Faith Like Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew Faith Like Matthew - Matthew 9:9-13 June 7, 2026 Back in 1992, one of Gatorade's paid endorsers was the GOAT of professional basketball, Michael Jordan. Sorry - second NBA reference in the last several weeks! They came out with this great commercial that I can still hear some 34 years later, with the slogan "Be Like Mike." In the commercial - which I found posted on YouTube - as a square video, not the wide screen like we have now - it shows highlight clips of Jordan, along with kids and adults playing basketball trying to emulate Jordan. At the end of the commercial, it simply states in white lettering over a black background, "Be Like Mike, Drink Gatorade." And? People did. Everyone wanted to be like Mike. Of course, in the Christian world, we all strive to be like Jesus, and since that bar is impossible to even see, we are given many other examples in the bible. Today's example is Matthew himself, as he records how he answered the call to follow Jesus. So, in many ways, today, we'll discuss how we can be like Matthew, as an example of great faith. Let's read Matthew 9:9-13 this morning and see this example: 9 AS JESUS PASSED ON FROM THERE, HE SAW A MAN CALLED MATTHEW SITTING AT THE TAX BOOTH, AND HE SAID TO HIM, "FOLLOW ME." AND HE ROSE AND FOLLOWED HIM. 10 AND AS JESUS RECLINED AT TABLE IN THE HOUSE, BEHOLD, MANY TAX COLLECTORS AND SINNERS CAME AND WERE RECLINING WITH JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES. 11 AND WHEN THE PHARISEES SAW THIS, THEY SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, "WHY DOES YOUR TEACHER EAT WITH TAX COLLECTORS AND SINNERS?" 12 BUT WHEN HE HEARD IT, HE SAID, "THOSE WHO ARE WELL HAVE NO NEED OF A PHYSICIAN, BUT THOSE WHO ARE SICK. 13 GO AND LEARN WHAT THIS MEANS: 'I DESIRE MERCY, AND NOT SACRIFICE.' FOR I CAME NOT TO CALL THE RIGHTEOUS, BUT SINNERS." Before we move on, let's quickly check in with Mark and Luke for our weekly segment. WEEKLY CHECK-IN WITH MARK AND LUKE: * Our parallel accounts are found in Mark 2:13-17 and Luke 5:27-32 * Honestly, there are not a lot of differences in these accounts, but there are at least a few to make note of. * First, the most obvious is where Mark and Luke both use the name "Levi" instead of Matthew. o It was not uncommon for citizens of that region to have both a Greek and a Hebrew name. o Mark specifically mentions that he was the son of Alpheaus * There was another person identified as a son of Alpheaus in Matthew 10, named James. Not understood or believed to be the same person, but he was probably a brother to Matthew. * Mark 2:13 also makes note that Jesus went back out to the shore, before seeing and calling Matthew. o There is actually a lesson from this. o Jesus was always about the Father's business. o It was not something that He turned on and off based on His mood, or if He had the energy. He was always "working." May He be an example for you and me. * Then, I noticed that Matthew and Mark record that the Pharisees and scribes asked the disciples why He was eating with "sinners," while Luke records that they asked Jesus directly. o Likely a combination of both. Of course, this account is less about Matthew as it is about Jesus, but there is still much to learn from Matthew's example. It is important, however, to see what the main idea of this passage is, as it will give us better understanding of Matthew's response. Here's that main idea: Jesus shows mercy to sinners and calls them to follow Him. There is, of course, no shortage of sinners in this passage, but we will focus mostly on Matthew for the purposes of our sermon today. Along the way, we'll contrast his faith (and actions) with the other named sinners (the scribes and Pharisees) as appropriate. So, how can we have ... FAITH LIKE MATTHEW: I've identified four words from our passage that help us to see how Matthew demonstrated his faith. First, he responded ... * Obediently (v.9) o I like what Spurgeon said about this verse: Two words sufficed for his conversion and obedience: "Follow me." o We talked about obedience last week, but this type of obedience is tied directly to Jesus' invitation to saving faith and discipleship, which go hand in hand. o We see that Matthew self-identified himself as a "tax collector" o We've talked about it before in this series but recall that tax collectors were hated among the Jewish people. They were seen as Roman collaborators and they would often extort money from their own people and pocket the excess collections for personal gain. o So, as Matthew records this event, he made sure that people knew that he was a sinner, and as a sinner, he needed God's mercy through Jesus, and as a response, he answered that call. o In many ways, that's our first "work" as part of God's family, answering the call. o I believe that most of you (if not all) have already answered the call to follow Jesus, so what might Jesus be calling you to do, today? o Pray about that, then listen and respond accordingly. o Interestingly, Luke's account has one additional verse than Matthew and Mark, and in that "extra" verse, he tells