Circle of Friends

Circle of Friends

Matthew 9: 9 – 13.

Introduction

I believe there are two ways to think about church. 

For some people, the church is a “Hotel for Saints.”  Church is a place for holy men and women to escape from the sinfulness of the world.  It is a place where you can have all your spiritual needs met, AND you don’t have to come into contact with sinners.

A better image for the church is to think of church as a “Hospital for Sinners.”  Just as a hospital is a place where sick people go to get well, the church is a place for sinners to come and find a remedy for sin and a growing relationship with God.

If the church is a “Hotel for Saints,” there are some people who are not welcome there…Sinners are not welcome in a “Hotel for Saints.”  If the church is a “Hospital for Sinners,” there are people who are not welcome there…Perfect people do not belong in a “Hospital for Sinners.”  (If you think about it, that’s how a hospital works.  Sick people don’t usually get kicked out of the hospital.  But, just as soon as the hospital finds out you are getting well, they don’t want you taking up space that could be used for more sick people!)

These two views of church are based on two different views of how Christians are supposed to relate to the world.  Are Christians supposed to run away from the world?  Or, are Christians supposed to run toward the world? 

I suppose one way we could resolve this is to ask ourselves…What would Jesus Do?  Would Jesus run away from the world?  Or, would Jesus run toward the world? 

What DID Jesus do?  We find a great example in the story of Matthew’s call to discipleship in Matthew 9: 9 – 13…

Matthew 9: 9 – 13.

Mat 9:9	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.
Mat 9:10	While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.
Mat 9:11	When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
Mat 9:12	On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
Mat 9:13	But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, we read about Twelve Disciples.  But, we only read about how five of those twelve were called by Jesus.  It’s a very simple call… 

In Matthew 4, Jesus walks up to the Lake of Galilee and sees two sets of brothers (Simon and Andrew, and James and John).  Jesus finds them busy doing their daily work; he interrupts their work by saying, “Come.  Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Simon and Andrew, and James and John leave everything behind and follow Jesus.

In Matthew 9, Jesus walks up to a tax collector’s booth and finds a man named Matthew.  Jesus issues a very similar call to Matthew (“Follow me”), and Matthew responds exactly the same way Simon, Andrew, James and John responded.  Matthew left everything behind to follow Jesus as his disciple.

I think it is worth noting at this point what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.  The Greek word for “disciple” literally means a “student,” a “learner,” or an “apprentice.”  A disciple is someone who attaches himself or herself to a master.  The disciple learns by following the master’s example and by imitating the master’s every move.  In most cases, discipleship in the ancient world was characterized by a close one-on-one relationship between student and master.  In the New Testament, we see this kind of close one-on-one relationship between Jesus and his disciples…But, we also see something unique.  Jesus did not simply form one-on-one relationships.  Jesus built a community of disciples…Twelve Disciples living in close relationship with Jesus and with each other.

I think this community of disciples is especially important as we look at the call of Matthew as a disciple, because Matthew was a tax collector.

You probably don’t need me to tell you that ancient Jews hated tax collectors.  They felt like we do about taxes.  No one really WANTS to pay taxes.  We pay taxes, because it is the law…We may have to pay taxes, but we don’t have to like it.

Demands of Discipleship

In the First Century, Israel had lost their autonomy as a nation.  Israel was no longer to free to establish their own laws or even to practice their religious views with the freedom they once enjoyed.  Israel was a part of the Roman Empire, and as a result had to pay taxes to Rome.  They were taxed on their income, and they were taxed on the Roman roads they traveled through the land.  And, Matthew was a representative of the Roman occupation.  Either, he was sitting at a roadside toll booth, collecting taxes from people who used the road.  Or, he was sitting in a tax booth next to the Lake of Galilee, taxing the income of fishermen.

It’s possible that Simon, Andrew, James and John already knew Matthew.  It is possible that they had to check in with Matthew every day when they counted up their daily catch.  Matthew would go through their fish and levy a tax on the number of fish in their nets.  If this was true, then they probably resented Matthew.  They did all the work, but they had to give a portion of their hard-earned money to this lazy tax collector!  And, now Jesus is inviting this hated tax collector to become a disciple AND to become a member of the community!

For Jewish people in the First Century, there was a big difference between fishermen and tax collectors.  A fisherman was a respected occupation.  It was hard work, and it was handed down from one generation to the next.  (Simon and Andrew, and James and John were all following in their fathers’ footsteps.  They probably came from a long and proud line of fisherman.)  In a religious sense, a fisherman was a “clean” occupation.  This does not mean that fishermen don’t get dirty while they work or that a fisherman always come home smelling like roses.  It simply means that from the viewpoint of the Temple authorities, fishermen did not do anything that would exclude them from worshipping in the Temple.

Tax collecting was NOT a respected occupation.  Tax collectors were notoriously dishonest.  The Romans required the local tax collectors to pay the full amount of taxes for their region in advance.  This meant that the tax collector could charge whatever he wanted to charge in order to recover what he had already paid in advance AND to make a profit for himself.  In a religious sense, tax collecting was considered an “unclean” profession.  While a tax collector was less likely to get as “dirty” as a fisherman in his daily work, a tax collector was more likely to “defile” himself by touching foreign money and coming into contact with Gentiles.

I want you to notice the way Jesus treated BOTH fishermen and tax collectors.  Jesus called both fishermen and tax collectors to be his disciples.  Jesus issued the same call to both groups of men, “Come.  Follow me.”  There was nothing wrong with calling a fisherman to become a disciple…But, it was scandalous to issue the same call to a tax collector.  Jesus issued the same call to fishermen and tax collectors, and Jesus made the same demands of anyone who wanted to become a disciple.  They left everything behind in order to enter into a relationship with Jesus as their master-teacher.

