Past Sermons |
5th June 2005 |
Fixin' Up a Model T
Matthew 9:9-13
In today's environment kids (and grown-ups) are quick to brand those they disagree with, those who are different, those who are down and out, those who don't measure up, those they don't like … as "losers."
Typically, they are not reticent to bring out the big "L" to make sure you know who you are. I have been on the receiving end in my family on numerous occasions!
It was no different in Jesus' day. For the Israelites, anyone who was different, anyone who was unclean, anyone who aided and abetted the Roman occupation were outcasts - losers.
Jesus, though, had a special place in his heart for these so-called losers. In our text for this morning we read that: when Jesus saw a tax collector (a loser) sitting at his tax booth, he said, "Follow me" -- and the man, Matthew, followed him.
Now there is one sense in which a tax collector wasn't a loser, but a winner. You see, tax collectors worked for Rome, so the person who argued with a tax collector risked finding a Roman soldier knocking at his door. Tax collectors enjoyed immense power because of their ties to Rome.
And they made lots of money too! Tax collectors were given a set amount they had to raise and anything above that was profit. It was theirs to keep. Indeed, most were RICH! They had all the finer things of life. They had everything money could buy.
But there was another sense in which a tax collector was seen as a loser. People hated tax collectors. I suppose people will always hate paying taxes … and sometimes those who collect the taxes too.
But it was even more complicated for tax collectors in Jesus' day. They worked for Rome, and the people of Israel hated Rome. They hated having Roman soldiers garrisoned on their soil. They hated paying taxes to Rome.
The money the tax collectors collected didn't even benefit the local community. The money didn't go to build new schools, or parks, or to provide better garbage collection or to build new water treatment plants … it all went to Rome.
Probably as much as anything, they hated having the likeness of the emperor emblazoned on their coins. They hated Rome's insistence that they acknowledge the emperor as God.
And to top it off, the tax collectors weren't Romans. That would have been bad enough. But the tax collectors were Jews working for Romans, and that was even worse. They were traitors, men who did the Romans' dirty work for a price. They worked for the enemy and had become the enemy themselves.
Tax collectors were the Rodney Dangerfields of society - they got no respect. They may have had money, but they didn't have any respect in the community and in most cases they didn't have any self respect either. They were outcasts and looked down upon. And I imagine they were lonely.
Maybe that's what Jesus saw in Matthew. Whatever it was that Jesus saw in Matthew, what Matthew saw in Jesus, wasn't what HE expected.
Matthew expected to look in Jesus' eyes and see the same rejection and animosity that he had seen in the eyes of every other person he had ever met. But that's not what he saw.
Matthew saw compassion; love; a desire to get to know him better; and an invitation to fill that gaping hole and aching loneliness in his life. All he had to do was "Follow Jesus." And follow him he did!
In Jesus' calling of Matthew he shows us that nobody is so bad as to be outside the circle of God's love. That doesn't mean that God approved of Matthew as he was, but it does mean that God had not written him off.
I believe that God had been loving Matthew -- wooing Matthew -- for all of Matthew's life -- but I doubt that Matthew realized it. Matthew must have felt as far from God as he could be -- like a gang member or a drug dealer. His fellow Israelites certainly thought of him that way. They thought of him as the scum of the earth, and maybe Matthew agreed.
Yes, he probably lived in a nice house and dressed well, but he also knew that they were the products of ill gotten gain. He could see the way that people looked at him. He knew what they thought. One cannot live as a pariah year after year without being affected.
But Jesus, knowing Matthew's reputation and seeing the depth of his heart, said, "Follow me!" -- and Matthew left his tax booth and followed Jesus.
Jesus' invitation to Matthew should give us hope. Paul says that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), and that is true. Think about it, if someone had a videotape of your life -- your whole life -- how would you feel about having the tape aired publicly? Would you be embarrassed? Ashamed? Humiliated?
To be honest, I wouldn't want to view such videotapes. I don't want to view your indiscretions -- and I certainly don't want you to view mine. Truth be told, we all have done things that we're not proud of.
But when Jesus called Matthew to be his disciple, he was acting out of grace -- a grace that tells us not to be afraid -- a grace that assures us that we are never hopeless -- a grace that assures us that God loves us regardless. Regardless! If Jesus had room in his heart for Matthew, he has room there for you -- and for me.
