St. Matthew, Apostle

Today is the Feast of the Commemoration of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. Today’s Gospel reading gives us a brief account of how our Lord Jesus called Matthew into His service. Jesus walks by the tax booth. He sees Matthew sitting there, doing his work. And He says two words: “Follow Me.” And Matthew gets up and follows Him. No hesitation. No negotiation. No résumé presented to prove worthiness. Just a call and a response. Such is the power of the Word of God.

While we Christians are accustomed to thinking about God’s Word as powerful and active, it is good for us to stop for a moment and thing about who Matthew was. He was a tax collector. A collaborator with the Romans. A man despised by his fellow Jews as a cheat and a traitor. In brief, he was the last person you would expect the Messiah to want in His inner circle. Yet Jesus called him to Himself.

Find out more about St. Matthew in this sermon from St. John's Lutheran Church of Oakes, ND!