Invited

Written by Joy Gilman

Not long ago I was updating my resume. As I edited it, I was taking an inventory of my work experience, education, and most valuable skills and attributes. My goal was to craft an impressive resume that presented my very best self on paper so some future employer might choose me for the job. Most of us understand that in order to be selected, you need to be qualified for the position and be the best candidate available. That's the way of the world. But what is the way of God's kingdom? How did Jesus go about selecting souls to join His team? What qualifications did He look for?

"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... 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 9:9, 11-13 NLT

In this passage, Matthew was a tax collector. During this time in history, Israel was under Roman rule. Matthew would have been collecting taxes from his own people on behalf of their Roman oppressors. He was quite literally working for the enemy. Furthermore, tax collectors were well known for cheating their fellow Israelite tax-payers and padding their own pockets to make themselves rich. Matthew was likely a man who had compromised in many ways. He was not the best version of himself when Jesus came upon him. In fact, he was sitting at his tax collectors' booth, right in the middle of his sin.

What prompted Jesus to invite Matthew to follow Him? There was nothing obvious in the passage that states Matthew's amazing character and stellar life choices. It would be like Jesus walking into a bar on a Tuesday morning and seeing a man about to toss back his second shot of Vodka to satisfy his addiction and Jesus saying, "Hey buddy, I've got a better idea. Why don't you come with me. Let's get out of here and we'll talk over breakfast."

Maybe what Jesus saw in Matthew was something none of us can see with our earthly eyes. Maybe He saw a man who inwardly hated who he was and desperately wanted to be different but didn't know how to take the first step. Maybe He saw a man who felt a nagging sense of emptiness that no amount of money can ever satisfy. Maybe He saw a man who was painfully alone because he had burned every bridge in his alienated life. Maybe He saw a man hungry, thirsty, desperate for a purpose in a meaningless existence. Maybe, just maybe, what He saw in Matthew was a heart that was finally ready to say "yes" to an invitation from a Savior to "follow me."

Recommended reading:

Luke 5: 27-32

Luke 5: 1-11

John 4: 1-38