Jesus stunned the religious with his meal companions. He saw something in them that the world didn’t see. And his interest in the lost has propelled his body for two millenia.
As Jesus was going down the road, he saw Matthew sitting at his tax-collection booth. “Come be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.
That night Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to be his dinner guest, along with his fellow tax collectors and and many notorious sinners. The Pharisees were indignant. “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” they asked his disciples.
When he heard this, Jesus replied, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: “I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices.” For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.
Matthew 9:9-13Matthew 9:9-13
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Jesus Chooses Matthew 9 As Jesus was leaving, he saw a tax collector q tax collector: See the note at . named Matthew sitting at the place for paying taxes. Jesus said to him, “Come with me.” Matthew got up and went with him. 10 . Later, Jesus and his disciples were having dinner at Matthew's house. r Matthew's house: Or “Jesus' house.” Many tax collectors and other sinners were also there. 11 Some Pharisees asked Jesus' disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and other sinners?” 12 Jesus heard them and answered, “Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do. 13 a ; b . Go and learn what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others.’ I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.”
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But if we look past the parables, the dinners, the challenge to the status quo, we see that Jesus had a plan in mind. In short: We’re it. We’re Plan A. And we’re the only plan. Jesus is the only way for salvation, for a new chance at relationship with God, righteousness before him. But we’re his plan for spreading the word. And he has placed great faith in us.
If that is a chilling thought to you, you’re probably not alone. What if we mess up? What if we don’t get it done? The good thing is, we’re not alone. As part of Plan A, Jesus left us with the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to do it all in our own strength. That’s no excuse to slack off, mind you. Just realize that it isn’t up to you alone to will spiritual development or to manufacture growth in the Church.
The Holy Spirit empowered Peter to preach powerfully at Pentecost. Paul changed Asia Minor with a persistent message of Christ’s love that broke through all barriers the world presented it with. It wasn’t royalty. It was fisherman. It was tax-collectors. It was women and men who took God at his word and changed their present and our future. Acts shows the Spirit in action in a people who were ready to allow God to move within them. It didn’t require a seminary degree. It didn’t require years of OJT under professional ministers. It didn’t require shiny lights or the Internet. All it took was faith and committed love. The Spirit filled in the rest.
We are to use every means to reach the world with the message Jesus left us with. But Jesus wants you to remember that you are the tool he most wants to use. Not because you are super-clever or charming, but because to reach people, it takes people. Real people. People who attend soccer matches with their kids. People who open up their homes for meals or games. People who get involved in the community. People with interests and hobbies, passions and plans, all submitted to God to be used by him. What he can do with them is beyond our imaginations.
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