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.
The people of Jesus’s day had plenty of reason to dislike tax collectors. First, tax collectors were seen as the pawns of the Romans and the Jewish aristocrats who created the obscenely high taxes of the day. Second, despite the exorbitant taxes, tax collectors were known to overcharge taxes to make even more money for themselves. Finally, some tax collectors were even known to beat people into paying. This situation, capitalized upon and escalated by tax collectors, in some cases caused laborers to flee their lands, leaving entire villages abandoned.* Tax collectors were not liked at all.
The call of Jesus on Matthew meant something powerful to Matthew. It meant acceptance; it meant purpose; it meant favor with God once again. Having taken advantage of the Roman empire and the greed and corruption of the aristocrats, Matthew had turned his back on the people of God, thus turning his back on God. Through Jesus, God gave Matthew another chance.
This opportunity was precious, but it was also costly. There was no going back for Matthew. He could not change his mind and return to tax collection, nor could he secure another job if he decided to discontinue following Jesus. No one would hire a former tax collector. Matthew was walking away from a lucrative career that provided extreme physical and financial comfort.* Matthew was “all in.”
Following Jesus is a continual journey of “yes” to Jesus. To say, “yes” one time and forget about Him is a misunderstanding of the invitation of Jesus; it’s not the kind of “yes” Matthew gave. Jesus calls us and Matthew said “yes” to an invitation to leave it all behind with no hope of turning back. Jesus invites us to continually say “yes” to the call in a way that changes our trajectory forever. The price is costly; the gain is eternity. The cost is painful; the benefit is Jesus.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember the call that Jesus gave to you. Perhaps God wants you to remember that despite the difficulty of the road, or your own imperfections, you are not who you were; there is no going back. Maybe God is waiting for you to say “yes” to His call.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.
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*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 218–221, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 9:9) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).