#6 (The 12 Disciples
Series)
"MATTHEW
– THE QUICK CHANGE!"
TEXT: Luke
5:27-32; 3:12-13; (Matt. 9:9-12)
INTRO:
What would you do if you were very
wealthy and very comfortable in life? More than likely spiritual things would
not be high on your list. Normally
this type of person would be hard to lead to Jesus Christ; their comfort level
would keep them away from seeing their need of God, hence Jesus’ warning about
the difficulty of the rich entering the kingdom of God.
ILLUS: ONE OF THE
UNUSUAL WAYS THAT WAS USED TO CATCH RACCOONS ILLUSTRATES THIS POINT: RAccOONS LIKE SHINY THINGS, SO TO CATCH
ONE PEOPLE USED TO TAKE A SMALL SCREENED BOX ATTACHED TO THE GROUND AND PUT IN
IT A WADDED BALL OF TIN FOIL, NICE AND SHINY! A RAccOON WOULD COME BY AND DECIDE IT WANTS
THAT SHINY BALL AND SO WOULD REACH IN AND GRAB IT – AND IT WON'T LET IT GO! ONCE THEY GRAB IT HOWEVER, THEIR PAW
CHANGES SHAPE SO THAT THEY CANNOT WITHDRAW IT OUT OF THE CAGE, MANY TIMES A
RACCOON WILL GIVE UP ITS FREEDOM RATHER THAN LET GO OF THE SHINY TINFOIL, EVEN
TO THE POINT OF SACRIFICING ITS LIFE RATHER THAN LETTING GO! AS LONG AS THEY CONTINUE TO GRASP THE
FOIL THEY CANNOT GET AWAY! SUCH IS
OFTEN THE CASE WITH COMFORTABLE PEOPLE WITH THIS WORLD'S SHINY STUFF!
– SOURCE
UNKNOWN
Matthew (also called “Levi”) stands out as one
of those rare examples of a man who had almost everything this world had to
offer; money, power, and yet, he instantly gave it all up for Jesus! He was a tax collector who was used to
making quick change that made a quick change personally – and has given us one
of the greatest books in the Bible, the Gospel of
Matthew!
PROP. SENT: The Bible teaches us that there is
nothing in this world that compares with knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and
Savior!
I. MATTHEW AND HIS MESS! Lk. 5:27a;
3:12-13
A. Rejected! Lk.
5:27a
1. Matthew was no doubt a very wealthy
man, he was a tax collector for the Roman government while also being a
Jew.
a. Jewish tax collectors were hated by
just about everyone except other Jewish tax
collectors!
b. They were hated by Romans because
they were Jewish, and hated by Jews because they took money from other Jews for
an ungodly Roman government!
c. Matthew's name before his salvation
was Levi, thus he was from the tribe of the Levites. This made him even more hated by the
Jews who saw his being a tax collector for the Romans while belonging to the
priestly line an even greater than normal betrayal!
d. Jewish tax collectors were so hated
by their own people that they were called "leeches" and "robbers." (In the Jewish Talmud they are called
"ROBBERS" and the term is equated with "SINNER"!)
2. The very term "publican" or “tax
collector” was equated with "sinner" – they were so hated by all
Jews!
a. They were considered the "spiritual lepers" of society, impure
and unclean, without hope of recovery!
b. They were also ignored and treated
as "outcasts" like lepers, no one
cared for or about them; they were often rich at the expense of others and so
very lonely!
c. Tax collectors were allowed by
Roman law to charge any price they wanted for taxes as long as they didn't cause
an uprising, thus they often taxed way beyond what the taxes were suppose to be
for Rome and they kept the difference for personal wealth – the real tax base
was unknown by most regular citizens so they just paid what was demanded – no
one knew the difference!
3. Tax collectors were so hated in
Jewish society that they were never permitted to serve as witnesses in court or
serve as a judge, they were even expelled from local synagogues, even their
families were held in disgrace and in contempt by the Jewish
community!
a. They were considered beyond all
hope and not redeemable!
b. Thus their only friends were other
outcasts like themselves, the scum of society – the rich and powerful who were
only concerned about their own lives!
