Connected in The Word 6-1-26
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. Matthew 9:9
The verse above is Matthew’s account of his own conversion event. It’s just one verse. Jesus showed up and called him to be His disciple. There were no posts on social media, no party with a big cake, and no stories about hearing God’s voice, feeling the Spirit’s fire, or making a decision to follow Jesus. Jesus simply walked into the life of a tax collector, a sinner, a sellout and said, “Let’s go Matthew – I’ve got something better for you.”
Why doesn’t Matthew give us a little more? For one, I don’t think there was anything more to share. Jesus doesn’t enter our lives with fireworks and a “walk-up” song like an MLB relief picture walking out from the bullpen in the ninth inning. He shows up in the Word – spoken into ears, applied in Baptism, and received in The Supper. Second, I think Matthew knows he doesn’t deserve what Jesus is calling him to. Matthew is probably thinking, “Jesus just picked the wrong guy, but I am just going to go with it.”
Maybe you can relate to Matthew – I know I can! I don’t know why Jesus showed up in my life, I know I don’t deserve it, and I am convinced he’s got the wrong guy – BUT I’M JUST GOING TO GO WITH IT! Today, I get to officiate a funeral service for a man and a friend who shared the same sentiment. Larry was a member of our congregation for about 60 years. His humility and faith have influenced me greatly. If you were to ask Larry why and how he got to be a disciple of Jesus, he would tell you the following (These are Larry’s own words), “By God’s grace, and His ultimate sacrifice, I am a forgiven sinner!” Honestly, I think if someone asked Matthew how he got to be a disciple of Jesus, his answer might sound similar. How about you? How would you answer that question? I think I’m going to go with Matthew and Larry. God has called me, a sinner, to be His disciple – I’m just going to go with it!
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