The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 9 Part 2 Jesus Came To Call Sinners To Repentance

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Jesus called Levi and gave him a new name that means gift of Jehovah.

Matthew 9:9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 

What a beautiful illustration of the power of the gospel of Christ to transform lives.

Jesus left the place where He healed the palsied man and saw a man named Matthew.

Matthew was a tax collector.

Another name for tax collectors is "publicans" and Jews who served this office were despised by their countrymen.

Publicans collected extra fees from the Jews on top of the taxes for Rome.

This gave them power over the people to enrich themselves while working for Rome which was hated by the Jews.

Thus, in every nation, publicans were hated and viewed as traitors to their homeland.

You will notice as we encounter the publicans that they often congregated together as all other Jews shunned and avoided them.

Jesus spoke and said "Follow me" and Matthew rose up without hesitation and followed Jesus.

Matthew responded with faith because faith is obedient to the calling of God upon those who believe.

He rose up and followed Jesus.

He did not have to hear a lot of persuasive words from Christ in order to believe and follow.

He simply trusted and obeyed the Lord.

Elijah pleaded with the unbelieving, idolatrous Israelites "How long halt ye between two opinions?" (See 1 Kings 18:21).

Some people still hesitate between following Christ or following the world and fulfilling the lust of their flesh.

Once, I had a young man whose father was a pastor tell me that he knew he was sinning sexually but he loved the pleasure it brought him.

The Bible tells us that there is pleasure in sin for a short while, but there is also a judgment day where God will judge sinners according to their evil works (See Hebrews 11:25).

Matthew immediately followed Jesus and invited other sinners to hear the gospel of Christ.

Mark 2:14-15 And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. 15)  And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. 

Mark's gospel adds some more detail about Matthew's conversion to Christ.

First, he tells us that Matthew's birth name was "Levi" and Alphaeus was his father.

Jesus gave Levi the new name "Matthew" which means gift of Jehovah. Salvation, a new heart, and a new spirit for a new life in Christ are all precious gifts of Jehovah.

Second, Mark tells us that Matthew invited Jesus to share a meal at his home.

Many publicans were also invited to the feast so this meant that the scribes and Pharisees thought evil of Jesus for associating with publicans.

However, Mark tells us that though there were many publicans and sinners in attendance, they followed Jesus.

They were led to a new life by the words of Christ spoken in Matthew's home.

The message for Christians is clear. We must not judge or condemn sinners for doing what sinners do.

Rather, we should always be open to sharing the gospel with them and trusting that God will save some of them.

Religious hypocrites were upset that Jesus ate with sinners in order to give them the gospel.

Matthew 9:11  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 

Right away many critical Pharisees and scribes found fault because Jesus shared a meal with publicans and sinners.

They would not even walk on the same road that a publican traveled on and most Jews shunned those who collected taxes for Rome.

Yet, Matthew's salvation is recorded because God wants us to know that He is in the business of saving all who repent of sin and put their faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus revealed as the Great Physician who alone can heal our soul from the disease of sin.

Matthew 9:12-13 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13) But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.                                                                                                          Jesus eventually heard the murmuring and complaining of the scribes and Pharisees.

He pointed out an obvious truth. 

People who are healthy do not need to call their physician. 

People who are sick do need to call their physician for medical help.

Jesus applied this truism to His own gospel ministry.

In saying "But go ye and learn" Jesus reproved them, and vindicated His own conduct. 

Jesus appealed to a passage of Scripture that they should have known well: Hosea 6:6 “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice."

In effect, Jesus said “You Pharisees are exceedingly tenacious of the “external” duties of religion but God has declared that he prefers mercy to those external duties. It is proper that I should associate with sinners for the purpose of doing them good.”

Jesus Christ came to seek and save lost sinners.

Jesus Christ represents Himself as the sovereign Physician for sin sickened souls.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, therefore all people including despised publicans stand in need of Christ's healing power.

All men must acknowledge their spiritual depravity and seek the mercy of God in order to be healed by him.

Sin is the most dangerous and deadly disease that the soul can be afflicted with.

The sting of death is sin and all humanity has been stung by this sting since Adam and Eve sinned (See 1 Corinthians 15:55-56).

Thus, the poison of sin, the reality of spiritual death and a certain eternal condemnation courses through our veins.

But the gospel of Christ is the power of God to save the lost.

The gospel of Christ is God's antidote for the disease of sin.

Jesus answered the scorn of the scribes and Pharisees by telling them that He, the Great Physician has come to call sinners to repentance wherever He finds them.

All who repent and believe shall be saved, shall receive a new spirit and heart from God, and shall begin walking on the narrow path that leads to eternal life. 

Micah teaches us to do the right thing, seek mercy from God and be merciful to others.

Micah 6:6-8 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 7)  Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8)  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? 

The prophet Micah asks about how a sinner can come into the presence of Jehovah.

God is not pleased with ceaseless sacrifices and rivers of oil poured out as offerings to Him.

Pharisees were those who offered the right sacrifices and the right time and offered oil in accord with God's law.

Yet, their hearts were unchanged and their religious practices were merely external activities.

What can they do?

God says what is good for man to do is to do the right thing in dealing with others and to seek and love God's mercy, and then to extend such mercy to other people.

Thus, we are to walk with humility before God.

Paul teaches us that Jesus came into this world to save sinners through preaching His gospel.

1 Timothy 1:15-17  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 16)  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. 17)  Now unto the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

Remember that Paul represented the pinnacle of Judaism before he was converted to Christ.

As one of Christ's apostles, Paul could say that Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners.

He received mercy from Christ on the road to Damascus.

Jesus used Paul's life as a believer and an apostle to show us how we must make our pilgrimage through this life.

We will experience hardship and challenges but our eternal destination is heaven.

Therefore, we have been entrusted with the gospel of Christ, the words of life that we must share with those who do not yet know Jesus.

Hear and heed the gospel.

Repent and believe the gospel.

Receive the new birth from God and live according to the gospel.

Be a faithful witness for Christ and share the gospel.

May we find joy that Jesus came to save sinners.

May we be encouraged that Jesus sought out sinners in order to share the gospel that they might be saved.

Bob