Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
- Deacon Dan DeLuca
- Sep 22, 2022
- 5 min read
A man you have heard about, heard amazing stories about, calls you. He asks you to leave everything behind, everything you have known. to follow him, and you do. That is precisely what Saint Matthew did: the Apostle’s whose feast we celebrated yesterday. He said “yes” to Jesus in the most radical of ways and that yes cost him everything. It cost him his very life but his reward in heaven was great. Jesus extends that same call to us. Let’s consider if we answer it the same was as Matthew did as we unpack his call.
The Calling of Matthew – Matthew 9 : 9-13
As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Scriptural Analysis
The tax office was probably a tollbooth of sorts: a place where taxes were collected on goods (most likely fish) that were being transported out of the Sea of Galilee. Tax collectors were despised by their own people. They were seen as being both in collusion with the Romans as well as dishonest as they usually charged more than was due and pocketed the difference. For Jesus to call such a man would have been as equally as shocking as Matthew’s apparent eagerness to say yes to the Lord and to leave it all behind.
Consider that the call of Matthew did not come at the same time as Peter and John and the other Apostles. St. John Chrysostom offers has a beautiful insight as to why that was the case:
Jesus came at a different time to call Matthew when he was assured that Matthew would surrender to his call. Therefore he did not call them all together at the beginning when Matthew was still in a hardened condition. Rather, only after countless miracles, after his fame was spread aboard, did he call Matthew. He knew Matthew had been softened for full responsiveness.
After calling Matthew Jesus dined with him and his associates. Only in the Gospel of Luke, is it recorded that the house Jesus ate at was actually that of Matthews (Luke 5:29). It is important to note that in ancient Judaism, sharing a meal with someone expressed covenant solidarity. Sharing food and drink symbolized sharing life. This was a clear indication that Jesus had come not just for those of the Old Covenant but also those who had previously been outside of the Covenant.
The Pharisees are appalled by the actions of Jesus and ask why he would eat with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus gives two responses. In the first response he explains to them that he did not come just to call and gather the righteous. Quite the opposite in fact. Jesus came to call everyone. From the most pious of individuals to the worse sinner: Jesus’s mission applies equally to all.
The second responses harkens back to the Old Testament. When he says he requires mercy and not sacrifice, Jesus is making a reference to the Prophet Hosea who said, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God, rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6) The Pharisees were great with external practices. Between their table regulations and temple sacrifices, they appeared pious. Jesus does not have a problem with the religious practices of the Pharisees in and of themselves. His problem lies with their motivation for observing them. Recall what Jesus said are the greatest of the commandments:
Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength. Deuteronomy 6:4-5
You shall love your neighbor as yourself Leviticus 9:18
The Pharisees observe all of these rules out of a desire for self preservation and to win the esteem of men. They are not observing them out of a sincere love of God and neighbor. Jesus is reminding them and us that, unless we start with the love of God and neighbor, then our actions, no matter how pious or good they are, are empty and hollow. Interior motivation is key.
Practical Application
The calling of Matthew is rich and provides us with a great deal to reflect upon. I want to consider two aspects. First is Matthew’s response to the call. The second, is Jesus’s quotation of Hosea. I will begin with Matthew’s response.
As we know Matthew was a tax collector. While despised by his own people, this is a position that would have afforded Matthew some level of material wealth and comfort. When you compare that to the fisherman who toiled and struggled to make ends meet, you realize that Matthew left behind a comfortable existence to follow Christ. He left the comfort of the know for the discomfort of the unknown. Are we willing to do that? Are we willing to leave behind all that we have and know, what is comfortable to us, to follow the call of Jesus?
Second, consider Jesus’s quotation of Hosea: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. It is easy to read this and draw the conclusion that anything goes, Jesus does not judge anyone, he is all about forgiveness. Such a conclusion misses the point completely that Jesus is trying to make. The Pharisees judged sinners harshly: refusing to even approach them to lend assistance or aid out of fear of harming themselves. They did not see them as someone who was redeemable and worthy of love. Jesus is telling us that one’s past life does not matter. No matter what they have done they are still worthy of being listened to, forgiven, and offered a chance to follow the Lord.
Now Jesus does expect the person to amend their ways: set their sinful behind them. He expects that from all of us. Consider the Act of Contrition said during the Sacrament of Reconciliation, “I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more.” We walk out of the confessional with a sincere desire to sin no more: to amend our ways. When Jesus says he desires mercy what he is saying is he desires us to be merciful to one another and forgive each other. However, he expects us to leave our sinful past behind us. We need to go forward and choose to sin no more.
How do we live this in our daily lives? When we see someone in an obvious state of sin what is our response? Do we judge them harshly: unworthy of our time? Do we approach them with love and mercy: attempting to share with them the Good News? Do we ignore them completely? Love of God is intimately tied to love of neighbor. We cannot profess to love God and turn our back on our neighbor. Those positions are incompatible. When you see that person on the edges of society you need to recognize the suffering Christ that is in them. Then call out to them, the same way Jesus called out to Matthew. Share with them the only thing that can relieve that suffering permanently: the Good News that is Jesus Christ.
Comments