Follow: Simon and Matthew

Capture - The main Idea

I believe one of the great universal truths of mankind is that all of us long for a place to belong. We long for relationships, for community, for a group to which we can call upon for support and for friendship.

I understand that the direct context of what God says in that it is not good that the man should be alone is leading to the marriage relationship, but I also believe that God was also creating through that first marriage a means to bring about family, community, and society so that mankind wouldn’t be alone.

I don’t know about

And so today we live on a planet with 7.53 Billion people on it.

I think it’s safe to say that we are not physically alone, there are people all over the Earth.

But that doesn’t stop us from feeling lonely from time to time does it? I mean I know for myself there have been times where even in a room full of people I can feel like I don’t belong. That no one wants me there. Usually for preacher that happens when our sermons run a bit long right Garrett?

So what or who, do you think is behind the loneliness that we feel even in a crowded room? If God has said that it is not good that a man should be alone, who do you think is constantly trying to make us FEEL alone? Who is it that is constantly at work in our world to divide us among racial lines, Political lines, economic lines, and the list can go on and on.

I think the answer is clearly the father of lies is wants us to be divided. After all, it was his aim to separate mankind from God way back in the garden, and I believe he continues today stirring up strife and division, anxiety and fear, in an effort to make us FEEL alone the same way he has done throughout history.

Tonight we are going to take a brief look into the world during the time that Jesus walked the earth in the flesh. And we are going to discover that the world then was extremely divided, and that it is only through following Jesus that we can find unity of purpose in life.

Connect - Direct to God’s Word

When we read the pages of the gospels we discover that the world Jesus was born into was a world full of division.

The Romans ruled as an occupying force, so there was a division between Jews and Romans as well as the entire Gentile world.

The Pharisees served as religious leaders that believed in the resurrection of the dead and the sadducees did not, so there was division within the religion.

The Jews despised their neighbors to the north, the Samaritans and according to the Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. That’s why it was so shocking when Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well.

I think we can look at all of those divisions that existed while Jesus walked the earth and see how in each and every one of them he reconciles the division but that’s not our topic tonight.

Our topic tonight has to do with one of the most mentioned job titles in all of the Gospels.

Does anyone know what it is?

This job title is mentioned over 20 times in the gospels and in over half of those occurences it is mentioned in the same sentence as another word: Sinners.

What was this job that was so terrible that nearly everyone considered it to be sinful?

Well let me read to you a few scriptures:

Matthew 21:31 ESV

31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.

Matt 21:31

Luke 15:1–2 ESV

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Luke 15:1

And then of course

Luke 18:9–14 ESV

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-

What do we discover from these three passages regarding tax collectors and how they were viewed by the Jews?

They were considered to be among the worst of the worst. But why?

Well they were considered traitors against their own people because they collected taxes for the Romans from their own Jewish brothers and sisters.

Who in here recognizes the name “Benedict Arnold.”

Benedict Arnold was an american General during the revolutionary war and in September of 1780 it was discovered that he was secretly planning to surrender the fortifications at West Pointe over to the British and when that was discovered he switched sides and began fighting against his home country.

For over 200 years his name still lives on in infamy for being a traitor against his own people.

And that was how Jews viewed tax collectors, they were hated even more than the Romans because at least the Romans were born Roman, but tax collectors? They made a choice to serve Rome.

On the opposite side of the spectrum of people alive during the Gospels was a group of people called the zealots.

And these were the people who where so zealous, for Jewish way of life, that they absolutely despised the Roman occupation and this hatred extended especially to the Jews who they believed were helping the Romans. Some 30 years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, the zealots would become an official political party who actually had their own assassination force who would stab and kill fellow Jews in back alleys if they thought they were being traitors by collecting taxes or providing the Romans information.

You want to talk about a lonely existence! A tax collector would be hated nearly universally by everyone.

So you can see that zealots and tax collectors, they wouldn’t necessarily see eye to eye. How incredible is it then, that in

Matthew 10:1–4 ESV

1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Wait, on the roster of Jesus starting 12 who he is going to send out here on the limited commission, those who we would learn in the book of Acts where with him from the beginning, we find Matthew the tax collector, and Simon the Zealot.

Now we don’t know a whole lot about Simon the Zealot, we know he’s not the same Simon as Simon Peter, but we don’t know when or where he was called, but we do know about the call of Matthew, who is called Levi in Mark and Lukes account.

But we will stick with Matthews account tonight, turn with me to

Matthew 9:9–13 ESV

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.”

Matt 9:9-

Consider - What does this mean today?

2 Corinthians 5:18–21 ESV

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Cor

Ephesians 2:11–22 ESV

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Eph 2:11-

Collide - Where God’s Word Meets Our Life

Call - How will we respond?

- Matthew

- Levi

- Levi