Call of Matthew

Why did Jesus pick Matthew? Why did Jesus pick a rich man to be His disciple? The answer is not found in Matthew’s wealth, because Luke says that he left everything.

And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him. (NASB) Luke 5:28

Matthew left the tax booth, his employees, and the money. How many of us would walk away from our jobs in order to follow Jesus? Would you? What did Jesus see in Matthew? The answer is surprising. Jesus did not see a rich tax collector. Jesus looked past his occupation and saw a man who had the heart to follow after God. He picked someone everybody else would reject. He saw a man who was teachable and would some day be a great apostle for the cause and glory for God. He saw a man who some day would die as a martyr in Ethiopia for Him.

This is a great reminder that God can use anyone who is willing to be used by God. That includes each one of us. But there is a key requirement - we must be willing to leave everything! The Greek word for “leave” that Luke uses actually means to abandon; that is Matthew “abandoned everything.” That is the prerequisite. Jesus knew that Matthew would do that. I suspect that Jesus had walked the shores of the Sea of Galilee many times before. I suspect that Jesus had talked with Matthew before because Matthew would have been sitting at the tax booth looking for more money. This time Jesus did not come to talk but to invite Matthew to follow. It was an invitation that Jesus knew he would respond to, and he did.

And it happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. (NASB) Mark 2:15

The Greek word for “reception” that Luke uses (Luke 5:29) reveals that this was a huge feast and a very expensive one. Apparently, Matthew had invited his other friends: tax collectors and sinners. Maybe they were the only ones who would spend time with him, since the Jews would have nothing to do with tax collectors. Jesus and His disciples were also there. We are told in Matthew, Mark, and Luke that they reclined at the table. It would be like lying down on a sofa on your side while eating. This was a great party for all of his friends.