us, AND LEAVING EVERYTHING, HE ROSE AND FOLLOWED HIM. o In fact, that is the second way that Matthew responded to Jesus' call ... namely, * Sacrificially (v.9) o We just saw Luke's sidenote there that Matthew left everything behind and followed Jesus. o Being a tax collector was good money back then. o Think about the others who dropped everything and followed Jesus. o Peter. James. John. All fishermen. All dropped their nets and followed Jesus. o But. They can - and did - go back to fishing if they wanted to. o Matthew, being a changed man, couldn't return to his prior career, he literally sacrificed it all to follow Jesus. o He wouldn't want to back to his old life, after following Jesus. There's no way. o I'm sure many of us feel the same way. Not just our past sinful lives, but an old job. An old relationship. o I couldn't imagine going back to hospitality again. o I definitely wouldn't want to go back to HR, not the ways things are in corporate America over the past several years. o We too must sacrifice, at times, if the Lord is calling us to do so. o Next, and related, Matthew responded ... * Humbly (vv.9,12-13) o Luke 5:29 tells us that the house they were in belonged to Matthew. o This means that Matthew brought Jesus to his home, and served Him - and, as we'll see, many others. o So first, we see that Matthew left his career behind, then we see him respond by serving Jesus and the disciples. o Who else did we see in his home? o The other tax collectors, some scribes, the Pharisees, the disciples, and of course other "sinners" o Even though this was a large feast, according to Luke, Matthew's response is one to be noted. o He humbly brought Jesus to his home to serve. o Verses 12-13 indicate too that Matthew understood that he was a sinner, saved by mercy and grace, through faith, resulting in his decision to follow Jesus. o Jesus, in verse 13 quotes Hosea 6:6, where God emphasizes the heart, over the physical act of sacrifice. This was particularly directed to the scribes and Pharisees, who did not include themselves in the "sinner" category, because they were followers of the Law. o This is why the call to sinners to follow Jesus is a product of mercy and grace. o Matthew did so, humbly, will you? o Next, and still at the feast, Matthew responded ... * Courageously (v.10,12-13) o How so? o He presumably invited the other tax collectors to his home. o You know, like a going away party. o Sounds funny, but many of the others were identified as tax-collectors, so there might be some truth to this. o Think about that. When was the last time you invited someone to church? o When was the last time you "invited" someone to meet Jesus? o I saw a story of a man who had a neighbor that invited him to golf with him on several Sunday mornings. But, since this man was committed churchgoer, he declined his invitation each time, because of the conflict with church. The neighbor commended this man for his faithfulness, but also told him, "I've invited you about seven times, and each time you have declined, but you never once invited me to church." o Matthew was ahead of his time, years later Paul wrote to the Corinthians and said this: 6 I PLANTED, APOLLOS WATERED, BUT GOD GAVE THE GROWTH. 7 SO NEITHER HE WHO PLANTS NOR HE WHO WATERS IS ANYTHING, BUT ONLY GOD WHO GIVES THE GROWTH. 8 HE WHO PLANTS AND HE WHO WATERS ARE ONE, AND EACH WILL RECEIVE HIS WAGES ACCORDING TO HIS LABOR. 9 FOR WE ARE GOD'S FELLOW WORKERS. YOU ARE GOD'S FIELD, GOD'S BUILDING. (1 Corinthians 3:6-9) * Matthew brought the people to Jesus - or maybe, he brought Jesus to the people. o We often think that we need to avoid those who are opposed to Jesus, but this should encourage us instead to expose them to Jesus and allow Him to work. o There is, of course, a balance. Paul also said this to the Corinthians (he had A LOT to say to them!): 20 TO THE JEWS I BECAME AS A JEW, IN ORDER TO WIN JEWS. TO THOSE UNDER THE LAW I BECAME AS ONE UNDER THE LAW (THOUGH NOT BEING MYSELF UNDER THE LAW) THAT I MIGHT WIN THOSE UNDER THE LAW. 21 TO THOSE OUTSIDE THE LAW I BECAME AS ONE OUTSIDE THE LAW (NOT BEING OUTSIDE THE LAW OF GOD BUT UNDER THE LAW OF CHRIST) THAT I MIGHT WIN THOSE OUTSIDE THE LAW. 22 TO THE WEAK I BECAME WEAK, THAT I MIGHT WIN THE WEAK. I HAVE BECOME ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE, THAT BY ALL MEANS I MIGHT SAVE SOME. 23 I DO IT ALL FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL, THAT I MAY SHARE WITH THEM IN ITS BLESSINGS. (1 Corinthians 9:20-23). o Jesus met Matthew where he was, just as He did with the other disciples, and He wants to meet us where we are as well. Earlier, I said in our main idea: Jesus shows mercy to sinners and calls them to follow Him. Jesus surrounded Himself with sinners, not to participate in their sin, but to liberate them from the bondage to sin. To offer them mercy and the free gift of salvation. He is doing this even today. When you are exposed to the Good News of Jesus Christ, we must respond. Maybe, in response, we can respond like Matthew. Obediently. Sacrificially. Humbly. And courageously. How is God calling you to respond today? Let's pray. 2