Let’s pray.
We’re going to dive right in because we have a lot to get through this morning. Turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 8: that’s on page 805 if you’re using a house Bible. We’ll be focusing primarily on a scene from chapter 9, but first, we’ve got to pick up where we left off last week, in chapter 8, there are a couple of things I don’t want us to miss. So, as you’re turning to Matthew chapter 8, let me remind you that we are in week 9 of 10, almost through with the first big chunk of our Follow Me series, a Mega series all about the book of Matthew, which kicked off way back on Easter Sunday morning! Can you believe that?! Easter was 9 whole weeks ago! I feel like I’ve lived 4 lifetimes since then!
Barry kicked off this series on Easter Sunday with a look at how the book of Matthew ends. He didn’t start at the beginning; he started at the very end, the final chapter of the book, Matthew 28, which spoke of the Resurrection, and the Angel appearing to the women at the tomb. And Barry closed that first message of this series with the very last words that Matthew records in his gospel. The last 3 verses of the book:
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
Matthew gives Jesus the final word! Jesus declares that he has been given all AUTHORITY in Heaven and on earth.
That word, AUTHORITY, Barry talked about it last week, is the Greek word
EXOUSIA- POWER, AUTHORITY, DOMINION
Exousia – meaning power, or authority, dominion.
Matthew uses this word 10 times throughout his gospel, and we’ve already seen it in action a few times:
We saw it at the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 7 when Matthew writes that:
“The crowds were amazed at teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.” (Matthew 7:29).
Last week, we saw a Roman Commanding Officer, a Gentile, an outsider, identifying the authority of Jesus to heal his sick servant with only a word! This would have been astounding! If you didn’t catch Barry’s message last week, go back and listen to that - especially if you’re a Star Wars fan! Barry captured just how radical this Jesus movement was.
Jesus was inaugurating his upside-down Kingdom in full view of everyone! And he continues to do so throughout the rest of chapter 8 and the beginning of chapter 9. He’s healing people, again and again, demonstrating his supernatural authority over sickness and disease.
He drives out evil spirits, proving that he has authority over the spiritual realm.
All the while, Matthew is threading these scenes together, intentionally and repeatedly making the connection between Jesus’ authority and his fulfillment of God’s promises through the Old Testament.
We keep coming back to this word “fulfillment”, all throughout this series, because it’s the central theme of Matthew’s gospel! All these depictions of Christ’s authority, authority to teach, to heal the sick, to cast out demons, all identify Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
Look at what Matthew says in chapter 8, verse 16:
16 That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. 17 This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said,
“He took our sicknesses
and removed our diseases.”
Matthew is hammering this point home! The prophecies were pointing to Jesus! Jesus is the fulfillment! Jesus has all authority! Jesus is the Messiah!
A little further down in verse 23, Jesus calms a violent storm, rebuking the wind and the waves, and the storm obeys him! And the disciples were in awe of his authority.
Verse 27 says,
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
I hope you’re getting the picture here, Matthew is laying out as plainly as he can:
Jesus has authority over all things!
At the beginning of chapter 9, Matthew tells the story of the paralyzed man who was brought to Jesus to be healed. What begins like just another healing story encounters a twist when Jesus tells the man that his sins are forgiven. Now we see that Jesus has the authority to forgive sin!
And this is important because this is the story that sets up the calling of Matthew. It’s as if Matthew is saying that this man, Jesus, has authority over sickness, authority over the spirit realm, authority over nature, and authority to forgive sin – even MY sin. This man, who has already shown mercy to an outsider like the Roman Centurion, and social outcasts like the paralyzed man and those afflicted by evil spirits, this man showed mercy to an outsider and an outcast like me.
Today’s story of Jesus’ authority and fulfillment starts in Matthew chapter 9 verse 9. We’ll pick it up there as you read along with me:
9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So, Matthew got up and followed him.
Now, already we’ve got to take a pause, because just like with the story of the Roman Centurion from last week, it’s easy for us to read this verse too quickly and not think much of it. But Matthew’s original audience would’ve gasped when they read this; it would’ve stopped them in their tracks!
Barry mentioned at the beginning of this series that:
The Gospel of Matthew still has the power to take our breath away, to challenge us in our faith and to launch us into the mission of God.
This one short verse does all 3 of those things! It takes our breath away, challenges us in our faith, and launches us into the mission of God. Let me read it again:
9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So, Matthew got up and followed him.
We saw this in the clip earlier, from “The Chosen” series. Matthew just gets up and starts following Jesus. This might not make sense to us immediately, but when we take a deeper look at Matthew’s world, we may begin to understand why he would leave everything behind on a moment’s notice.
Matthew chapter 4 quotes this passage from the prophet Isaiah that says:
“In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
in Galilee, where so many Gentiles live,
16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined.”
