Kingdom Come: Following Jesus and Eating With Sinners (Matthew 9:9-13)

Context
‘9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.’

This is Matthew’s origin story, the author of this gospel. He’s in Capernaum, near the Sea of Galilee. All of a sudden Jesus sees Matthew and engages with him, but Matthew was a tax collector, hated by everyone. At this time there was a Roman occupation of Israel, and Herod Antipas who was ruling had three sons. He split up Israel into three provinces and gave those to his three sons, when you passed from one province to another you paid a toll. It wasn’t only a toll, but if you were doing business or had goods, your goods would be taxed. A tax collector or toll collector would also add on his fee on top of that. Matthew was Jewish, but at some point he decided to turn his back on his country and family and be paid. He sold out for money. So imagine what Jesus’ disciples would be thinking or saying when He invites Matthew to join Him.

Obedience
Here we see Matthew’s immediate obedience, he was willing to leave everything for Jesus.
Dallas Willard – Becoming a disciple or apprentice of Jesus cannot be negotiated, rather becoming a disciple is a matter of giving up your life as you have understood it up to that point.

The language in the passage uses the word ‘got up’, or ‘arose’ in the Greek. This same word was used by Matthew to describe what had just happened at the healing before, because he wants to tie the two together. Matthew will use the word ‘arose’ to describe Jesus rising from the dead at His resurrection. The change is so radical in Matthew’s life that it’s like he was dead, and is now alive.

Eating with sinners
‘10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The word sinners was a broad term meaning anyone who didn’t obey the Old Testament law, those who were ceremonially unhealthy, the sick, lepers, those who were so poor they couldn’t travel to Jerusalem and afford to worship in the temple. The group also included those who by their profession were deemed unclean, tax collectors and prostitutes.

For Jesus a meal with this company is a sign of the incoming Kingdom of God. The outcasts of society were the people who became Jesus’ followers, and the Pharisees don’t like it. The Pharisees created a culture of morality, and those who stuck to it were in, those who didn’t were out.

Jesus destroys boundaries through a meal and then says three things:

•  “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. (A common phrase at the time)
• But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ (Telling them to go and read their Bibles)
• For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (His mission was to seek and save the lost)

Potential application

• Bring a challenge around whether people are trying to earn God’s love, like the pharisees?
• Who are you inviting around your tables? Are they people who look like you, or people who look different from you?
• Like Matthew who immediately got up, left everything and followed Him – what would Jesus ask that you leave and walk away from?