4/8/02 10.30 a.m. Matthew 9:9-13 ( Romans 4:13-25 )

PRAY

9 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. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and `sinners'?" 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

PRAY

Can you think of a time when you have been unpopular? Maybe there was a time at school or work or somewhere else where you didn't fit in and you were rejected by some people.

Matthew, which means "gift of the LORD", had been called Levi but was re-named to reflect his new status. He knew what is was to be rejected.

All governments tax their subjects, and Rome was no exception. Wherever Rome ruled, taxes were imposed. There was a tax on the produce of the land, there was a tax on imports and exports, and there was a tax on each person. All over the Empire there were tax-collectors at ports and frontier towns. They had to levy tax on goods passing from one place to another. Collecting it could be very profitable, for it would be the tax-collector's task to estimate the value, and he could easily over-estimate it. The men who did this work were not government officials but businessmen who bought the rights to collect in specific areas. They paid the amounts which the government had set as appropriate for each place, then recouped their outlay and made as much extra profit as they could from the merchants who travelled past their posts.

Within any area the actual collecting was done by employees of the concessionaire. Levi, or Matthew, was one of these. At his tax-collecting booth by Lake Galilee he probably assessed the value of goods carried across the Lake to or from other regions. Not surprisingly, people hated the `publicans' and their agents. They worked for the occupying power, and they lined their own pockets in the process. To the religious leaders the fact that they worked with non-Jews (Gentiles) made these men `unclean' and they were regarded as outcasts. They could not serve as witnesses or as judges and were expelled from the synagogue. In the eyes of the Jewish community their disgrace extended to their families.

I would like us to consider a number of statements as we look at this passage.

Jesus accepted and accepts 'unclean' people.

Jesus reaches out to people who need him. Jesus showed his acceptance of people by reaching out to those who were despised. cf Zacheaus, another tax collector.

Jesus compared himself to a Doctor, verse 12. He is not talking about his physical healing ministry, but spiritual healing ministry to reconcile sinners to God i.e. everyone.

He quotes from Hosea. This was originally written against the religious leaders who offered sacrifices, went through religious rituals, but this didn't affect the way they acted. Mercy, covenant love with compassion for the lost, is more important than religious observance, said Jesus.

Please do not ever think you are not worthy enough to come to Jesus. Jesus said, ( John 3: 37 ) All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

A man went to a mid-week meeting at his local church hall. He recognized no-one but was struck by the warmth, honesty, intimacy, acceptance, dependency. and support there was within this group who turned out to be the local Alcoholics Anonymous. The Christian founders of A.A. included a conscious commitment to God as a mandatory part of their treatment. The 12 principles acknowledge total dependence on God for forgiveness and strength. But a local church is the last place someone would stand up and declare, "Hi, I'm Tom. I'm an alcoholic and a drug addict." No one would answer back, "Hi, Tom."

I have had people apologise to me for not being at church because they were upset about something and were fearful they might be emotional. Christianity is not about putting a religious mask on and pretending we are all right. It is about realising that none of us are good enough for God, that we need his undeserved favour in Jesus, and we need one another to build one another up and worship, serve and witness together.

In what way does the church today, here in Talke, nationally and internationally reach out to people who are despised?

Would we be less welcoming of someone who was very poor, or very smelly, or very miserable, or whatever. I am sure you get my drift...

We need to demolish any unnecessary obstacles to people coming to Jesus.

Jesus transforms people.

When I was at school I didn't try as hard as I could have. A typical remark on my reports was 'could do better'. The teachers saw the potential in me that was not being fully realised.

Jesus saw the potential in Matthew and he sees it in each and every person. Matthew's background and talents would be of great value to Jesus. As a tax collector he was skilled at writing and keeping records. He was gradually transformed into a loyal disciple who applied his orderly mind to organize his account of Jesus' life.

Jesus can transform our lives! He holds out the hand of friendship & acceptance. He looks at what we can be, not what we are. He provides us with security that the world cannot. Matthew had a need which is shared by everyone, to be accepted, loved, and welcomed.

A man who had been living in the streets for some time wandered into church one Sunday evening. He was wretched looking. He was dirty, and his shirt was torn open. His hair looked like it hadn't been combed or washed in months. He had a scraggly-looking beard. This man's eyes were dazed as if he were on drugs. He smelled of beer, the beach, and body odour. He man certainly wasn't the sort of person you would expect to find in church. In fact, he had never set foot inside a church before. His parents had kicked him out of their home. He slept on a cot in the garage, and his meals consisted of beer and corn chips. At night he would take drugs.