4. Up to this point Jesus had called
simple men to be His disciples, men like fishermen, uneducated and of simple
means. Matthew was so unlike these
other guys however, he was educated and very wealthy – and also considered
scum!
a. Jesus had lived in Capernaum now
for some time thus He likely had come to know Levi or Matthew by paying taxes
for Himself and His mother and brothers and sisters. (Family mentioned in MARK 6:3)
b. Jews of Jesus' day made no
attempt whatsoever at trying to win over tax collectors, they were
considered too wicked to win since they were considered hopeless people –
“robbers” ... “leeches” ... “sinners” ... “traitors” ... etc. Jesus however saw Matthew as a potential
candidate to become a follower, no one was hopeless for
Jesus.
5. Matthew unlike the others could
read and write in Aramaic and Greek because of his education and wealth, it is
he who has given us a treasure trove of information in his Gospel
account:
a. It is Matthew who records many of
the “money”
stories:
(1. Like the laborers who all worked
different hours, but who all got paid the same in the
end!
(2. The debtor who owed much money but was
forgiven much, yet he did not forgive the brother who owed him
little.
(3. The story of paying taxes to Caesar or
giving to God.
(4. He alone tells us about the guards being
paid to lie about Jesus’ body being stolen.
(5. Matthew alone tells us about Judas
throwing the 30 pieces of silver back into the temple before his
suicide.
b. It must have been something to
witness the other disciples’ reaction to Jesus’ calling of Matthew to be a
disciple! Matthew was so different
from the others, yet his love for detail certainly has proved a blessing for all
of us in His recorded Gospel!
B. Robber! Lk.
3:12-13
1. How well will a "robber" do following John the
Baptist? “Tax
collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we
do?" "Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told
them.”
2. By this text it is quite clear what
the average tax collector was doing to their fellow Jews, they were ripping off
their own brothers for personal gain by overcharging them on
taxes!
a. Yet, they were also coming to John
to be baptized!
b. There were some that wanted to
change, there was hope for some – they weren’t all
hopeless!
c. John tells them that they must stop
overcharging on taxes, to only tax what was required. Ironically, they would still be hated
doing even this! John did not tell
them it was wrong to collect taxes, just wrong to
overtax.
3. Why would John or Jesus even be
interested in such people like tax collectors?
a. Why would God ever be interested in
YOU or ME!?
b. Matthew couldn't even go to
synagogue or temple, he wasn't accepted anywhere except by fellow robbers – or
John or Jesus!
ILLUS: MAHANDAS K.
GANDHI WAS THE LEADER OF THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT AGAINST BRITISH RULE AND
CONSIDERED THE FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY INDIA. IN GANDHI'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY HE WROTE THAT
IN HIS STUDENT DAYS HE WAS TRULY INTERESTED IN THE BIBLE. HE BECAME DEEPLY TOUCHED BY THE GOSPELS
AND SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED BECOMING A CHRISTIAN, ESPECIALLY SINCE CHRISTIANITY
SEEMED TO OFFER THE REAL SOLUTION TO THE CASTE SYSTEM THAT WAS DIVIDING THE
PEOPLE OF INDIA – IN CHRISTIANITY ALL WERE TO BE EQUAL AND LOVED. ONE SUNDAY, HE WENT TO A NEARBY CHURCH
TO ATTEND SERVICES. HE DECIDED TO
SEE THE MINISTER AND ASK FOR INSTRUCTIONS IN THE WAY OF SALVATION AND
ENLIGHTENMENT ON OTHER DOCTRINES, BUT WHEN HE ENTERED THE SANCTUARY THE USHERS
REFUSED TO GIVE HIM A SEAT AND SUGGESTED THAT HE GO AND WORSHIP WITH HIS OWN
PEOPLE! GANDHI LEFT AND NEVER
CAME BACK. "IF CHRISTIANS HAVE
CASTE DIFFERENCES ALSO,” HE SAID TO HIMSELF, "I MIGHT AS WELL REMAIN A
HINDU!" – SOURCE UNKNOWN
4. Up to this point in Matthew's life
he had always lived by the tax collector’s "GOLDEN RULE," that is: "HE THAT HAS
THE GOLD – RULES!"
a. Matthew had spent his life knowing
how to get rich at other people's expense.
b. He had to have developed a certain
callous spirit towards others in order to charge more than what was suppose to
be charged, especially taking advantage of widows and the poorer families of the
area!
