“Health and Sickness, Righteousness and Sin”

(Matthew 9:9-13)

Series: God’s Fulfilled Promise [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

April 7, 2019

The Passage

Matthew 9:9-13

9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the toll booth, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.

10 While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 Now when he heard this, he said, “It is not those who are well who need a doctor, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Introductory Comments:

Illustration: Have you ever noticed that people don’t always obey immediately? Perhaps we reflect upon when we give instructions to our children or grandchildren to do something and they don’t do it immediately. Perhaps we think of ourselves when our parents or teacher ask us to do something and we mope around a bit before we do it. Perhaps we think of our pastor challenging us to handout invite cards for Easter, and we don’t feel comfortable giving someone a card. We don’t always obey right away, do we? We don’t always obey fully, do we?

Well, today we’re going to learn about an apostle, who was called by Jesus and obeyed fully and immediately. We’re going to learn about the man that wrote the Gospel which we have been studying for nearly nine months. We’re going to learn about Matthew. 

We’re going to learn three lessons from Jesus’ encounter with Matthew.  

Before we do, let’s pray together.

(Prayer)

This is a very famous story concerning Matthew the tax collector. 

Does anyone know the other name by which Matthew is known? (Levi) He is also known as Levi. 

Matthew, or Levi, was a tax collector. Now, what is a tax collector? Well, a tax collector is someone who collects taxes. 

You see, the Jewish people owed certain taxes to the Jewish religious temple, known as the temple tax. Since they lived under the rule and authority of the Roman empire, they also owed taxes to the Roman government. The taxes to the Jewish temple were relatively small, but the taxes owed to the Roman government were often excessive and burdensome. 

The Romans set-up Jewish tax collectors to collect from their countrymen in order to make sure all of the taxes were paid. This was the system. 

Matthew was one of these guys; he was a tax collector.

Let’s look at three lessons from Jesus’ encounter with Matthew. 

The first lesson we’re going to learn is . . .

I. What it means to followJesus (9) [on screen]

Look again at verse 9. 

9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the toll booth, and he said to him, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed him.

Notice the immediate obedience of Matthew. Jesus said, “Follow me,” and Matthew simply followed Him.

Luke recorded this event in his gospel account as well and he says that Matthew left everything in order to follow Jesus. 

Matthew didn’t waste any time, or hold anything back. He followed Jesus!

Compare this to the warnings that Jesus gave us in Matthew 8:18-22.

Think back with me. Jesus said what was required to follow Him: immediate obedience and willingness to sacrifice. Remember? Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Also, let the dead bury the dead, but follow me now. These are things that Jesus said concerning what it means to follow Him!

Matthew is living out this kind of obedience and commitment!

Jesus’ call was direct and clear. Matthew obeyed clearly and directly. Are you obeying Jesus clearly and directly? Are you faithfully following Him?

As a tax collector, Matthew probab