Don't be hindered

I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. (Matthew 9:13) 

Despised as a collaborator with the Romans, Matthew knew that his job as a tax collector was nothing to be proud of. Or at least he shouldn’t have been proud to be a tax collector. His hard-earned wealth only brought him contempt and rejection from his own people. He probably endured snide remarks from his townspeople, and it’s possible that he had begun to believe them. Whatever he thought, when he heard Jesus call him, Matthew did not hesitate. All his sinful ways, all the ways he had mistreated people, and all the unworthiness that must have accompanied such behavior dissipated. There was something special about Jesus, and Matthew was not about to let any obstacle—real or perceived—stand in his way.

It can be easy to buy into the lie that you are unworthy to answer Jesus’ call. Don’t believe it! Don’t imagine that your sins or weaknesses have convinced Jesus to pass you by in favor of a more worthy candidate. Remember what he said to the people who objected to his calling of Matthew: “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Matthew 9:13). We are all sinners, and still, Jesus calls all of us: “Follow me” (9:9). He wants you to be with him.

So don’t let your sins and failings hinder your yes to the Lord. Quite the opposite—they are the perfect opportunity to show the world how merciful he is. Tradition tells us that Matthew went on to evangelize the very Jews he had once scandalized. The evidence of his change of heart must have made a deep impression on many of them. 

Today, if you are feeling unworthy, remember Matthew. Remember God’s kindness and mercy toward him. Remember the freedom and joy he felt when he left his old life behind and accepted Jesus’ invitation. God has called you and chosen you because he loves you just as much as he loved Matthew. He wants to silence that voice of unworthiness. Whether Jesus is calling you to leave behind a pattern of sin, to grow closer to him in prayer, to serve your community in a new way, or some combination of all three, say yes. Jump at his invitation, and let him change your life.

“Jesus, thank you for the invitation to follow you. Help me to say yes to your call!”

So much more

Stretch out your hand. (Luke 6:10) 

Critics play an important role in the music world. They help the public to evaluate what is good, and by doing so, they set standards for music. But critics can also be closed to anything new or different. For example, one of Bach’s students called his music “turgid and confused.” A contemporary of Mozart called his music “overloaded and overstuffed.” One critic said of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony: “It was hard to figure out what all the noise was about.”

You could say that some Pharisees of Jesus’ day had become like those critics. In their zeal to preserve the Law, they had attached their own limited expectations to it. One of those limitations was that they taught that curing the sick was forbidden on the Sabbath—unless the sick person was in danger of death. The man whom Jesus healed in the synagogue had only a withered hand, so that clearly didn’t qualify. These Pharisees weren’t willing to admit that God could go beyond their assumptions of what the Law was all about.

This attitude can affect us as well. We can view our own assumptions about God as being the only thing that matters, and end up limiting him as a result. But our heavenly Father wants to take us beyond our expectations, both of who he is and of who we can become. He is not interested in healing you just enough so that you can squeak your way into heaven. He is a generous Father. He wants to fill you with so much grace that you dance through his gates joyfully, bringing countless people behind you whose lives you have touched!

Do you think it’s possible that you can know the Lord even more deeply than you do right now? Do you think it’s possible that you might be able to pray with someone and see them healed? Don’t be like those music critics with their limited expectations! God has great plans for you. So go ahead and stretch out your hand in faith and see how God fills you with his life, his love, and his power.

“Lord, open my eyes. Help me to see how much you have blessed me in the past, so that I can be open to receive your grace in the future.”

from wau.org