You might imagine that you are unworthy of Jesus, and you would be right -- none of us are. But that is not the way that Jesus sees us. Jesus uses his X-ray vision to reveal, not our unworthiness, but our possibilities.
He is like the man who has an old Model T Ford in his garage. That old car doesn't look like much, but he is so proud of it. The car had sat for decades in someone else's barn.
Then when that someone died, the man bought the car. It obviously is going to take a lot of money and midnight oil to bring that car back to life, but the man sees it all shiny and beautiful in his mind.
Can't you just imagine his excitement and joy as he envisions it as it could be? Can't you just imagine how lovingly he will work to bring it back to life?
That, I think, is how Jesus sees us. He doesn't see the rust and worn paint. He doesn't see the rotten gaskets and flat tires. He sees beautiful lines and wonderful possibilities. Now believe me, it isn't that Jesus is naive. It isn't that we have him fooled. But Jesus knows that God created us in his image, he created us right, and Jesus can hardly wait to begin the restoration.
In my "previous life" - my life before I went into ministry, I, like Matthew, was a "loser." I was a nice guy for the most part, but my lifestyle and my actions didn't always add up to what God desired of me. I lived a pretty raucous life.
I was wild and crazy. No one I associated with in those days, in their wildest dreams (or mine either, for that matter) could have ever have predicted that I would go into the ministry. I was a reclamation project if there ever was one.
But Jesus gently nudged me. Jesus tapped me on the shoulder and encouraged me. When I didn't respond, Jesus didn't give up. The nudging and the tapping just became more and more pronounced until I couldn't ignore them any longer.
Jesus said, "Follow me," and eventually I knew that his love and his acceptance gave me no choice. So I did.
Just about a month ago I was having lunch with my dad in Walnut Creek, my old stomping grounds, and I saw an attractive woman that looked almost exactly like a woman I had dated about 15 years ago. The more I looked, the more I was convinced that it had to be her.
I wanted to approach her, but for the life of me I couldn't remember her name. As I was getting ready to leave she recognized me and beckoned me over. She introduced me to her husband, the head of scouting for the San Francisco Giants (I was impressed!) and then she asked me what I was up to. I will never forget the look on her face when I told her I was a minister. If her jaw could have dropped any further, it would have been dragging on the floor. Her expression was priceless!
When Jesus saw Matthew sitting at his tax booth, he knew that Matthew was a scoundrel. He knew that Matthew had cheated people. He knew that Matthew hardly had a friend to his name. But he also knew that Matthew was sick of the life he had been living. He knew that Matthew was sick of himself. He knew that Matthew was ready for change. And so he said, "Follow me!" -- and Matthew followed.
That was quite a decision for Matthew to make. When Matthew walked away from his tax booth, he left his old way of life behind. He burned his bridges behind him. He knew that his fellow Israelites would hate him for having been a tax collector. He knew that the Romans would hate him for leaving. He knew that he would have only one friend, and that friend was Jesus.
But that was good enough for Matthew. He knew that he needed to change, and he sensed that Jesus could help him do it. And so, when Jesus said, "Follow me!" -- Matthew followed.
I wish that I could tell you that the rest of Matthew's life was easy, but I can't. Life was not easy for any of Jesus' disciples. But still I am confident that Matthew went through the rest of his life with head held high -- not because he became a great man but because he served a loving and compassionate Savior.
To be sure, Jesus will not offer us a bed of roses either. He will not offer us wealth and privilege (trust me on that one!). He won't offer us a life free of disappointment or pain. But if we place our lives in Jesus' hands, we can trust him to rebuild us from the ground up. We can trust that he will make us a new person and give us a new life -- a life full of fire and purpose.
When Matthew made the decision to follow Christ he lost a great deal but William Barclay, noted biblical scholar, also notes what he gained. This is what he writes:
"Matthew 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 like of which he had never dreamed."
It may be that if we accept the challenge of following Christ, we shall find ourselves poorer in material things. It may be that some of our worldly ambitions will have to go. But beyond a doubt we will find a peace and a joy and a thrill in life that we never knew before.
It is my prayer that each of us may be so blessed. Jesus calls to all of us "losers" to follow him. An adventure beyond compare awaits us when we, like Matthew, takes that first step and invites Jesus to dinner - dinner in our hearts and in our souls.
Pastor Tom |
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