ILLUS: LIKE ONE
LITTLE BOY WHO GOT RICH EVERY CHRISTMAS AT A SHOPPING MALL. HE WOULD STAND IN THE AISLE AND CRY
WHILE HIS MOM WAS SHOPPING A LITTLE WAYS OFF, CONSTANTLY CRYING, "I WANT MY
MOMMY!" PEOPLE PASSING BY WOULD
FEEL SORRY FOR HIM AND THUS THEY WOULD GIVE HIM MONEY TO TRY AND CHEER HIM UP,
FINANLLY ONE DAY A FLOORWALKER CAME OVER TO HIM AND SAID, "I KNOW WHERE YOUR
MOMMY IS SON!" THE LITTLE BOY
LOOKED UP THROUGH HIS TEARS AND SAID, "SO DO I – JUST KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT
MISTER!" – SOURCE
UNKNOWN
5. Matthew had spent his life taking
from others and caring nothing about them! As long as he got what he wanted that's
all that counted! This was some
candidate for being called an APOSTLE!
II. MATTHEW AND HIS MESSIAH! Lk. 5:27b-32 (Matt. 9:9-12)
A. Repentant! Lk.
5:27b-28
1. One day Jesus approached Matthew's
tax booth and made a simple request: "follow
me!" 5:27b
a. What a surprise and shock this must
have been to Matthew!!!!
b. He wasn't permitted in the
synagogue and he couldn't be a witness in court even if he was the sole witness
to a crime, yet here was Jesus asking him to be a follower and to come and be a
witness for Him!
c. He certainly had to know something
about Jesus as a great teacher and prophet, how could Jesus even be interested
in HIM!?
2. Jesus offered no lectures about
money, power, or status, just a simple request: "follow
me!"
a. Nobody had ever asked him before
for something without an ulterior motive!
b. What about all the wealth he had,
was Jesus just interested in his money? This would have been anyone else’s
interest in him – but he knew something about Jesus and knew this was not Jesus’
interest.
3. Matthew simply GETS UP AND LEAVES
EVERYTHING! – Instantly he follows Jesus!
a. How different this was from the
other disciples who were fishermen!
If things didn't work out as disciples for the fishermen they could
always go back to fishing – and on a few occasions they actually did, but a tax
collector walking away could never go back, it was a permanent
decision!
b. To walk away from all the money and
the power, to know that there was no returning if you walked away, this took
real REPENTANCE!
4. Matthew had a chance to find real
meaning in life and he was going to grab it before it got away! No one would know him today had he
continued in his old profession, but everyone knows him today as one of the
twelve apostles because he changed!
ILLUS: TWO
BROTHERS WERE DISCUSSING THEIR LIFE GOALS ONE DAY AFTER SUNDAY SCHOOL. THE FIRST BROIHER'S GOAL WAS TO BECOME
RICH AND FAMOUS. THE SECOND
BROTHER'S GOAL WAS TO FOLLOW CHRIST TO THE FULLEST. THE SECOND BROTHER WENT ON TO REACH HIS
GOAL, HIS NAME WAS DAVID LIVINGSTONE, THE RENOWNED MEDICAL MISSIONARY AND
EXPLORER OF AFRICA WHO BROUGHT SALVATION TO SCORES OF AFRICANS! THE FIRST BROTHER WHO WANTED TO BE RICH
AND FAMOUS ACHIEVED PART OF HIS GOAL, HE BECAME RICH BUT HIS FAME CAME FROM HIS
SECOND BROTHER – FOR THE EPITAPH ON HIS TOMBSTONE READS: “HERE LIES THE BROTHER
OF DAVID LIVINGSTONE.” – SOURCE UNKNOWN
a. Matthew came to realize the
treasure he was being offered by Jesus was a treasure far greater than all the
wealth of this world!
b. Like the parable of the man who had
found the one great pearl, he sold all that he had to buy the one great pearl of
his dreams! Matt. 13:45-46
c. Receiving Jesus as his Lord was
considered a huge gain and not a loss for him! Do we view receiving Christ this
way?
B. Recruiter! Lk.
5:29-32
1. The depth of his repentance is
revealed by how he deals with his decision to follow Jesus, he neither became a
secret follower nor kept his decision low key!
a. He instead immediately went
public with his commitment to Christ!
He throws a dinner and invites all his crooked friends – he has something
important to share with them, Jesus!
b. He wanted his buddies to know the
truth about the decision he had just made for Christ, being a new believer
didn't exempt him from evangelizing right away!
c. We can
evangelize IMMEDIATELY when we get saved, it does not require special
education, all that is required is that we share honestly and openly the
confession of faith that we have made for Christ, and to turn our backs on our
former way of life.