This is where Matthew lived. Beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in a coastal town called Capernaum. This is where he sat in darkness every day. And Jesus saw him sitting by the Sea of Galilee, at his tax collector’s booth.
Tax collectors were despised in Jewish society. And Matthew, a Jewish local, had committed the unforgivable sin in society’s eyes of aligning himself with the enemy, the Roman government. He was considered a traitor to his own people. Tax collectors were known thieves and extortionists; it’s how they made their living, lining their pockets with money they squeezed from hardworking people!
The words “Tax-collector” in Matthew’s day were held with the same contempt as the words ‘Loan Shark’ are today, only worse, because they also involved this dimension of being an enemy sympathizer, someone in cahoots with the bad guys, Roman oppressors. And in Matthew’s case, cooperating with the equally hated local “puppet” dictator Herod Antipas. – the same Herod who, a little later on in Matthew, orders John the Baptist beheaded!
Matthew was a traitor working for the enemy! And traitors were despised by most… And even targeted by some… The Zealots were a Jewish political movement known to resort to violence against anyone they determined was guilty of conspiring with the Roman government. To them, it would’ve been a righteous thing to kill an evil conspirator like Matthew; it was open season on tax collectors.
There was even a law in the Mishna that said it was ok to lie to tax collectors, if it prevented you from being robbed! That’s how pervasive the hatred for tax collectors was in the minds of Jewish society. Lying is a sin! Unless you’re lying to a filthy tax collector. It’s ok to lie to filthy liars. They’re the scum of the earth. They bring shame upon themselves and their entire family!
And this is important. Tax collectors didn’t fly under the radar. Matthew’s stigma would’ve extended to his family. They would have had to disown him to save face, and even then, they’d still be known as the family that produced a traitor! And as the video clip hinted, there’s a very good chance that the disciples would’ve already known Matthew, and had likely already dealt with him.
Remember, the disciples were fishermen. And Matthew is seated at his tax booth along the coast of the Sea of Galilee. The government had placed a tax on everything, including FISH!! Matthew likely knew the fishermen who were passing by with Jesus that day! And he certainly would’ve heard rumblings about this Rabbi who was going through town performing all kinds of miracles.
Jesus already had a reputation in the region. People were coming from all over the land to witness the miraculous power of this Jesus. Large crowds were following him around. Undoubtedly, Matthew had heard something of the buzz surrounding Jesus. Maybe he’d already been curious. Maybe he wished that he, too, could listen to Jesus’ teachings – but he had to work his tax booth, and besides, he was a social outcast. He knows he wouldn’t be welcomed among the crowds of Jewish followers. He might even be harmed, targeted by the Zealots for being a traitor.
So, he sits - at his booth - day in and day out. In the words of the Prophet Isaiah:
He sits in darkness, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
in Galilee,
where so many Gentiles live.
Oh, but on this day:
16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined.”
9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So, Matthew got up and followed him.
Continuing in verse 10:
10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.
We’ll pause here again. I want you to imagine Matthew’s excitement! Again, I picture him, faithfully reporting for duty at his toll booth, day in and day out, catching wind of this amazing teacher who’s been performing all these miracles around town. I can picture him and his fellow tax collectors discussing the hottest news of the day around the water cooler.
“Have you heard about this Jesus guy?”
“Yeah, I’ve been wanting to go see what all the fuss is about… but everyone there pretty much hates me, so….”
These guys knew their place in society: as hated and despised outcasts who weren’t welcome – ANYWHERE!
But now, JESUS, himself, has welcomed Matthew’s into his following – calling Matthew by name - calling him out from the margins, out from the dark underbelly of society, cancelling His banishment by including him at the table!
The table. Where people eat together. To invite Matthew to follow him was one thing, but eating with him was a whole ‘nother thing! Sharing a meal with someone carried strong implications in the 1st century. Eating together was a symbolic act that meant you were choosing to share your life with that person. And this wasn’t just a Hebrew concept. This idea was held throughout the Mediterranean world! You didn’t eat with just anybody! Eating with someone was loaded with meaning, and in the Hebrew world, eating with the wrong kind of person made you ceremoniously unclean! A massive offence that all Jews were careful to avoid!
That’s why it was so scandalous for Jesus to be eating with a vile ‘unclean’ tax-collector. And not just one, but many! We get the idea that Matthew went and invited as many people as he could!
“Can you believe this guy wants to have dinner with us? This is unreal!”
And it wasn’t just any dinner! It was profoundly personal. Now, I know our house Bible says that Matthew invited Jesus to his house for dinner, and that might be the case. But the truth is, we don’t know for sure. The Greek literally reads this way:
“And it came to pass of him reclining in the house that behold many tax collectors and sinners having come were reclining with Jesus and the disciples of him.”
