Willing People

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.

I love the simplicity of this calling in the life of Matthew. I believe that often we miss the callings of Jesus in life because of their simplicity. We love the extraordinary, we crave for the glitz and glitter, we rush to the fire--that’s the type of people we are. However, this calling of Matthew is simple: “Follow me.”

Now I am sure Jesus was aware of who Matthew was; this was not a random calling. None of our callings are random in the eyes of Jesus, He has a plan, and He knows where He is going. On the surface it is so simple. There was nothing to think about, nothing to do before following, nothing to tell anybody else about, just get up and follow. In fact, in another account of this calling of Matthew in the Gospel of Luke, it states that Matthew left everything there and immediately followed.

Many of the commentaries of this passage make mention of how Matthew was not the best choice to be a follower of Jesus because he was a tax collector; however, I think he is the perfect choice. He was perfect not because he was unique or special in anyway. In fact, he was not a good person at all. Just read verse 10-13 and get an idea how tax collectors were viewed. Yet that is why this is all the more incredible.

Here is some truth. Jesus doesn’t call the best people; Jesus calls the willing people. Yes, some of these people are good and they are best at what they do. But that is not why they are called. Jesus calls them according to what He sees in them and what He knows the outcome will be. That’s why the simplicity and beauty of this passage is so important. That’s why when we respond, we must do so willingly, leaving everything behind and following. I find this a unique quality in today’s world.

How did Jesus call you is the question that I want to pose. I doubt that there was writing in the sky and lights going off, or even angels singing the Hallelujah Chorus. I suspect that your calling and mine was in the same way, quite simple. Jesus called and we followed. Some with hesitation, some with fear, yet others with more prompting and nudging needed, but all of us are called in the same way. “Follow me,” Jesus says, and we decided the answer to that question needed to be, in fact could not be anything else but, “YES!”

SO here is the challenge today. I challenge you to renew your calling, to examine how and why you were called. I invite you to journey with me over the course of the next few days as together we think it through. Join with me to consider the implications and dimensions of this call and search the ways we can be faithful. The end result will be the same. I am simply called to follow and so are you. Lead on Jesus.

Blessings, Rip