Matthew's Calling and Ours

Matthew 9:9-13
9:9 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.
9:10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.
9:11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
9:12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
9:13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Overview of the Bible Verses

　Matthew is the author of the first Gospel in the New Testament and one of the twelve apostles. This passage describes Matthew's call by Jesus to be a disciple.
　Matthew's name is mentioned only in four other places: Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15, and Acts 1:13. (His name is given as "Levi" in Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27, which are "parallel passages" to this passage.)
　Today, we will study about the calling and the character of Matthew.

Point 1: The person of Matthew

　From today's passage, we know that Matthew was a tax collector.
　Tax collectors who collected taxes from fellow Jews for the Roman Empire were despised by the Jewish community of the time. The Gospels imply that the people at that time saw tax collectors as sinners (Luke 15:1 et seq.) Zacchaeus' confession confirms that the tax collectors of the time were lining their pockets, collecting more than the amount required by law. (Luke 19:8).
　Many of the tax collectors of that time were well-educated and fluent in Greek and their native languages, Aramaic and Hebrew. Matthew's Gospel is written in a typical tax collector's style, with detailed records, orderly organization throughout, and detailed descriptions of financial accounts such as tribute, payments, repayment of debts, property, and compensation.
　Matthew's Gospel, also known as the First Gospel, is the second earliest of the four Gospels, the most influential and widely read in terms of shaping Christian thought, and Matthew, a tax collector, seems most suited to write this Gospel. Although there are few accounts of Matthew as a person, he is the one who did the great work of leaving "the Gospel of Matthew.

Point 2: Matthew's Vocation

　When Jesus called Matthew, who was in the tax office in Capernaum, he immediately followed. Capernaum is a small village, so he may have known Jesus before. Still, it was not an easy decision for Matthew, who was financially well off. Fishermen like Peter and John could return to their former jobs once they left them, but tax collectors would find it difficult to return to their former jobs or even to find other employment. (Not many people would hire a former tax collector.)
　How could Matthew make such an immediate and irreversible decision? The Jews despised tax collectors so much that the entrance to the synagogue reads, "Dogs and tax collectors are not to be admitted!" Many of these tax collectors, who were not allowed to join the Jewish community or even become friends, were touched by the deep love of Jesus and stepped out into a new life.
　In Matthew 9:10, we read that "Jesus sat at the table in the house," but in Luke's Gospel, we see that this was Matthew's home. Luke 5:29 "Then Levi (Matthew) 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." As soon as Matthew received Jesus' call, he invited Jesus to his home and gave a great feast to his fellow tax collectors and those who were called sinners by the Pharisees and the scribes. Matthew, like Zacchaeus, immediately followed Jesus and rejoiced in his salvation.

Point 3: Our Calling
　Some may say, "Matthew was a special person whom Jesus directly chose as one of the 12 apostles, so he had a special calling and could do special work, but I am an ordinary person with no special talents, so I don't have a calling!" Let's see what the Great Commission in Matthew says. 28:18-20.

Matthew 28:18-20
28:18 Jesus came near, and said to them, "Do not be afraid, my brothers and sisters; for I am the Lamb of God, the Lamb of God. 28:18 Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
28:19 Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, and of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and of the Holy Ghost, and of the Holy Ghost. Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,
28:20 And teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. Behold, I am about to give you a new commandment, which is this. I am with you always, even to the end of the world.

　Not all will become full-time pastors, and not all will become full-time missionaries and go to foreign countries, but we all have a calling to share the Gospel of Jesus. For some, "all nations" may mean foreign countries, but for many, it may mean their own family, friends, and acquaintances. "All nations" include all people who do not know Jesus and with whom we should share the Gospel. Jesus calls some people for His full-time ministries while He calls all His people to live as His disciples who radiate His light and emit His fragrance to those around them. God will surely work through us when we faithfully do the four things listed below.

1. Let us pray together! Seek the will of our Heavenly Father for ourselves, intercede, and pray for those around us. 2!

2. Let us keep reading the Bible! God speaks to us through the words of the Bible. 3!

3. Let us keep sharing the Gospel! Keep praying for our family, friends, co-workers, and community, and continue to witness for Christ.

4. Let us keep working together with Christians in our community, in Japan, and the world! As a part of the body of Christ, let us keep praying together, encouraging each other, and working for the Kingdom of God!

God Uses What We Have!

　We tend to look at ourselves and focus on what we don't have, such as a lack of talents, abilities, etc. But let's focus on what we do have! When Jesus and His disciples were with several thousand hungry people, one of the 12 disciples, Peter's brother Andrew, said: "Here is a boy with a loaf of barley.

Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But with such a large crowd, what good will it do?"
John 6:9.

　Andrew thought what the boy had was useless, but Jesus used the five loaves of bread and the two fish the boy had to perform a great miracle.
Jesus fed those several thousand people with five loves of bread and two fish. They all became full. God can use even the little things we have. So, let us also ask God to use the little things we have! Just as Matthew used his experience as a tax collector to write the "Gospel of Matthew," Jesus uses each of us individually.

　I joined the company as an engineer and worked in power plant design for 23 years before being transferred to the newly created contracting department and then to the finance group manager of the accounting department. Although the accounting department was a different field, I was grateful for the knowledge I gained in accounting. I can now use that experience to serve as an accountant for Grace House. After working in the accounting department, the company transferred me to the newly created risk management department. After a while, the newly appointed auditor looked for someone who could do the job and assigned me as an audit staff. I was over 60 then. My wife said, "Why do you have to work two jobs when you have passed retirement age and your salary has gone down?" But the time has come for me to put that experience to good use. A kindergarten run by a church in the Tama area decided to incorporate it as a school corporation and needed a director and an auditor. The auditors were required to audit the proper operation of the school corporation and submit an "audit report." Still, I could prepare the report easily since I had experience working as an auditor.
　I used my experience in the accounting department to organize the church's accounting, and I used my experience as a member of the auditing staff to serve as an auditor for a kindergarten run by another church.
　God uses what we have. You may be good at cooking, tidying and cleaning, singing, speaking, listening, interacting with children, caring, cuddling, organizing, praying, or smiling.

　Without exception, all of us have something God has given us. We may not realize it, or Andrew may tell us that it is "useless," but God can use it to perform beautiful miracles. Let us live our lives of faith not by expecting more of ourselves but by expecting more of God!

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10)

　Each of us has received gifts, all of us! Hallelujah! And God encourages us to use those gifts. The Bible commands us to "serve one another. But this does not only mean serving within the church but also serving our families, friends, acquaintances, and all those around us as we share the Gospel of Jesus. Even if we have little, let us put it in God's hands and let Him use it!