But there was something about Steve that made people in the congregation take care of him. They showed him concern and love, something he obviously had not experienced much in his life. Slowly Steve's life began to change. The walls began to crumble. First, he changed from within. People noticed his attitude was different. Then his habits and even his language changed. His appearance also began to change. He wore clean, neat clothes. He decided to go back to work. He even made up with his parents.

Steve had a real hunger for the word of God. He talked about his relationship with Jesus and how others led him to Christ. It was the love of strangers in that church that turned Steve's life around. And God was able to use Steve in ways that seemed impossible. This young man eventually went to Bible college and is today the pastor of a church in southern California.

Why would you leave your home and the possessions that you could not carry? Because there was something more important to be gained or preserved by abandoning these things. All over the world people have abandoned their homes and possessions and become refugees because the alternative was persecution and death.

Matthew gave up everything because he found something more important.

Luke records that Matthew 'left everything' such was his trust. By following Jesus, Matthew turned his back on his job, home, and security. Matthew was transformed from being rejected by his own people to being accepted by Jesus. People would not have trusted him but Jesus did. Matthew changed from putting his job and money before everything to putting Jesus first.

A young Christian in the Far East was manually pulling a plough that was being guided by his father in a field. A believer from the West was amazed to discover that they had owned an ox, but sold it to raise money for their church. 'Why did they do this when they are so poor ?' he questioned. 'They did not see themselves as poor, they were so grateful that they had the ox to give', came the reply.

I wonder what we would give up to follow Jesus ?

Matthew invited his friends to meet Jesus.

He invited his former colleagues to a dinner at his own house with Jesus as the honoured guest. Having a meal was a way of showing an intimate acceptance of someone and here was Jesus eating with people regarded as religious filth by the Pharisees who were disgusted by his conduct.

Sharing a meal is a good way to draw alongside people. The 'Alpha' course has succeeded in many places because it encourages people to belong and feel accepted by giving them a meal together.

Matthew was so excited about his new friend Jesus that he wanted all his other friends to meet him, perhaps in the hope that their lives would be transformed. He valued Jesus so much he gave up his job and introduced Jesus to his friends.

If we value Jesus why cannot we use every opportunity to introduce our friends, colleagues, neighbours and family to Jesus? He loves them and wants the best for them. He died for them so they might be free to know God and serve him. This 'friendship evangelism' is often the most productive. In a recent survey the highest 'main factor' in someone's journey of faith was 'Christian friends'. A spouse or partner was also very influential.

Nowadays it is recognised that, rather than people believing and then belonging to a church, the

belonging happens before believing and this leads to behaving like a true follower of Jesus. We can help people to belong by being accepting, helpful and prayerful.

The Pharisees didn't like this !

Not all teachers of the law were Pharisees, they were a religious group who had existed for about 150 years. Although some, no doubt, were godly, most of those who came into conflict with Jesus were hypocritical, envious, rigid and formalistic. According to Pharisaism, God's grace extended only to those who kept his law.

The Pharisees expected that the Messiah would come to crush the sinners and support the righteous i.e. them. By calling them 'righteous' I am not suggesting that they were in God's sight, just their own ! A self-righteous man does not realize his need for salvation, but an admitted sinner does. Jesus accepted sinners and denounced the righteous. This links with the Romans reading showing that we are justified, i.e put right with God, through trusting in Jesus, not by adhering to religious rules. This is what true faith is.

This goes against our pride. We would like to think that there in some way we deserved to be saved because we are better than some people. But the standard that we have to reach if we are to earn our salvation is perfection, and we all fail to reach that : Romans 3:23, 'For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God'. The yardstick is not if we think we are better than someone else, but the glory of God. Yet we have a loving and generous God who has made the first move. Romans 5: 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Even in accepting the salvation that was offered, we have not contributed to our salvation. Ephesians 2: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

What should our response be today ?

Thank God for sending Jesus.

Rely on faith not works, although our believing must result in behaving according to God's will..

No-one is outside God's love in Jesus.

Shouldn't look down on someone think they are a hopeless case.

Follow Jesus example and go out to people and be accepting, seeing their potential.

PRAY