Monday, June 13, 2005
MATTHEW 9:9-13
Decisions that will influence the course of one's life are not easy to make. These refers to life-determining decisions, for instance decisions regarding career, marriage, jobs, the children's education, etc. To come to any of these decisions one needs time, to weigh the pros and cons, to consider advantages and disadvantages; then too one needs time for prayer, to determine in which direction God is leading us. The decision-making process can be long, emotionally wearing, exhausting.
"As Jesus moved on, he saw a man named Matthew at his post where taxes were collected. He said to him, `Follow me.' Matthew got up and followed him." That's all! Nothing more! No anguished weighing of pros and cons; no long hours of prayer begging God for light and courage. Just a couple of seconds, "`Matthew, follow me' . . . Matthew followed him."
How come Matthew made his decision to follow Christ with such ease? Had he been getting tired of living on the periphery of Jewish society? Had the attraction of wealth been wearing thin and not worth the price he had to pay: being an outcast, despised, rejected?
It's doubtful this was the reason for his reaction to Jesus' invitation. He certainly could see that Jesus himself was having the same trouble with the Pharisees and scribes, as did the tax collectors. It would be more of the same type of life: being an outcast, despised, rejected.
Perhaps the reason why Matthew said `yes' to Jesus' invitation was because of the qualities of character and spirit that Jesus manifested. And there can be no doubt about it: Jesus was a remarkable person. He had new ideas about the essential realities of life, about forgiveness of sins, about loving and serving God and others, about embracing simplicity of lifestyle and even about loving enemies. Jesus was a very intriguing man even for one whose main preoccupation in life had been the accumulation of money.
All the reasons Matthew had for embracing Jesus' lifestyle are also the reasons offered to us to embrace his lifestyle.
And for us? Everything that Matthew found intriguing in Jesus during his day and worthy of a positive response to the offer of discipleship, remains true for us today.
"As Jesus moved on, he saw a man named Matthew at his post where taxes were collected. He said to him, `Follow me.' Matthew got up and followed him." That's all! Nothing more! No anguished weighing of pros and cons; no long hours of prayer begging God for light and courage. Just a couple of seconds, "`Matthew, follow me' . . . Matthew followed him."
How come Matthew made his decision to follow Christ with such ease? Had he been getting tired of living on the periphery of Jewish society? Had the attraction of wealth been wearing thin and not worth the price he had to pay: being an outcast, despised, rejected?
It's doubtful this was the reason for his reaction to Jesus' invitation. He certainly could see that Jesus himself was having the same trouble with the Pharisees and scribes, as did the tax collectors. It would be more of the same type of life: being an outcast, despised, rejected.
Perhaps the reason why Matthew said `yes' to Jesus' invitation was because of the qualities of character and spirit that Jesus manifested. And there can be no doubt about it: Jesus was a remarkable person. He had new ideas about the essential realities of life, about forgiveness of sins, about loving and serving God and others, about embracing simplicity of lifestyle and even about loving enemies. Jesus was a very intriguing man even for one whose main preoccupation in life had been the accumulation of money.
All the reasons Matthew had for embracing Jesus' lifestyle are also the reasons offered to us to embrace his lifestyle.
And for us? Everything that Matthew found intriguing in Jesus during his day and worthy of a positive response to the offer of discipleship, remains true for us today.
# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 12:58 PM 