ILLUS: ONE NEW
CHRISTIAN WAS TYRING TO EXCUSE HIMSELF FROM WITNESSING BY SAYING HE DIDN'T KNOW
ENOUGH YET ABOUT BEING A CHRISTIAN TO TELL OTHERS. HE NEEDED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIBLE
FIRST. TO THIS THE PASTOR ASKED
HIM, "SON, WHEN DOES A LIT CANDLE START TO SHINE?" THE YOUNG MAN RESPONDED, "WELL OF COURSE
AS SOON AS IT IS LIT!" THE WISE
PASTOR THEN QUICKLY ADDED, "EXACTLY! – AND SO IT IS WITH ANYONE WHO GETS SAVED,
AS SOON AS THEY ARE SAVED THEY BEGIN TO SHINE!" – SOURCE UNKNOWN
2. Matthew's decision was permanent
and not some passing fad, he wanted his old buddies in sin to know the depth of
the change in his life and to meet Jesus!
a. This was his only concern, not what
would people really think!
b. Matthew uses his old wealth to
bring others to Jesus!
c. Since it was unlikely that the religious
leaders would attempt to reach these people Matthew felt he
must!
3. If Matthew didn't reach out to them
no one else would have, this is evident by the religious leaders’ question: "Why do you eat
and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners?’" Lk. 5:30
a. The function of eating and drinking
with someone expressed ACCEPTANCE and FRIENDSHIP!
b. The religious leaders would never
have fellowshipped with these kinds of people, but these are precisely the kind
of people Jesus came to save!
c. It is hard to see people get saved
that are self-satisfied and feel no need of anything!
4. It is almost laughable but really
tragic that they asked Jesus how He could reach out to “SINNERS!” What in the world were these religious
leaders suppose to be doing if not reaching out to sinners? What was the purpose of their faith in
God???
a. They really weren't any different
from Matthew before he was saved!
Matthew as a tax collector only concerned himself with his own needs and
those just like him – ironically these religious leaders were doing the same
thing!
b. The religious leaders only
concerned themselves with their own needs and those who were just like them;
they weren't interested in the lost or sinners!
5. For Matthew the only interest now
was reaching out to others like himself who had lost their way, to help steer
others to Jesus who alone is the answer to the heart problem of sinful
man!
6. For Matthew, he was used to making
change – cash that is; now however he makes a "quick change" of
character!
7. How many people will be lost simply
because we never ask them to follow Jesus because we think they never will or
because we think they are the wrong type!
ILLUS: YEARS AGO
HENRY FORD PURCHASED A LARGE INSURANCE POLICY. THE NEWSPAPERS REPORTED IT IMIMEDIATELY
INCLUDING THE HUGE POLICY’S CASH VALUE AND PRICE TAG. THE STORY WAS READ BY A VERY GOOD FRIEND
OF HENRY FORD WHO WAS IN THE INSURANCE BUSINESS. THE OLD FRIEND WENT TO CONFRONT FORD TO
SEE IF THE STORY WAS TRUE! WHEN
FORD ASSURED HIM THAT IT WAS THE FRIEND THEN ASKED HIM WHY THE POLICY WAS NOT
PURCHASED FROM HIM SINCE HE WAS A PERSONAL FRIEND AND HAD BEEN IN THE INSURANCE
BUSINESS FOR MANY YEARS. FORD'S
REPLY WAS, "YOU NEVER ASKED ME!"
HOW MANY OF OUR FRIENDS CAN SAY TO US, "YOU NEVER ASKED ME TO ACCEPT
JESUS!" – SOURCE UNKNOWN
a. Matthew's change was total and
public!
b. No price was too high to follow
Jesus for Matthew!
c. This
was the best “change” he had ever made!
CONCLUSION: Matthew desired serious
change, but not cash, he wanted character! Jesus offered this wealthy, educated
“reject” a chance to really be something – a disciple, to really cash in
on something valuable! For Matthew
it was a "quick change" ... he literally walked away from his past and became
one of Jesus' most trustworthy followers!
It is never too late for "quick change!" How about you?
p.s. His old name Levi was changed to
"Matthew" – it means: "gift of
God"