Chosen For Multiplication
Scripture provides us with many examples of the contrasting differences between living with gospel intentionality vs. self-seeking righteousness. We read the great stories about those that left everything they owned and everyone they knew to follow Jesus Christ. Like the rich young ruler, other stories in Scripture, when faced with the same choices, decide his comfort was more important than that he would have to give up. These early Christ-followers made conscious decisions to put their doubts and fears aside and trust that God really did love them and provide for them. Today, we benefit from having an all-access pass to Scripture, whether on paper or a screen, yet rarely do we take God’s Word to heart and do what it says.
As a professing believer of Jesus Christ, I trust that what is written in the Bible is true and without error. I often find myself confused or in doubt while reading. Though doubt and confusion exist, it doesn’t mean that the error is located in the text, but rather within me. So when the author of Hebrews states that Jesus experienced temptation in every way and remained without sin, which is a concept difficult to grasp, it’s true. In Jesus’ experiencing then sin without sinning, He can sympathize with me, you, and the rest of all humanity. When we couldn’t reach heaven, God came to us, put on human flesh, and provided a way back for perfect communion with Creator and creation. He knows our potential better than we do.
Sinner to Saint
I love The Gospel of Matthew. It’s one of my favorite New Testament books. It opens with these words: The book of the genesis of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. While all the gospels have a Christocentric (Jesus–centered) focus, each also has its own flavor. Because of Matthew’s Jewish perspective and focus in writing His gospel, many scholars believe that Matthew (also known as Levi) was a Levite by birth. As a Levite, he would have been expected to carry on the family line. This meant he would become a servant in God’s temple. For a Jewish male, there was no more respectable job for anyone in Israel. At a young age, he would have learned the Hebrew scriptures with his father, preparing for the day when he too would minister in the temple.
Like Matthew, we too often doubt that God has called us for something greater. Or the greater thing will come at a cost or possibly be too difficult. Maybe like me, you feel like you have messed up so often, and surely there is no hope. It might be conjecture here, but Matthew could have in the same emotional state of feeling like a failure with no hope for the future. When we begin to doubt our worth, we must remember Christ is Lord, and He determined our worth when He died on the cross. He takes you as you are, broken and flawed. He has equipped you with the tools and resources to increase His Kingdom and not your own.
Life doesn’t always turn out as we plan it.
We are not sure what happened in Matthew’s life to knock him off course, but he went from aligning himself with Israel’s most respected position to one of the most hated. Matthew became a tax collector. The people of that day hated tax collectors because they not only betrayed their own people and collected money for Rome but charged over and above to make themselves wealthy by lining their own pockets.
He was accountable for collecting taxes in Capernaum’s busy town, situated on the north-west shore of the Sea of Galilee. Thus, his main source of income would have been from fishermen.
Choose a team and empower them for partnership.
If we had put together a group of twelve disciples, Matthew would not even have been an option. He was a traitor and a sinner. At least four of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen, the very people Matthew had robbed. Simon, another of the disciples, was a Zealot. They had declared war on the tax collectors. Calling Matthew into the group didn’t make any sense; it was as if Jesus was looking for disruption and distrust among the group. Once again, God reminds us that He doesn’t look at our present circumstances. He exalts Himself through sinners like you and me.
When Jesus called Matthew and the other eleven disciples to follow Him, He saw their untapped potential. These men most likely failed out of school because they were not good enough students of the Torah. On more than one occasion, they were referred to as “uneducated men.” Jesus looked into their futures, and not only did he see their potential, but their capacity to change the world. They took His command and followed His example to “go and make other disciples of all nations.”
Scripture
“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. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Follow Me
Jesus said, “Follow me.” Those two words radically changed his life, and he did as Jesus commanded. Matthew left his sinful nature, job, and all he owned. He responded the way all people should when they meet Jesus. Matthew wanted everyone he knew to meet the Messiah also. Matthew invites all his tax collector friends and sinners he knows to come and have dinner with Jesus. This newfound disciple knew that if Jesus could change his life, He could also change theirs.
Three/Fifths
Matthew spent the next three years of his life following Jesus and His teachings. He walked all over the promised land. He saw the miracles Jesus performed with his own eyes, including the ones not recorded in Scripture. Jesus healed the lame, deaf, blind, and demon-possessed. He saw Jesus walk on water and raise the dead. He took detailed notes as Jesus preached so that he would not forget his words and that others could hear them too. Out of nearly 1100 verses in Matthew’s gospel, 644 contain actual words of Christ. Three-fifths of the words in Matthew’s gospel are actually Jesus’. Matthew watched the way Jesus loved people and loved his Father in Heaven. He even saw Jesus Christ after He raised from the dead as He said he would. Matthew was a first-hand witness to all that Jesus said and did.
The Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to write these words and invites us to participate in a deeper and wider understanding of the gospel. He wants the world to recognize Jesus and follow Him. The Holy Spirit, the other member of the Trinity, wants us to live on mission to expand His Heavenly Kingdom.
Four Things A Disciple Of Jesus Must [Do]
Matthew believed that if He wanted to experience God truly, he must GROW in the understanding of God’s mission to rescue, redeem, and restore this broken world. He knew that Jesus would teach him how to grow deeper in relationship with God and the people whom God loves through intentional discipleship. Matthew then watched Jesus’ example to SERVE others by washing the disciples’ feet and heal the sick. He watched Jesus GIVE to the needy, poor, and broken-hearted. Ultimately giving up himself as a sacrifice dying as payment on the cross for all humanity’s sins.
At the end of his gospel, Matthew tells us that Jesus commanded his followers to GO and make disciples of all nations. Like Matthew, let’s follow Jesus’ example and lead others to GROW in relationship and knowledge of God, SERVE others to establish community, GIVE of your time, talents, and treasures, and GO bring someone else in to repeat the process.
It’s time for the church to take discipleship seriously. Last night, as we discussed discipleship and multiplication within the realm of the church. My oldest son provided a great analogy for our core launch team. He said, “Think of the church as a tree. Discipleship helps the tree grow big, but multiplication is cutting off branches and planting [propagating] them so they can become their own tree.” Is that not what we are called to do? Will you grab the baton with me? I’m confident Jesus Christ will honor our efforts as we create a movement of disciple-making disciples in our generation.