We don’t know whose house it was. We have good reason to believe it was Matthew’s house, because as a crooked tax-collector, he’d likely amassed a fortune large enough to buy a big enough house that could seat all these people. And by seat, I mean ‘recline.’ Verse 10 indicates that Jesus and the scoundrels were reclining at the dinner table. This was an ancient form of dinner party that involved conversation. The idea was to linger at the table, to get settled in and get comfortable, so that the conversation could go deep.
My translation would say, “Jesus was chilling with all these dudes that everybody hated!”
But my translation hasn’t been published yet, so… back to the NLT. Verse 11:
11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Jesus’ words here are breathtaking; we would call it a mic-drop moment! He silences the Pharisees using a commonly known proverb of the time. He speaks in the language of the people.
We have versions of this today, pop-culture proverbs, witty little quips that express a larger meaning with fewer words. Phrases like: “Measure twice, cut once,” or “work smarter, not harder.” (Ya’ll thought I forgot it was Father’s day, fathers have the best one-liners.).
Or for the young ones, ya’ll have your own proverbs like “YOLO,” “keep it 100” “Get that bag,” “lock in” and my absolute least favorite of all: ‘Clock it’. (I’m old and I’m just getting older. The world is starting to sound real strange to me).
But Jesus was employing the language of his day, using a cultural phrase that everyone would’ve already been familiar with:
“The healthy have no need of a physician, but rather, the sick.”
Mark’s Gospel records it this way:
“When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Mark 2:17
Luke says it slightly differently, emphasizing the need for repentance:
“Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:31-32.
But Matthew’s version is unique. After all, this is his story. Matthew’s gospel is the only gospel that references Jesus’ call back to Hosea 6:6.
13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Matthew 9:13
This little addition of Hosea 6:6 gives me chills. If it’s true that Mark’s gospel was the first to be written, and if it’s true that Matthew based his gospel on Mark’s, then that means that at some point, when Matthew was reading Mark’s account of his own redemption story, Matthew thought to himself, “Wait! He left something out!”
According to Matthew, it was in this very moment, at dinner with the tax collectors gathered and the Pharisees looking on with disdain – in this pivotal moment, Jesus quoted the Old Testament Prophet Hosea:
For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6 NKJV
A moment of mercy is unforgettable to the one who has been shown mercy.
Throughout his gospel, Matthew has gone out of his way to describe the authority of Jesus in detail, and how His authority is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy - and here Jesus is, doing it again, but this time with Matthew’s own life as the example. According to Jesus, His act of mercy toward Matthew and his friends was the fulfillment of Hosea 6:6. Jesus is saying: ‘This is what Hosea meant! God desires mercy! Go look it up! You Pharisees want to claim that you know him, then KNOW HIM! Set aside your religiosity for one minute and know the heart of God!’
You see, to the Pharisees, to the religious folk, Jesus is just breaking all the rules, fraternizing with sinners. And not just any sinners, the vilest kind of sinners. The ones who should know better. The ones who turned their backs on their faith, their families, and their communities! The ones who betrayed their own identity. The sell-outs. The money grabbers. The liars. The traitors.
But to Jesus, he was simply practicing his faith, demonstrating the heart of the Father, no matter how unpopular it was. He brought the love of the Father directly to the people who desperately needed it, meeting them where they were, but calling them out from the darkness.
16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
a light has shined.”
Now, I can’t be sure, but my hot take is that Matthew is the only one to record this part about mercy, this call back to Hosea 6, because he is the one who felt the weight of it. Have you ever been on the receiving end of mercy?
Mercy is a devastating thing when it reveals to you your desperate need of it. It destroys you, the false you, so you can be rebuilt again. Matthew had been utterly wrecked by God’s mercy. He would never be the same. The authority of Jesus had laid claim to Matthew so completely that he would pledge his life to testifying to this great mercy!
No wonder he couldn’t leave that part out! This is his whole story! His life changed the day Mercy came for him! Matthew picks up on Christ’s nod to Hosea again, a couple of chapters later, in chapter 12:7 when the Pharisees want to judge Jesus’ disciples for picking some wheat berries on the Sabbath.
Jesus claps back at the Pharisees saying:
7 …If you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
For the Son of man is LORD!! He has all authority!
I can imagine Matthew’s heart jumping! There it is again! He said it again, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice!” That’s what he said to the Pharisees on the night he called me!
I think those words once again took his breath away. I think in that moment, he was taken right back to the day when Jesus saw him, sitting at his tax booth, sitting in darkness, determined ‘that guy needs healing,’ and called him by name.
This series began with the promise, that:
The Gospel of Matthew still has the power to take our breath away, to challenge us in our faith and to launch us into the mission of God.
The story of Matthew’s calling certainly takes my breath away:
Because I’ve been Matthew. I was the one who should’ve known better. I did know better, but I turned my back anyway. A traitor.
