Church Sermon - June 9, 2002

FOLLOW ME

Rev. Bernt P. Tweit

 Old Testament Lesson; Hosea 5:15-6:6
Epistle Lesson; Romans 4:18-25
Sermon Text; Matthew 9:9-13

Are you a proud parent or grandparent? You see those little ones with their angelic faces, their bright smiles, sharing their toys and saying, "Please" and "Thank you". When you see them, they come running, give you a big hug and tell you how much they love you. Those are the precious moments, when you wish you could stop the clock and cherish them forever.

In a moment such as this, in your pride, you may think they are…

just

They have done what you have asked them. They have followed in your footsteps. They have similarities just like you.

But there are also other moments, when they throw temper tantrums or go marching around the house saying, "No" and "Mine". In moments like that you think, they have followed and have similarities with some of their relatives on your spouse's side. :-)

Certainly we know that our children and grandchildren have followed after us, in both our good qualities and our bad qualities. Today in our sermon text we see two groups of people. One who followed Jesus, and the other who thought they followed Jesus.

In the Roman Empire, the Government taxed its people. Under its chain of command, a person from each region was hired to collect the Roman tax. In the region of Capernaum, Matthew, a Jew, had been hired to tax the Jews. Their own people despised these tax collectors. Most likely, Matthew was an outcast. Most likely, Matthew was banned from the synagogue.

Notice who it is that Jesus not only talks to, but also asks to follow him. It is Matthew! This same Matthew, who probably over taxed the people, was called to be a disciple. Matthew, who once during his life had taken gifts of money from people, now would be giving the gift of eternal life to people, through the Gospel of Jesus. The name Matthew actually means, "gift of God."

The call that Matthew received, was a very simple one. Just one word, in the Greek language and two words in English:

Following Jesus weighed instantly in Matthew’s mind. Our text tells us "Matthew got up and followed him." The Greek verb, indicates that following Jesus began at that moment and continued uninterrupted into the future. Matthew left his counting table and found in Jesus’ command the promise that those who follow His call, will be blessed –

here

and

in eternity.

Matthew, it seems, immediately offered opportunities for his friends to hear the Gospel’s saving message, which is only found in Jesus. He invited Jesus and his friends to his house for dinner. Matthew’s invitation led to their meeting the Savior. Also over the last two millenniums, think of the number of people that Matthew has reached, with the Gospel, written under his name!

Look at Matthew’s example. He was a tax collector who had more income than most of his own countrymen, but yet he was willing to give it all up for Jesus! Here is an example of what we are to possess for Jesus. To be so in love with Jesus, that we are willing to follow him wherever he leads us, no matter what the cost to our own lives.

A lot of people only notice all that Matthew lost when he followed Jesus, but we also recognize all that he gained. A church historian says of Matthew that,

"He lost a comfortable job, but he found a destiny.

He lost a good income, but he found honor.

He lost a comfortable security, but he found an adventure, the life of which he had never dreamed."

By following Jesus, we find a joy and a thrill in life that we never knew before! In Jesus we find a wealth beyond anything that we may have!

Are we like Matthew, when Jesus asks us, "Do you truly follow me"? Or are we like the Pharisees, when Jesus asks us, "or do you only say that you will follow me?"

Today I also must mention the other group of people,

who were around when Matthew followed Jesus. They are the Pharisees. The Pharisees had been following Jesus around and watching him very closely. They saw Jesus ask Matthew to follow Him. They also saw Jesus eating with Matthew and His friends.

The Pharisees were a pious and arrogant group of people who prided themselves in the keeping of their religious traditions and rituals. And, they believed that the keeping of these traditions worked out their salvation.

The word Pharisee means, "set apart". As the name indicates, they thought they were holy because they kept themselves separate from tax collectors and sinners. They believed that anyone who didn’t act like them could not come into God’s presence. They reasoned that if Jesus were indeed the Messiah that anyone who didn’t uphold Pharisaic practices couldn’t follow this Messiah.

The Pharisees saw tax collectors as the scum of the earth, because they were willing to perform a job in which they stole money. So when Matthew followed Jesus, his example hardly impressed them. To the Pharisees, Matthew was unclean and not worth associating with. And they believed he was destined to hell, because he was not like them. They felt that he could not possible know anything about following God or following the Messiah, because he was not a Pharisee. Since Matthew’s example didn’t help the Pharisees to change their hearts, Jesus tried to teach them a lesson by his own actions.’

Jesus wanted the Pharisees to realize that outward appearance doesn’t determine a person’s heart or their relationship with God. Matthew was indeed a sinner, but so were the Pharisees. The Pharisees appeared to be holy, but inside they weren’t holy because they were only trying to be recognized in the eyes of people. Matthew didn’t put on a show, but he admitted who he was. He admitted his wrong, and he abandoned the world in order to follow Jesus. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were deceitful about who they were inside, because they wished to posses the world by gaining political recognition for their acts of holiness.

As believers, we certainly have been asked by Jesus to follow him. Who are we more like, Matthew or the Pharisees?

I know often times that after Jesus has asked us to follow him, we become Pharisees, ourselves. A visitor comes to our church to worship with us and instead of being like Matthew, who invited his friends to join with him, we become like the Pharisees. We set ourselves apart and don’t associate with the visitor, because they are not like us.

The spirit of Pharisaism is not dead. It lives in us. When Martin Luther teaches us to regard ourselves at the same time a saint and a sinner, that means each of us must beware of the Pharisee within us.

When Jesus came, He didn’t separate Himself from us; rather he became one of us. He came for all people, including those who are sinners. Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Jesus came to call sinners like Matthew and us to eternal life. Matthew recognized his need for the Great Physician Jesus. May we too, continue to recognize our need for our Savior, because of the sickness of our sin.

Jesus also does another thing. He reaches out to the Pharisees. He desires mercy, not sacrifice. He wants the Pharisees to see their wrong. He also wants us to see our wrong, and admit we need help.

In a light-hearted way, we love to receive praise when our children or grandchildren display qualities, in following us. And, pass the blame on to the other side of the family, when the qualities are not so good.

Today we recognize that we are the sick ones whom Jesus comes to heal and called to follow Him. Jesus invites us who are sinners to follow Him and to receive "Matthew". That is right! To receive "Matthew." Remember Matthew means, "gift of God." We receive the gift of God, when we look to Jesus, The Great Physician, who died for our sins on the cross.

Amen.

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