Sometimes we act as if Jesus has different requirements for different people…As if it were easier for some people to be saved than for others to be saved.  This is not a biblical view of salvation, because the Bible does not tell us that some people are easier to save.  The Jewish religion taught that some people were “clean” and some people were “unclean.”  But, Jesus and the New Testament rejects this view.  Instead, Jesus called both fishermen and tax collectors.  And, the New Testament tells us that there is “no one who is Righteous” before God (Romans 3: 10) and that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3: 23).  There is no difference between Jew and Gentile or fisherman and tax collector.

Matthew Throws a Party

As soon as Matthew became a disciple of Jesus, he threw a party so that all his friends could meet Jesus the way Matthew had met Jesus…  Bless his heart.  Matthew didn’t know any better.

Matthew’s party was attended by his tax collector friends and some friends who were “sinners.”  (Notice in verse 10 that the New International Version places the word “sinners” in quotation marks.  Perhaps this is to remind us that there are several kinds of “sinners.”  There are regular folks who were considered “sinners” by the Pharisees, because they did not follow as many rules as the Pharisees followed.  And, there are people who have a reputation for being notorious “sinners.”  OR, perhaps the NIV is simply reminding us that we are all “sinners,” so these people are not much different from the rest of us.)

If Matthew had been a Christian for longer than a day, he would have known better than to invite Jesus back to his house.  But, Matthew had only been a Christian for a short time.  No one had told him that he needed to keep his religious life and his social life separated.  He just assumed that Jesus wanted to meet his friends.  Or, perhaps it would be better to say, Matthew thought Jesus could change his friends’ lives the same way Jesus had changed his life.

Matthew had experienced something that he wanted everyone in his life to experience.  Jesus had shown him Grace.  Jesus offered him salvation that he could never have accomplished for himself.  Jesus forgave his sins.  Jesus promised him life—eternal life that begins right now…the presence of God to help during the difficulties of life and the promise that this life is not the best we can hope for.  Just as Jesus experienced Resurrection, those of us who believe will also experience Resurrection.

This makes me wonder what you and I think about Jesus. 

Is Jesus the “cosmic cop,” who is constantly watching you to make sure you don’t break any rules?  If so, then it makes sense that we do not tell other people about Jesus. 

Is Jesus just an embarrassing hobby that we participate in on Sundays?  Some people play golf on Sundays, but if they aren’t any good at it, they don’t want you to know.  They are embarrassed.  Some people dress up and participate in reenactments—Civil War, Revolutionary War, Cowboys and Indians…  But, if they are embarrassed of their hobbies, they will never tell anyone about it.

Is Jesus a judgmental and unaccepting Lord?  Do you keep Jesus away from your friends, because you think Jesus won’t like your friends?

This is not what Matthew thought about Jesus.  For Matthew, Jesus showed him Grace, Mercy and Compassion—the very things his friends needed to experience.  For Matthew, Jesus was mysterious, captivating and the One who called him to follow on the adventure of a lifetime.  For Matthew, Jesus was Someone worth knowing.

If you do not think Jesus is worth knowing, you will never tell anyone about him.  Perhaps we need to examine what we believe about Jess…Is Jesus worth knowing?  Or, is Jesus just an embarrassing hobby we hope no one finds out about?

Healthy / Sick and Righteous / Sinner

My interpretation of this passage changed this week as I was studying.  I used to think that Matthew met Jesus and then got so excited about Jesus that he threw a party for all his friends to meet Jesus.  This week I noticed something that changes this for me. 

In Matthew 9: 9, Jesus called Matthew to “Follow Jesus,” and Matthew immediately followed Jesus.

In Matthew 9: 10, Jesus sat down to dinner at Matthew’s house alongside tax collectors and “sinners.”

What happened between verses 9 and 10?  Technically we don’t know, because the Bible leaves a gap in the story.  But, I think can draw a logical conclusion.  In verse 9, Jesus called Matthew to follow.  Jesus is the leader.  Matthew is the follower.  In verse 10, Jesus sat down to dinner with Matthew’s friends.  If Jesus was the leader and Matthew the follower, then Jesus led Matthew right back to Matthew’s friends.

I wonder if Jesus does the same thing with us today…  I wonder… if we actually follow wherever Jesus leads we will go…  Where will we end up?  I think Jesus is leading us right to our friends who are “sinners.” 

This is the point Jesus is making in comparing himself to a doctor.  Just as a doctor who has the cure to some physical disease looks for sick people who need his cure, so Jesus has the cure for our spiritual condition and is searching for people who need to be saved.  Jesus does not run away from “sinners.”  Jesus is running toward “sinners.”

The Pharisees cannot understand this.  In their view of sinners and unclean people, we need to separate ourselves from sin and things that are unclean, because sin is contagious.  If you spend time with sinners, their sin will rub off on you.  If you spend time with unclean people, their uncleanness will overpower your clean status.

Jesus has the opposite view of sin and uncleanness.  In Jesus’ view, holiness and Righteousness are contagious.  When Christians spend time with sinners, our holiness can influence them.  When Christians spend time with people who are unclean, the Righteousness of Jesus overpowers their filthiness and can change their lives.

Jesus does not run away from sinners, and Jesus does not lead us away from sinners.  Jesus leads us toward the people who need him the most.

Conclusion

According to Bill Hybels, the longer a person attends church, the fewer evangelistic conversations that person has (Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps Pointing People to Faith [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006]).  If this is true, there is a simple explanation.  Most Christians spend more time with other Christians than with non-Christians.

If we use Jesus’ illustration, Christians who only spend time with other Christians is like a doctor who never has any contact with sick people.  A doctor who never encounters sick people cannot fulfill his purpose.  In the same way, a Christian who never encounters non-Christians cannot fulfill our purpose to be fishers of men and women.