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Matthew 9:9-13 Whose friend are you?
I’m going to ask you a political, rhetorical question. Do you like Donald Trump? In my work I travel a lot. I go to America once a year. It’s really interesting listening to people’s views on Donald Trump. Some people say they do not like him. However, if you ask the question after he has become president, sometimes people change their answer. They may change their mind about him because he is now in a position of political power and can do things for them. As I get older, I can be friends with someone, but only for a short time. People in politics have a short term of four or five years. The next person can come into power and change what the previous person has done. Your view on people can often depends on what you can get out of them. However, with Jesus you can have a relationship that goes on into eternity. This is to have an everlasting life, beyond death.
- The awesome call of Jesus.
When we look at this story of Matthew being called we see we the awesome call of Jesus. Here is an invitation to be a follower of Jesus, not for now but for all eternity. Before this, Jesus calls a paralytic to follow Him. The gospel is full of Jesus calling people from all different walks of life to follow Him. Here, He calls a tax collector. By his very reputation, the tax collector was doing things people didn’t like. He worked for the Romans, took more money than was due and pocketed the rest for himself. Jesus calls sinners, the unexpected, to be His friend. This is what this passage of scripture is all about.
The Pharisees question why Jesus calls sinners to follow Him. Maybe you can think of people in the world, in your community, who you may not like or get along with. We can sometimes have a Pharisee within us. Where can God call people to be His friend? What background, what environment can Jesus reach? As a Christian, think of people that are very difficult to reach. Yet Jesus can do the impossible. Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collector, to follow Him, to become His disciple. That’s what it means to become a Christian – to become a learner. To spend time with Him, to come and ask questions, to learn what it means to follow God. It means to worship God, to glorify Him, and please Him rather than yourself.
Matthew leaves everything behind. He puts Jesus first. He denies himself. In denying himself he is showing that he puts Jesus first. There is a complete transformation. A tax collector’s life would have been someone who was all out for themselves. What does he do? When Jesus was having a meal in Matthew’s house many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Jesus and His disciples. Incredible! Here is someone who’s showing that they’ve got a complete transformation in the way they think. Rather than thinking about himself, he is showing hospitality. He is throwing a meal in his house.
There is a challenge for us as Christians in how we follow Jesus. Do you remember when you were first converted, when you were thrilled that God had invited you to follow Him? Your eyes were opened. You were shocked that God would be inviting you, knowing what you will like. Maybe you had hidden, secret sins. You wanted to pray, talk to Him. Yet, sometimes a Christian life starts as a big flame, then other challenges come and you were not so enthusiastic to tell your friends about Jesus, to change the way you live. We need to pray about our discipleship.
The call to follow Jesus is not just to be a convert, it’s about learning. As you start a new year, what would you like to learn more of this year? What would you like to learn more of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? What you want to know more about Jesus, the author and perfecter of life? How do you want to change in your thinking, in your practise?
Matthew throws a great big party. As you know more about Jesus, it should make our appetite want to follow Him move. The awesome call of Jesus.
- The awesome fellowship with Jesus.
What is the point of the call? It is to be with Jesus, to have friendship with Him. The Bible calls it a reconciliation. God calls us back to Him, to be right with Him. He wants to be with us. We have a relationship with Him.
What do the Pharisees, who were so critical, see? They saw a party. Joy. They saw Jesus enjoying being with sinners and them enjoying being with Him. The awesome fellowship with Jesus. We often talk about what it is like to be a Christian. Sometimes, words are not enough. It needs to be seen. People need to see the difference Jesus has made in our lives.
Is our fellowship with Jesus visible? What does it look like to have fellowship with Jesus, to have your sins forgiven, to testify of the work of the Spirit in your life? The Pharisees saw something they didn’t expect – joy, transformation, a tax collector who was not looking out for himself.
Sometimes, we can be really miserable Christians. What do people see when they see us? Do they see that joy, something different? How do we as churches show we are full of joy? We have a challenge to ourselves. Does the world see the party atmosphere? The awesome fellowship with Jesus.
- The awesome request from Jesus.
As they have this meal, the Pharisees come, the ones who are full of ritual (v.11). The awesome request is to go and learn (v.13). The Pharisees are incredibly offended. They must be right and Jesus wrong. Fellowship with Jesus offends them. The Pharisees were well- taught but Jesus says, ‘You need to go away and learn what this means,’ “But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (v.12-13).
We all need to go away and learn what this means. “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6). What God wants is not just your repeated sacrifices, but mercy. What is mercy? The way of getting into a relationship with God, that God doesn’t treat us as our sin deserves. He shows us mercy and wants us to be merciful. He does not want hypocrisy. He wants a genuine relationship where we want to worship Him, where we want to be with Him, to have fellowship with Him. He wants a genuine heart. He wants a relationship, not sacrifice. He wants a relationship, not rituals.
Jesus says, ‘Go and learn.’ Isn’t that wonderful? Let’s go and learn what it means to have salvation. Our tradition doesn’t give us a relationship with God. Our religion doesn’t give us a relationship with God. Our Christian heritage doesn’t give us a relationship with God. It is mercy.
Sometimes, we have many things we can do as churches, many outreaches. Be careful what we’re asking people to do. We are inviting people to come to Jesus, sharing what it means to come and follow Jesus. What does Jesus want you to do? It is not what I want, but what does Jesus desire from me. We are called to follow Him. Therefore, we are called to learn from Him. We have many friends but He is the most important friend, Jesus friend of sinners. You and I will fail Him. But God, in His wonderful plan, is patient with us. He is full of compassion. He calls us to come and be His friend.
Penuel Baptist Chapel, Roch 