The Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangalist
The Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
Written by Blake Plympton
Guido Reni (1635-40)
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.” - Matthew 9:9-13, NIV
I am often struck by the way in which Jesus called people to follow him. In this account of Matthew being called, we have Jesus leaving his hometown and seemingly running randomly into a man named Matthew. Jesus says, “Follow me.” And Matthew responds immediately and follows him. Could you imagine that? There you are, sitting at your office desk, or at a restaurant, or maybe even on your front porch. Then, this man walks up, and tells you to follow him! If this man was Jesus, I hope that we would all say yes.
But, upon accepting the call of Jesus, Matthew then offers Jesus to come into his home with him. (9:10; see also Mark 2:15 and Luke 5:29) It is here that we find Jesus sitting at the table reclining with many other tax collectors and sinners because Matthew opened his home to Him. Then, some of the scribes ask the question of the disciples “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:11)
Let’s take a moment and pause. The Pharisees were the rulers of Jewish law and worship. They often took the side of following the Torah to the T and if you did not, you were not truly a devout Jew. This led to their often-seen pious attitude and their poor treatment of Jews claiming many to be sinners based on their inability to keep the law. Therefore, it would be no surprise to us that the Pharisees would question Jesus and his disciples as they were dining at a table with these men.
To understand this fault more, we need to better understand the tax collectors and “sinners” more. Tax collectors were treated as the lowest of the low. I heard it said once that it was more desirable to be a “dung collector” than a tax collector. Yes, that’s right! People would have preferred to walk up and down the roads and collect the dung from animals rather than be tax collectors. In addition to that, there were “sinners” present. This term could refer to a large group of people including Jewish people who did not keep the laws of tithing or purity, or heretics, the immoral, or Gentiles. But even among these different categories of sinners, tax collectors were the worst in that culture. (France, p.171) So, not only did Jesus just call someone to follow him, but he even called the worst of the worst sinners, according to the Pharisees, and now he is sitting at a table reclining with them over a meal.
It is here at the table that I want to spend time reflecting on Matthew and his heart. Matthew had two responses to the life-transforming moment of meeting Jesus. First, he changed his life and followed him. This would have been very costly for Matthew. As a tax collector, he most definitely had been taking additional money from those from whom he collected taxes. Any ill-gotten income would have had to stop. Not only that, but in order to follow Jesus closely, he probably would have had to stop collecting taxes altogether, to instead minister alongside Jesus, thereby completely eliminating his income.
Second, Matthew welcomed Jesus into his home with sinners. Think about this for a second. How would you respond to Jesus showing up to your place of work? Would you invite him into your house and invite everyone from the church? Maybe just your small group? As someone who has been a Christian since I was a small child, this would probably be my temptation. But Matthew, having been treated as an outcast by the religious community, invited his fellow outcasts to dine at the table with Jesus. In other words, Matthew, one of the worst of the sinners according to the Jewish leaders, invited other sinners to meet the man who could forgive their sins and change their lives.
Matthew’s act of inviting other sinners around the table with him gives us a glimpse into very early gifts of evangelization. In addition to that, his gospel (which is the focus of the painting chosen for this feast day) is a gift to all of us that we might be able to use to evangelize to those who do not know Christ. Generations of Christians have been able to hear the gospel because of his eyewitness account. His gospel account (along with Luke, Mark, and John) provides us with a way to proclaim the good news of Jesus, the savior of the world.
This is why evangelism is so important. For those who do not have any good news, we have good news to offer them. The good news of a coming Kingdom where sin will be gone once and for all. For those who are sick, lost, poor, or broken, we know who can deliver them and save them. It is our calling as Christians to share the good news of Jesus with all those whom we come in contact with. This can be through our actions, our writing, and especially through our proclamations. And, as we share the gospel with others, maybe even Matthew’s gospel, we can watch with hopeful anticipation how God will bring about salvation in their own lives.
Collect for St. Matthew (BCP 2019. P.632)
Lord Jesus, you called Matthew from collecting taxes to become your apostle and evangelist: Grant us the grace to forsake all covetous desires and inordinate love of riches, that we may follow you as he did and proclaim to the world around us the good news of your salvation; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
How have you opened your home to sinners in the past and how did that go?
What would it look like for you to open your home up to others? Would this be difficult or easy? Why?
What fears do you have about opening your home up?
How do you view and handle your money? In what ways are you like Matthew?
Look at your finances. What are some ways you can faithfully steward your money that you are not already doing?
What would stop you from getting up and leaving everything else behind to be an apostle for Jesus?
Resources
France, R. T. Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 1. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985.
https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/september-21-st-matthew-apostle/