Encountering Jesus Today: Called February 26, 2012 Now we can say a few other things about Matthew that might help to understand why he went with Jesus. One of the things that do know from history is that Jewish tax collectors were not considered a part of the Jewish people. As Indermark said in his book Tax Collectors were considered on the same level of thieves. They were not allowed to hold office. This band extended to their families. They could not testify in a court of law because they were considered nothing more than liars. They were protected by the solders only because of their role in collecting taxes for Romans.
There are some things that we can assume just because of the nature of his business. For example, Matthews house and tollbooth must have been someplace on the main road through Capernaum. Like wise he would need a view towards the lake because this would be a source of taxation. As we read in the book, he had to verify all the fish because the Jews believed that they had a duty to lie to the tax collector. Would Simon lie to Matthew? Simon probably did any time he could get away with it.
Another thing we can assume is that news travels fast in a small town. With Matthew’s both stationed at or very near the cross section of town we can assumed and someplace close to the water, he more than likely heard quickly about the two healings that day. A man with leprosy had been cleansed and a paralyzed man had been forgiven of his sins and healed. Now even for a tax collector, that was amazing stuff. He probably did not get to see Jesus happen up close until these people waked by. We simply do not know what got his attention but something did because when Jesus walked up to him and said follow me, he was ready to go.
Could you make a decision in that short of time? During my senior year of college, I had received a call to the ministry. I had already singed up to interview with 2 or three schools for a teaching position. One of the schools was from North Dakota. It did not take me long to call him up the Principal and cancel the inter view. But there was one school up at Hoyt Kansas that I had already set up a date for an interview. I thought I shouldn’t go through 4 years of school and then not do at least one interview. When I got to Hoyt the principal told me that there were four positions and 100 applications. Thinking so highly of my self, my first thought was I didn’t have a chance to get the job so I relaxed and answered the questions. I left thinking that I would be going to seminary the next year. About one month later when I was in the middle of teaching a junior high woods class, my supervising teacher came and got me. I had a phone call from the principle at Hoyt. He said that he was offering me a job. I had just about as long as Matthew did to make up my mind. I told him I would take it.
This might sound like a strange call from God. After all I had already been called by God to be a pastor and I had already said yes once to God’s call. However, as I look back at that call, there were several very positive things that happened out of being called to this teaching job. In the first place, during those 9 months of teaching I learned that I did not want to teach industrial arts. The year was also good for Linda because she discovered that all she really wanted to do was to be married and have a family. By the end of the year we were ready to get started with seminary and a new life together. During that year we also got over the newly wed jitters. By our second year of marriage we were ready to take on the demands that a graduate school put on a marriage.
While I did not know why I said yes, God did and was leading me so that I would be ready to take on my life’s work.
God is willing to lead us if we are willing to follow. But we also must have some idea what we want out of life. This was the question Jesus asked Bartimaeus.
Read Mark: 10: 46-52 46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. “What do you want me to do for you?” At first this question seems rather silly. What else would a blind man or woman want? He could have wanted money. If things would have worked out, and if everyone in crowed around Jesus gave even one coin, the blind man could have made a whole years worth of begging in one short hour. But the man did not ask for money. He wanted to see. Some how this man had gotten word that Jesus was present and that it was the same Jesus who had the reputation to heal people. When Jesus asked this man wanted Jesus to do for him, Jesus was challenging this man to think through what he really wanted.
All during high school and college my only thought was to be a high school teacher. Then I got my dream and my dream was not what I thought it would be. At that time I had no idea that God had a plan and an Idea that would be better for me. I would have been miserable as a shop teacher and I would never have been able to do it. But I had to find that out for my self. Now lest you think that Gods call is only for full time professional ministry, I have news for you. God has a call for every one and some of the times the call is not a request. Some of the times God’s call is thrown in our lap with out any time to think about or to decide what we would do.
Simon of Cyrene was not given a choice. He was pressed into service to carry the cross of Christ. He had no choice in the matter. He was a Jew from Northern Africa. It was not unusual for a Jews to come from Africa. Many Africans came to the Jewish religious celebrations. It was Simon’s unfortunate luck to be standing there by Jesus when he fell and the Solders need some one to carry the cross.
Mark though makes an unusual notation in his gospel. He defined the man Simon by his sons. It is almost as if Mark thinks that everyone would know who Alexander and Rufus was and would connect Simon with them. One would speculate that Alexander and Rufus were well known in the church.
God calls us to both short term and long term service. It doesn’t make any difference whither God calls us to full time service or to lay service we all have the same task as the women did when Jesus called them to tell the disciples about his resurrection. The message is the same. The tomb is empty. He is alive today just as he was alive standing out side His own tomb. All we have to do is to tell what we have experienced. All we can do is to tell other what the Living Jesus has done for us. We are all called by Jesus to tell others about His life on earth, His death on the cross and His eternal life today. We can’t make people believe but we can share our story. We can tell others that Jesus has made something beautiful of our lives. |
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