The Apostles Matthew and Simon: One Under the Gospel (3)

Matthew – Forsook All to Follow Jesus

One reads of Matthew’s call to follow Jesus in three verses.

“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” (Mat 9:9).

“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” (Mar 2:14).

While it is not states explicitly, it is probably that Matthew had heard Jesus’ preaching on previous occasions. Having believed what he had heard, it was no problem for Matthew to follow Christ.

“And after these things he went forth, and beheld a publican, named Levi, sitting at the place of toll, and said unto him, “Follow me. And he forsook all, and rose up and followed him” (Luke 5:27-28, ASV).

We are told that Matthew “forsook all” to follow after Jesus. That is “to leave behind, the idea of abandonment” (Strong’s). He willingly abandoned his office of Publican and all that was connected to it in order to follow Jesus.

Quickly, let us notice some of the earthly blessings that were connected to being a Publican. He would have had a good income. Granted, this income would have come at the cost of the many he would have defrauded in order to get such gain. This would have afforded Matthew the ability to afford a great home. “And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them” (Luke 5:29). While the size of his home was unknown, it was large enough to hold a “great number of publicans and of others.” He also would have had enough money to afford great, sumptuous feasts. Incidentally, we notice Who else was present to this great feast. It was likely the case that Matthew wanted his fellow publicans and friends to meet the One who changed his life for the better. Being a publican would have, to an extent, been a position of power for Matthew as he was a Roman official. What would have been the cost of all this power and money? His eternal soul. He more than likely earned these physical blessings through corrupted means.

He was willing to give up all of that to follow after the Christ. “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell” (Matt. 5:29-30). This is not an endorsement to self mutilation but encouragement to cut off those things which would keep us from Heaven. If there is something which would keep me from Heaven, it does not need to be a part of my life. If it is a part of my life, it will be a stumbling block to my soul. It is better off for us to be without it in the long wrong. Matthew was willing to give up a lucrative job because he wanted to be a follower of Christ and he could not do that with the job he had.

This writer once heard about a man who lived in the Philippines. This man wanted to become a Christian but was told by his father that by making such a decision he would be cut off from the inheritance. Did I mention that his father was a millionaire? This individual had to make a decision. Do I lose my family or do I lose my soul? He chose to follow after Christ. Is there is anything in the life of a follower of Jesus which would keep them from properly following Him, we should cut those things out of our lives.