September 21, 2023

Today's Reading: Matthew 9:9-13

Daily Lectionary: 1 Kings 19:1-21, Ephesians 3:1-21

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)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus came for sinners...God be praised! That means that He came for you and for me. And He came for Matthew, too. Matthew, also known as Levi, must’ve lived a conflicted life up until the day he learned that Jesus came for him. The name Matthew means “gift of the LORD,” but when he came around, the people experienced less of a gift of the LORD, and more of a tax burden of the Roman Empire. The name Levi brings to mind service in the LORD’s Temple and the tribe of Moses, Aaron, and the entire priesthood of Israel. But Matthew Levi’s life, to that point, was certainly not devoted to the matters of God. Two words changed everything. “Follow me.” I’m not sure why Jesus called some to follow and sent others away. 

Just before today’s reading, Jesus healed the paralytic with the instructions, “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” A few verses after today’s text, Jesus raises a young girl from the dead and heals two blind men. None of these are given the invitation to follow Him. While we certainly can’t be sure, a potential explanation may be the utter unlikeliness of a tax collector being called to leave behind his tax booth and the relative financial security that he would have enjoyed in his employ to the Roman Empire. It’s plain to see that the former paralytic, the recently-revived young girl, and the two men, once blind but now they see–each of these needed Jesus. Aside from the hatred of his kinsmen and being branded a “sinner,” Matthew very likely enjoyed a life of wealth and importance. But here’s the thing...He needed Jesus just as much as the others. 

The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches are all too capable of choking out the Word. But Jesus, the Master Sower, knew exactly where a few seeds would take root and flourish into a life of faithful following, a masterful insight into Jesus’ fulfillment of the Old Testament, and a firsthand account of Jesus’ life, ministry, passion, death, and resurrection! God be praised for the hundredfold fruit of those two little words, “Follow me.”  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Son of God, our blessed Savior Jesus Christ, You called Matthew the tax collector to be an apostle and evangelist. Through his faithful and inspired witness, grant that we also may follow You, leaving behind all covetous desires and love of riches; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

-Pastor Dustin Beck is pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Corpus Christi, Texas.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.