I’ve been the guilty one, the one who betrayed my faith, my family, and my own identity. I was the sellout. The liar. I sat in darkness. And then a great light shined on me! Mercy called my name, and that mercy was a devastating thing when it revealed to me just how badly I was in need of it! It destroyed me, the false me, and love rebuilt me again. And now, I pledge my life to testifying to HIS great mercy! Matthew’s story takes my breath away.
And it challenges my faith:
Because let me tell you… there are still some people, that I don’t want reclining at my table. I’m confessing to you right now. There are some folks… you know, somebody else can minister to those folks, you get what I’m saying? This passage reveals to me my own Pharisaical heart, and suddenly I’m the one in need of mercy all over again. I’m the sinner. I’m the one on the outside judging! You simply can not read this passage without being forced to take a long, hard look in the mirror. And repent! God, forgive me for my hard heart toward others. I am failing to love them like you did! Free me from my own judgments and give me your heart for the people around me.
Give me your heart for the people around me.
There I am, being launched right back into the mission of God! Give me your heart for people around me – may I bring the kingdom of God with me, wherever I go, with its pronouncement of freedom. Because once upon a time, I sat in darkness. And a light shone on me. Let me be that light for somebody else, Lord! Let me shine in dark places. Launch me, God, into your mission.
Now, I want to give you a very concrete example of what this has looked like in my life. I’m going to end with a story and then a time of reflection, so you all can put yourselves in the story.
Richslime.jpg
This beloved gentleman right here is Rich Schuler.
Rich was part of a larger church in the suburbs of Chicago that decided to plant a church in the inner city, right in my neighborhood. They, of course, would need to establish a pastor to lead that church. And while Rich had been an active church leader within that larger congregation in the suburbs, he was not a lead pastor, and not an eloquent speaker by any means. He was, however, thoroughly saturated with the love of Jesus, as he faithfully pastored that struggling little church plant until the day he died.
Pastor Rich didn’t judge. He truly never judged. He loved people right where they were, including me.
PastorRich.jpg
I was a mess when I someone first invited me to Rich’s church. I was disillusioned, deeply depressed, struggling to get through each day, carrying a debilitating amount of guilt and shame. But Rich was a great light that shone on me when I needed it the most. He loved Jesus, and was full of Christ’s authority as he fulfilled the Great Commission wherever he went: going and making disciples of ‘all nations’ which, lucky for me and my family, included my little neighborhood on Chicago’s south side. Believe me when I tell you I do not know where I would be if not for this man. I could still be sitting at my tax booth, still sitting in darkness. But one day, Rich walked by, and I don’t know how but he knew, that family needs healing, and he brought the light of Christ directly to me and my husband and my kids.
And I am here to tell you that a moment of mercy is unforgettable to the one who has been shown mercy. Pastor Rich went into a dark place, beaming with the light of Christ, and changed my life with the revelation of God’s mercy, that God’s promise of hope and a new life was for me! God called him home in 2023, but I stand here today, just one tiny piece of his legacy of bringing healing to this broken world in Jesus name!
Folks, we’ve got to take these Bible stories out of abstraction! These are not cute little stories, or ideas, or theological reflections about how to live a decent life; they are the very power of God to save someone’s life!
The Gospel of Matthew still has the power to take our breath away, to challenge us in our faith and to launch us into the mission of God.
Like Matthew, God’s mercy changed my story and launched me into the mission of God! Someone who carried with him the love and authority of Jesus came to my tax booth and set me free!
That’s my story.
So, what’s your story?
I’m going to give you a few minutes, right now, to put yourself in this story. I’m going to read it out loud one more time, and as I do, close your eyes. Listen to the word of God, listen with your heart. What is God telling you? Where are you in this story?
9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.
10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Are you still sitting in darkness? Listen! Jesus calls your name! Leave your shame behind and answer his call, you will never be the same!
Hear the call of your Savior, “Follow Me.”
Are you holding judgment toward someone? A person, or an entire group of people? People who aren’t like you. A person or people you despise?
Listen! Jesus calls their name! His invitation to salvation is extended to all. It is his will that none should perish but have everlasting life! That none should perish! To those who sit a darkness, a light has shined, the very light Christ entrusted you to carry into his world. All the world.
Hear the call of your Savior, “Follow Me.”
To whom are you being called to carry His light? Listen! Jesus whispers their name. Who is your ‘one?’ To whom can you deliver the liberating good news of the gospel?! Who are you being called to love in Jesus’ name?
Hear the call of your Savior, “Follow Me.”
Have you been shown mercy? Have you been on the receiving end of mercy? Do you remember what that felt like? Do you remember who you were when He first called you? Do you remember where you sat? Listen! Jesus calls your name: I have loved you with an everlasting love! With mercy, I have drawn you! With whom will you share your story?
Hear the call of your Savior, “Follow Me.”