Thursday September 21
(St. Matthew's Day)
Bible Reading: Matt. 9: 9 - 13
Topic: The Call Of Matthew (Levi)
Matthew was a tax
collector - one of the most despised groups in Jesus' day, because they worked
for their Roman oppressors.
In the eye of the Jews,
they were the worst of sinners.
They were cheats,
dishonest and unjust men.
Most tax collectors were
extremely wealthy because the Roman Government allowed them to collect more
than the percentage required for taxes.
They greedily abused their
rights by adding whatever percent they felt could be collected. As a result,
they were deeply hated by the People.
Matthew was a Chief Tax
Collector, a great sinner. Whereas Jesus saw in him a man who needed salvation, the people saw
him as a cheat dishonest and dubious man to be hated and shunned.
Jesus invited Matthew to
follow Him in spite of his past history and bad social record.
Matthew responded promptly
and followed Jesus and promptly became a great witness for Jesus. He organized
a great banquet for Jesus and invited his fellow tax collectors (Luke 5: 29).
That programme yielded great fruits because many of these sinners became
followers of Jesus.
Jesus came to call sinners
to repentance. We should do likewise.
Prayer
Lord, make me to be a true
witness for You, Amen.
Memory Verse Matt. 9: 12
"But when Jesus heard
that, He said unto them: They that be whole need not a physician but they that
are sick."
Source:
The Daily Fountain 2017
(The Daily Devotional Guide of the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion)
Comments
Post a Comment