Tax collectors were despised in Ancient
Israel. Jewish tax collectors worked for
the occupying Roman government by collecting taxes from the Jews for the
Romans. The tax collectors made a great
deal of profit by collecting these taxes, often through dishonest practices. Tax collectors were often the richest people
in town. Tax collectors were not allowed to pray in the
synagogues and were considered unclean under Jewish law. Jesus often selected the most unlikely
individuals to be his disciples. He could
have chosen a student of the Hebrew Scriptures or someone who did a lot of good
works and charity to be his follower.
However, instead, Jesus chose people like Matthew to be his follower. We often can feel unworthy and ill equipped
to be a follower of Jesus. Yet, Jesus
calls us in the midst of our reality and in the mist of or weaknesses and flaws
in order to serve him and proclaim God’s kingdom.
We see many sinners in the Gospels who
repent and who change their hearts completely.
And in today’s Gospel, not only does Jesus call Matthew to be his disciple,
but later Jesus shares a meal at Matthew’s home and eats with other sinners and
tax collectors. We assume that it was
Matthew who invited him to come, as Matthew served as a witness of faith to
others. If this is how Matthew was able
to follow his faith, to turn from a life of sin and to believe in the Gospel,
what does that mean for us as believers as well?
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