THE GOSPELS: LESSON 27:
THE CALL OF MATTHEW
TEXT: MATT. 9: 9 - 17; MARK 2: 13 - 22; LUKE 5: 27 - 39
OUR TEXT IS TAKEN MAINLY FROM LUKE 5: 27 - 39.
VERSES 27 - 29: THE CALL AND CONVERSION OF MATTHEW.
Verses 27, 28: “After this he went out . . .” After what? After the healings of the leper and the palsied man at Capernaum. “. . . he saw a Publican named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom . . .”
Publican: (from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)
The class designated by this word in the New Testament were employed as collectors of the Roman revenue. The Roman senate farmed the vectigalia (direct taxes) and the portorin (customs) to capitalists who undertook to pay a given sum into the treasury (in publicum ), and so received the name of publicani . Contracts of this kind fell naturally into the hands of the equites , as the richest class of Romans. They appointed managers, under whom were the portitores , the actual custom-house officers, who examined each bale of goods, exported or imported, assessed its value more or less arbitrarily, wrote out the ticket, and enforced payment. The latter were commonly natives of the province in which they were stationed as being brought daily into contact with all classes of the population. The name pubicani was used popularly, and in the New Testament exclusively, of the portitores . The system was essentially a vicious one. The portitores were encouraged in the most vexatious or fraudulent exactions and a remedy was all but impossible. They overcharged whenever they had an opportunity, they detained and opened letters on mere suspicion. It was the basest of all livelihoods. All this was enough to bring the class into ill favor everywhere.
Levi: the son of Alpheus. He was a Jew of Capernaum employed as a customs taker (tax gatherer). It was most likely his task to collect taxes on goods moving across the Sea of Galilee headed for the lands to the south and west or goods that moved along the great highway which connected Galilee with Jerusalem (to the south) and Damascus (to the northeast). His Jewish name was Levi. His Christian name (most likely) was Mattathias, which is anglicized to Matthew. He is the very same Matthew who wrote the first gospel. James the less also had a father named Alpheus. Were James and Matthew brothers? It is very likely.
As Smith’s Bible Dictionary says, Matthew was a portitore, a collector of taxes who worked at the customs house. He was not one of the Roman equites, but worked for one.
“. . . and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’” Jesus did not engage in lengthy debate with Matthew. He called and Matthew followed. But this was not without cost. Matthew left a very lucrative career to follow Jesus.
Verse 29: Matthew throws a great feast to celebrate his new faith and maybe to introduce Jesus to his circle of friends and acquaintances – apparently mostly other publicans. Also there were many Pharisees and doctors of the Law present. Yes, the scribes and Pharisees said they despised tax gatherers, but they liked to be around money and the power and influence.
VERSES 30 - 32: THE QUESTION OF THE PHARISEES.
Verse 30: The scribes and Pharisees began to murmur against the disciples of Jesus. Not against Matthew (the founder of the feast) or against Jesus (the Master)! Cowardly jackals, they did not have the stomach to attack the leaders directly! What was their concern? “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Appearance is all. Deeper motives like mercy or pity had no credence with these men. Nor do they with many today.
Verses 31, 32: Jesus replies directly to his critics even though they had not dared to complain to him directly. Jesus’ reply is straight to the point: “. . . only the sick need a physician. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” In other words, Jesus had no choice but to go to those who needed him. We would do well to remember this today. Sin is dirty, but if we are to save the world we cannot withdraw from it completely, or we will not reach the people who need Jesus the most. This is emphasised even more in Matthew’s account, which also includes this, “Go and learn what this means, I will have mercy and not sacrifice.” Jews hate others just because they were not Jews. In order for all the world to be saved there must be room for mercy, not just more pious Jewish sacrifices.
VERSES 33 - 35: THE QUESTION OF JOHN’S FOLLOWERS.
Verse 33: As stated clearly in Matt. 9: 14, the people asking questions in this section are the followers of John. Not all of John’s disciples had accepted Jesus. Even years later (about 15 - 20 years later) there were still disciples of John who were unconverted to Christ. See Acts 19: 1 - 7.
What was their question? “Why don’t your disciples fast and pray more, instead of always eating and drinking?” Many of the disciples of John were out of the Essene communities of the desert, and were very stoic in their approach to life. Suffering was an integral part of their worship because it was an integral part of their outlook on life. Why were Jesus followers so happy-go-lucky by comparison?
Verses 34, 35: Jesus answers this question with direct simplicity. His disciples do not fast because he is with them. There will be plenty of time for fasting after Jesus is gone. Yes, we live in a time when fasting is appropriate. And occasional fasting will be appropriate until we die or the Lord returns to take us home to heaven.
VERSES 36 - 39: THE PARABLES OF THE CLOTH AND THE WINESKINS.
Verse 36: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.” What is being spoken of here? The interpretations of this and the following parable are legion. This is what I believe Jesus was trying to say:
The “old garment” is the man and his way of living, here represented by the Pharisees and their strict adherence to the “traditions of the elders.” The “new garment” is the gospel of Christ. If you took a piece of Christ’s “gospel of the kingdom” and tried to apply it to the life of one of these unregenerate scribes and Pharisees, the result would be spiritual chaos and there would be damage to both the man and the Law of God. You cannot “patch up” one of these judgmental old Pharisees. It must be complete conversion or nothing, for only one who is born again (made new) can enter into the kingdom of heaven. This is a parable about conversion and repentance, which are possible only through complete acceptance of the gospel, not by trying to apply some of Christ’s principles to an old dead pattern of worship. This was the very foundation of the Restoration Movement. We cannot change the Catholics or Methodists or Baptists or Wesleyans into better Christians. They can only be saved by being born again simply as disciples of Christ.
Verses 37, 38: As above. The message is the same, only the metaphor has changed. Now he is speaking in terms of old and new wineskins. Once a wineskin has been used, you cannot put new (still fermenting) wine in it or the pressure will burst it. A new skin will stretch with the pressure and accept the changes just fine. Again, the message seems to be that the gospel (new wine) can only be applied to a newly regenerated life (new wineskin) or it is all a waste.
Verse 39: This is an observation about how men are. Old wine naturally tastes better than new wine, because it is smoother, more flavorful, more robust. The new wine (the gospel) seems undesirable many men, for they are accustomed to the old wine (old sinful ways of living) which just seems more tasty and full-bodied. Sin always seems more pleasant than righteousness to those who have grown addicted to the pleasures of sin.
NOTE: The Jews considered “old wine” must be at least three years old.
Thus ends the first year of Jesus’ public ministry. Now he must go again to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. He is now 31 years old and has yet to name all twelve of the apostles, though it is certain that they had all been following him from the very earliest days. (See Acts 1: 21, 22.)
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