing to the film industry and millions of others around the world . . . all beyond his wildest imagination. Jesus called, and Camy followed.

Matthew the Evangelist and my friend Camy demonstrate the tremendous power of Jesus’ call. They also display an obedient readiness of heart. When Jesus calls you, He invites you to leave behind your old ways and welcomes you into a better new life with Him.

My response, your response, to His call should be an immediate and wholehearted willingness to leave behind anything that hinders our walk with Him—to abandon it, trusting that He has something much bigger and #awesomer on the horizon.

For Matthew, #awesomer meant that he was privileged to walk the dusty roads of Israel for three years with the Savior of the world, AND write one of the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life that became part of the “best-selling” book of all time. When he closed that tax collecting booth door behind him for the last time, he never imagined what would come of it.

Has He called you to something? Called you to a new career? Called you into vocational ministry? Called you to lead a small group in your church? Called you to be baptized? Or is He, maybe, simply calling you to Himself? While I can’t answer for you, I can tell you that He will blow any thought or expectation you may have right out of the water. The Apostle Paul put it like this:

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20–21 (NKJV)

Jesus, what an incredible example You give us in Matthew the tax collector turned Matthew the Evangelist. When we hear and act upon Your call, You transform our lives. I am overjoyed, humbled, and grateful that You transformed me from the lost sinner that I was into the Jesus freak I am today. Today, Lord, I pray for the ones that don’t know You. They may know who You are, but they don’t KNOW You. Please call them, in this moment, to follow You. In Your name, Amen.