Matthew 9:9

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

My pastor was giving a sermon based on this verse and my thoughts regarded this verse went into overload. What kind of person is Matthew. Very little is discussed about Matthew except that he is a tax collector. When he left his job was a huge step. No doubt that he was with someone else to ensure the money he had already was collected would not be stolen. There was at the very least a soldier there to protect Rome’s taxes.That man no doubt would have yelled at Matthew not to go and threaten Matthew if he left the job. If Matthew was able to walk off, other Tax Collectors would be tempted to also walk from their job. Being a tax collector was a very lucrative job, but they gained no respect from their fellow Israelites or the Romans. It was a lonely job. The Romans would demand retribution from a tax collector that stepped away from his job and no longer would collect money for the Romans. He could be flogged or other means of punishment. The Romans were so good in torturing people that defied them.

It was considered a tribute to be asked by a spiritual leader to be his student. However Jesus was considered by many to be leader of a cult. Matthew was sticking his neck out to leave the Roman employment to be part of a cult that was neither in line with the Romans or the Israelites spiritual leaders. No doubt he had heard of Jesus from his friends and from his reputation

Romans 9:10-13

And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

After he drop everything to follow Jesus, Matthew called over his friends, fellow tax collectors, for a party so they can meet Jesus. Along with them came Pharisees. This has to be a tense time for Matthew. What would you say to a fellow worker that walked off the job to follow what was considered a cult leader at that time. Would you go to a party so you could talk him out of what he did and go back to being a tax collecter. Would you go

One final thought. The Gospel of Matthew calls his previous job as a sinful duty more than the other Gospels. This could be that Matthew was asking for absolution because he felt guilty of what he did as a tax collector. It is similar as Paul called himself the least of the Apostles even as he traveled throughout the Roman Empire to spread the Gospel.