Follow me!

On September 21st we celebrate the Feast of St Matthew, one of the original twelve apostles.

We first meet Matthew – also known as Levi – sitting at his desk in his office (Matt 9:9, Mark 2:13, Luke 5:27). He was probably totting up the figures of the tax he had collected that day, and working out how much profit he had made through the corrupt (but common) practice amongst tax collectors of taking more than was strictly due. It was this practice which made tax collectors so reviled. Jesus, we hear, walks straight up to him and says, “Follow me”. Matthew got up and followed him.

Later on that day, Matthew laid on a great meal for Jesus, and invited those who were probably the only friends Matthew had: fellow tax collectors and, as the Bible puts it, other ‘outcasts’. The Scribes and Pharisees were scandalised when they saw what was going on and asked Jesus’ friends, “Why does He eat with such people, with tax collectors and sinners?!” Jesus heard them and answered: “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. Go and learn the meaning of the words: what I want is mercy, not sacrifice. And indeed, I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners”.

In order to grow in our knowledge and love of God – and others – we have to ask ourselves of any of the Gospel passages: “Where am I in this story?”

Am I Matthew? Am I able to identify with him, the less than perfect, the sinner, the one who was easy prey to temptation, the one who fell short of the Christian ideal?

Am I the Pharisee? Am I able to identify with the apparently ‘righteous’ one? Do I hold in contempt those whom I perceive to be, somehow, less good or able than I am? Am I quick to judge and condemn? Do I, like the Pharisee, care unduly about my public image in order to impress?

Jesus is not fooled by any of our outward shows of piety or outward show of anything. He knew very well that the Scribes and Pharisees – those to whom the Jewish people looked up to as leaders and role-models – were so caught up with the minutiae of the Jewish rules and regulations that they had completely lost sight of the fact that God LOVES His people, and that, at the very centre of the entirety of God’s laws is LOVE. “Go”, said Jesus, “Go and learn the meaning of the words: WHAT I WANT IS MERCY!”

This passage should be a great source of encouragement for us all: Matthew was a really very ordinary man, doing a job which had to be done, but who found it hard to stay on the straight and narrow. And yet …. and yet … Jesus made a beeline for him, actively seeking him out. Jesus looked beyond frail humanity and saw the potential for greatness. He saw Matthew’s need and met it. That day, Matthew came face to face with the perfect Truth, Justice, Mercy and Forgiveness of God, found it to be irresistible and was forever captivated by it.

We are no worse or better than Matthew: our daily lives are littered with both small and big failings: our unkind thoughts and words; our small untruths; our impatience with others; our irritability at other people’s failures or weaknesses; our lack of humility; our slowness to apologize and so on.

Jesus is hopelessly in love with humanity, warts and all. He wades into the company of sinners just as much now as He did in Matthew’s time. If Jesus were here in person today, you would find Him in the prisons talking to and befriending the inmates, and anywhere that fallen humanity in need of His help is to be found.

Jesus sought Matthew out and led him into a better life and we need to ask ourselves: “Is Jesus seeking me out?”

The easy answer to this is, “Yes … He is most certainly seeking you out.” Not a day goes by when Jesus doesn’t seek us out. Jesus follows us around all day, every day, offering us a new life lived in His footsteps. But – and it is a big ‘but’ – we have to do two positive things. We have, firstly, to be attentive to His call and, secondly, to be open to the idea of getting up and following Him.

Be attentive to His call ….

We can be attentive to His call by making a point of bringing ourselves into His presence every day. This need not, at first, be more than just being still, acknowledging God and giving thanks. This is a truly fine prayer and a good jumping off point for greater communication with God.

Get up and follow Him ….

Matthew’s complete lack of hesitation would suggest that this is not as hard as we might think. However, it is a challenge because to follow Jesus is to live a life of LOVE. That’s the bottom line: LOVE. Love at all times for all people; love not only for those who are easy to love, but love also for those we prefer to reject. To love is a great challenge, but the more we can bring ourselves into the presence of God who is Love, the more He will infect us with His love and the easier it will become. But, we have to start somewhere and, like Matthew, we can start with a simple “Yes”.