I’m at it again ya’ll! This time working on a story from Matthew 9 at the moment. This time i’m going to bring it up to the 21st Century and we’ll see what the Lord has to teach us from it. You may read the actual NLT (New Living Translation) version before or after if you like. I have it linked up HERE. Enjoy!
Jesus had been walking along down the sidewalk outside my work. Then He just walked right in, smiled and said, “Follow Me and be my sponge (disciple)!” In case you haven’t heard i’m the lowest of the low gal on the todem pole in the office- somewhere below being copy girl. I mean i’m past the point of being snubbed. More like hardly even looked at. Realizing what do I have to lose, I got up and went with Him. Ha!
Later, I invited Jesus and his other ’sponges,’ along with a few worldly friends of mine over to be my guests of honor for dinner (take out from Boston Market of course!) at my condo. Boy, when the board of directors saw this taking place they wanted to know immediately why He would come eat with low-classers like us? Their remarks were so boldly belted out Jesus heard the whole conversation and replied, ” Healthy people don’t need a doctor– sick people do.” Then He added, ” Learn this: I want you to show them compassion (mercy), not offer rituals (sacrifices). I came not to call those who are acting (putting on a show) perfect (righteous) but those who know they need saving (sinners).” Go figure, the board left after that. As for me, His words left me thinking. Perhaps this was the first lesson I was to soak up as His newly recruited sponge girl.
Lets just put ourselves into the shoes of Matthew for a moment. There he was sitting in his tax booth taking $ for the Romans from his own people when Jesus offers him a new career. Hated (!!!) is an understatement for what Matthew was. The people of his time considered tax collectors to basically be the pond scum of society. While Matthew sits there in his booth here comes Jesus with the same proposition He’s given us all- “Follow Me.” Doesn’t appear like Matthew thought he had much to lose or even wondered what that following entailed. He just got up and left!
I’m having a momentary flashback of those “moon shoes” from when I was a kid. They were these funky strap on shoes with springs under your feet. You could walk along and it would bounce you up and down like you were weightless on the moon. Perhaps in Matthews moment of bliss his sandals were feeling this same way on that day as he just trotted off with his Teacher.
Now here is Jesus sitting with Matthew and his friends while the unforgettable Pharisee’s are keeping close tabs on His every move. They bug the disciples about why would this ‘teacher’ of theirs want to eat with the outcast bunch, like what did they have to learn from him or would they learn anything at all. Perhaps the other disciples present were trying to say, “Number One- He was hungry. Number Two- He likes everyone… including scum like you!” Oh oops did I say that?! Jesus handled the situation with grace as always and explained to the Pharisees that the healthy people don’t need a doctor- the sick do. I’m sure the Pharisees were pridefully thinking, “DUH!” Jesus was conveying that they were so concerned about their righteousness (thinking that they were morally right or their actions were justifiable) that they failed to realize they fell short of the bar like everyone including those tax collectors. The Pharisees were concerned about the act of their sacrifices, for atonement of sin, never realizing that deep down they needed His mercy themselves. The Pharisees were no greater in Jesus’ eyes than the beggars, the murders, the prostitutes or Matthew and his comrades.
Jesus posed a question here for them: Is it easier to teach someone who already knows everything or someone who’s hungry to learn? They couldn’t learn because they thought they already knew it all! Anyone noticing how Jesus was always hanging and loving on the outcasts (ie- Woman at the well, Sick woman who touched His garment, etc)? Those people were already beaten down by circumstances, choices, and other people then along comes the Messiah who offers them love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, attention, care, concern, and the list goes on! Do we want to be His ’Agents of Grace’ or do we act like the Pharisees of the 21st century thinking that we’re okay and everyone else is in need of mercy? The down trodden were hungrier. They realized their inadequacy and were humbled by it. Needing a cure from that Great Physican.
I remember being the new girl in yet another church upon our move to a new town. I sat there in the opeing session of the co-ed youth program. I sat alone but right up on the front row week after week. Every week I knew what to expect. They youth leader publically announced any visitors and every week I was called out to be a visitor. I was mortified! I wondered if i could sit there unnoticed by this man till i graduated and still be “The Visitor Girl.” Inside I was crushed that nobody cared enough to befriend me or tell him, “HELLO! Heather is NOT a visitor. She was about 3 months ago.” I distinctly remember how this felt and I pray to NEVER be the one who overlooks another.
Are we reaching like Jesus to those that may be the ’social outcasts’ of our society? For some it may be a kid you go to school with that doesn’t seem to have many friends and gets made fun of, for others it might be a co-worker who’s past has been gossiped about around the office since your first day, or maybe that family who sits alone in your church pews only being noticed only during the welcome time or maybe it’s that kid sitting on a bench with his possessions in dime store bags and his head hung low in shame. To be a disciple of the Lord our aim is to teach, follow, and learn from His perfect example. If there’s one thing i’m learning more than ever is that He loved the least of them with His own hands, time, and knowledge. It was that love and concern that ultimately took Him, the spotless lamb, to Calvary where the sins of all men through all the ages were paid for by blood. Each and every drop was for someone- Me, you, our friends, our bosses, our neighbors, the girl at the Wal-Mart checkout, and the kid workin the drive-thru.
For a moment I thought someone else was probably called to minister to that boy on the bench. Then I realized that I, Heather Twitchell, was called to be his disciple. What the heck was I waiting on?!! So I went and I go. I hope he’ll see Jesus in me and come to be a disciple of the Teacher too. Where I make the investment of my time, I find the greatest return. In this case, it’s investing in the Lord’s ‘hungry’ people and in getting to know Him better via His Word. This investment has drawn me closer to Him and in the end will likely be the wisest investment of my time spent here on Earth. What about you?
***One of my readers has posted a great comment/ example in my comments section. Click on the title to this post or “comment” to see the story you. It’s worth the read! Thank K.C.!
) xoxo~ Heather)
