Even though we are sinners, the Son of Man came to save us and continually invites us to follow Him. What prevents us from heeding this divine call?
Newsdesk (12/06/2023 12:13, Gaudium Press) As Jesus was walking along, He saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth” (Mt 9:9).
Saint Matthew worked as a collector of taxes in Capernaum. This place was a busy commercial centre at that time, being a crossroads between north and south, east and west. And since Pompey had conquered Jerusalem and subjected Palestine to the Roman Empire, for all goods circulating there a tax had to be paid to Rome.[1]
To collect these taxes, the Romans hired from among the Israelites some officials, called publicans. Because of the frequent abuses committed by them for personal gain, they became the object of the hatred and contempt of their compatriots, who considered them public sinners and traitors to the nation. They were the most detestable figures in society, next to the lepers. But the tax collectors preferred money to prestige, because thanks to their unjust exactions they ended up quickly becoming rich.
“Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Him.” (Lk 15:1).
Now many of those publicans, attracted by grace, followed attentively the teachings of the Master (cf. Lk 15:1). And just as they had gone to the banks of the Jordan River to receive baptism from John (cf. Lk 3:12), they now listened to Jesus preaching. It is to be supposed that among them, a certain Matthew, also called Levi, the son of Alphaeus, stood out for his assiduousness.
“Follow me!”
“… and He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed Him.” (Mt 9,9).
Our Lord Jesus Christ, who knows the innermost depths of hearts and takes no account of men’s opinions, chose him to be an Apostle, saying to him simply “Follow me”, according to the simple account of the Evangelist himself. What was Jesus’ tone of voice like? And the expression of His divine gaze? We do not know, but we can well imagine that He did it with such supernatural force and efficacy that the tax collector did not put up any resistance, as would happen some years later to St. Paul, when he heard at the gates of Damascus a voice from Heaven saying: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? These are graces that seize and transform the soul in an instant, for nothing is impossible with God (cf. Mk 10:27)!
The publican was sitting at his post and had taxes to collect and many others to recover. However, when faced with Christ’s irresistible call, he did not even finish his work: he left everything and followed him! It was “the very brightness and majesty of the divinity – which also shone hidden in His human face – that could, as soon as He was seen, draw to Himself all who would look upon Him. For if the lodestone can, as it is said, attract iron, how much more can the Lord of all creation draw to Himself whom He will!”[2]
To those who have not been touched by the grace of God to understand the timbre of that “Follow Me!”, it is hard to understand Matthew’s flexibility. For it seems impossible that a man so rich, and with an advantageous position that made it easy for him to earn money, could abandon everything in an instant. In fact, Matthew had been prepared by Providence since childhood and was looking for a cause to which he could dedicate himself entirely. Not having found one, he tried his hand at tax collecting, unconcerned about the societal contempt this would bring him, especially from the Pharisees. The fact that he was willing to go against public opinion shows this impulse of soul, this desire to do something great, and so the prologue of the moment when he got up and followed Jesus can already be seen.
How great is the difference between St. Matthew’s attitude and that of the rich young man who, invited by Jesus to sell everything and follow him, “went away sad, because he had many possessions” (Mt 19:22)! Or, then, that of the two who showed a desire to embrace the discipleship of the Messiah, but one wanted to bury his father first (cf. Lk 9:59) and the other to say goodbye to his relatives (cf. Lk 9:61).
We do not know if this tax collector had in the mind the counsel we hear in Scripture: “Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; His appearing is as sure as the dawn”(Hos 6:3).
Are there still Matthews in our days?
And what would be the most outstanding qualities of Matthew? Without doubt, faith, the same faith that justified Abraham, and love, to which faith opens the door because faith alone is not enough. However, the virtue that shone most brightly in the tax collector of Capernaum was his flexibility towards the movements of grace: it was enough for Jesus to pass by him and say “Follow me” for him to get up immediately, leave everything and follow Him. What admirable docility to the voice of God!
And what about us? How many times have we heard that divine voice echoing in our conscience? We are born with a kind of instinct of what is good or bad, true or wrong, beautiful or ugly. And when we embrace sin, we do so contrary to this inclination, because we have present within our soul a moral rule that enjoins us to do good and to avoid evil. It alerts us when we have strayed from the law of God, it reproaches us, it puts before us our duty.
Let us therefore admire and imitate the Evangelist’s shining example of faith and love, for he renounced everything in order to respond resolutely to the divine call, without allowing himself to be overcome by earthly attractions. In a world that has turned its back on God, let us cast aside the deceptive pleasures of sin and give ourselves resolutely and unconditionally to Jesus, through the hands of Mary.
Taken, with adaptations, from:
CLÁ DIAS, João Scognamiglio. New Insights on the Gospels. v. II
[1] Flavius Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews
[2] Saint Jerome. Commentary on Matthew
Compiled by Roberta MacEwan
