Follow me

Saturday March 13, 2021

Follow me

Jesus left from there. As he passed, he saw a man sitting at the tax office named Matthew. He said to him : Follow me. This man got up and followed him. Matthew 9.9

This passage is new in this Gospel : Matthew soberly recounts his own encounter with Jesus and the upheaval that followed! See, he was a tax collector (publican) and as such was despised by every "good" Jew. Indeed, he served the interests of Rome, the oppressor, and he enriched himself at the expense of his fellow citizens... It was unimaginable that Christ would choose him and come and eat at his house! But Jesus will say that it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. That he did not come to call for the righteous, but for sinners (Suggested reading). And the unthinkable comes true...

What a change and what a fate for Matthew ! Having become one of the Twelve Apostles, a few years later he wrote the Gospel which bears his name. Jesus has many surprises in store for those who respond to his call. Of course, Matthew's was special, but aren't we all special cases ? God wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). This "Follow me" is for everyone ! No one is too remote and inaccessible for God. Our past is not what matters, the main thing is to respond to the Lord favorably.

Dominique moreau

__________________

Proposed Reading : Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 9, verses 9 to 13.

Source (Live Today)