Told His Story

When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." (Matthew 28:12-14 NIV)

Matthew wasn’t just a sinner.  God saw more in him than that.  Matthew was not just saved.  Jesus offered him more than that, too.  Matthew was invited by Jesus, taught by Jesus, and turned his life around to walk with Jesus. 

So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. (Matthew 28:15 NIV)

Matthew started out as a man who probably would have accepted money like this to lie about what happened to Jesus at the tomb.  Now, though, Matthew is a different man.  He would tell the truth about Jesus even without financial gain.  He would hold to that truth even if it meant his own death.  Matthew would go to his final day proclaiming that Jesus had died and was now still alive.  Matthew’s life was changed.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:16-20 NIV)

When Jesus died, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, Matthew was given a charge along with the rest of us.  He lived out this Great Commission the rest of his days.  He taught people about Jesus, bringing more and more people home to the Father through the Son so that they would receive the Holy Spirit.  Matthew told the stories about Jesus.  He wrote them down.  As he did, he was writing down his own story as well. 

Matthew told his story.  How about you?  Do you tell your story to others?  Do you let them know what a difference Jesus has made in your life?  Do you tell them how much God loves them and what God did to bring them home?  Are you like Matthew?

Turned Around

"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' "'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. (Matthew 21:28-32 NIV)

I wonder what was going through Matthew’s mind as he wrote these words.  The Pharisees and Sadducees weren’t the only ones who had trouble accepting Jesus’ words.  They weren’t the only ones who had trouble following him, either.  Some people accepted Jesus wholeheartedly, while others did not.

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor." (Matthew 26:6-9 NIV)

Matthew said that “the disciples” had trouble with this woman’s extravagant act of love.  Perhaps his account reads this way because Matthew, with his money-struggles, knew that he thought the same thing.  He wasn’t the one who spoke that day, though.  Another one of the twelve spoke up.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. (John 12:4-6 NIV)

Matthew knew that he agreed with Judas Iscariot – at least when Judas spoke out loud.  As a tax-collector, Matthew would have been considered a thief, too.  But they were not the same.

Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." (Matthew 26:10-13 NIV)

The difference between Matthew and Judas is simple: their response.  Matthew heard what Jesus said and changed his mind.  He believed Jesus.  He trusted Jesus.  He changed his way of thinking to match Jesus.  Judas did not.

Then one of the Twelve--the one called Judas Iscariot--went to the chief priests and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. (Matthew 26:14-16 NIV)

How about you?  How do you respond to Jesus?  Do you believe him?  Do you trust him?  Do you change your mind to match what he says?  Does Jesus cause you to turn around?

Invited and Taught

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. (Matthew 9:9 NIV)

I know that I shared that Scripture on Monday, but today I wanted to approach it from a different angle.  You see, Jesus hung out with tax collectors and other sinners because they were important to God.  The ones who benefitted from this attention were the ones who responded to Him…like Matthew.

"To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: "'We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is proved right by her deeds." (Matthew 11:16-19 NIV)

Because Matthew got up and followed Jesus, he learned from Jesus.  He learned that “wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”  In other words, he learned that he showed his lack of wisdom when he lived out his old tax-collector ways.  He also learned that he would show his Godly wisdom by living a life walking together with God.

After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" "Yes, he does," he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes--from their own children or from others?" "From others," Peter answered. "Then the children are exempt," Jesus said to him. "But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours." (Matthew 17:24-27 NIV)

I think the Book of Matthew is the inspired, inerrant Word of God.  I also think that it helps us gain insight into Matthew as well.  Matthew spent three years with Jesus.  Why did he share the stories that he shared?  The Holy Spirit directed him, of course.  But I think some of the stories help us see Matthew’s perspective and the impact that Jesus had on his life.

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?" But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, "Whose image is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." (Matthew 22:15-21 NIV)

Matthew learned, for example, that he wasn’t being evil simply by collecting taxes for the Roman government.  He also learned that he needs to not gouge or mistreat his fellow Israelites in gathering those taxes.  In addition, Matthew was reminded that God is the source of everything we have.  He will provide whatever we need – even giving us coins through fish if necessary.  Matthew wrote about money a lot in his Gospel.  Perhaps this is because Matthew had much to learn about money.  This is where he needed to grow the most.  In any case, Matthew was invited by Jesus to follow and, when he responded, then he was taught.

How about you?  Have you been invited by Jesus to follow Him?  Does Jesus offer to teach you?  How?  How have you responded?

Tax Collector and Sinner

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. (Matthew 9:10 NIV)

Yesterday we examined why tax collectors were considered the lowest of the low.  They were the very standard of what it meant to NOT walk together with God.  Jesus, however, hung out with Matthew.  In fact, he hung out with lots of tax collectors.

When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:11-13 NIV)

Jesus hung out with tax collectors BECAUSE they were sinners.  Thank God.  Without a God who cares about sinners, I would never have a chance out of hell.  Jesus came to earth to save sinners.  He selected twelve followers who were obviously sinners.  This is so he could show us all that we all need Jesus.

"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." (Matthew 9:16-17 NIV)

When he chose disciples like Matthew, Jesus poured his teaching (wine) into them (new wine skins).  They did not crack (burst) because they were willing to be stretched by God and His Son, Jesus.

How about you?  Would you be found among the tax collectors and sinners?  Would you listen to Jesus?

A Tax Collector

As we enter this week of devotions, it seemed appropriate to focus the week on a follower of Jesus who was a tax collector.

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. (Matthew 9:9 NIV)

Many of us struggle with tax day.  I’ve spent many a year struggling with the April 15th deadline and working feverishly to get my taxes in before the deadline.  (This year I was blessed enough to get them done a month ago!)  There are forms to fill out, math problems to do, laws to interpret, and (most importantly) money to give.  That is, after all, what the entire process is about.  Tax day and tax collectors just leave a bad feeling in our minds.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? (Matthew 5:38-46 NIV)

Even Jesus used tax collectors as the lowest of the low standards for righteousness.  You want to walk with God?  Don’t be a tax collector. Why?  Why were they seen so negatively back then?  Simple.  Tax collectors were traitors and thieves.

You see, the government of their day was not in power the way our government is today.  No one elected their officials.  There was no representation at all.  The Romans were in charge because they came in with a big army and took over.  When they would take over an area, they often left the governing structure of that area in place, but put a person in charge of it who was loyal to the Roman government. 

You have a king?  You can keep a king.  We will pick one who is loyal to us.  You want a High Priest? You can have a High Priest.  We will pick one who is loyal to us.  Oh, yeah.  By the way, we need to pay for their salaries and the salaries of the army who just conquered you.  So, you need to pay taxes.  We will send a tax collector that we pick from among you who is loyal to us.  In other words, we will send someone you already know who is a traitor to your traditions.  Oh, an their salary will be paid out of your taxes.  We will tell them to give us a certain amount and then they can keep however much they collect above that amount.  It’s not really “stealing.” It’s just their “commission.”

Tax collectors were considered the lowest of the low.  Yet Jesus selected a tax-collector to be one of his twelve. (Matthew’s given name was Levi – a good Israelite name.)  God inspired this same tax-collector to write down his encounters with Jesus.  A tax-collector wrote the book of Matthew.

How about you? How does this affect your approach to Matthew’s words?  Since God used a tax-collector’s words in this way, how do you think God can use your words?