Matthew 9:9-13
During his brief public ministry, Jesus brought a freshness to the ordinary people of Jerusalem. The Levitical laws had created fixed mind sets and perceptions about people. A Jew would always be measured with reference to these law; those who aligned were righteous and good, and those who thought differently was shunned or thought to be unworthy. The Tax collector was also considered a man of the ruling government, therefore a traitor and not a worthy Jew, who was rather shrewd and crafty.
But Jesus did not have blinds, he chose those in whom he knew the seed of faith would grow, that fertile soil, who would absorb the Word of God and spread it fearlessly. Mathew was a living example of a tax collector who listened to the Word and became a loyal disciple and then an evangelist. God’s call to us can come at any point of time, we just have to say ‘Yes’.
