Title Matthew 9:9-17
Today's text can be divided into two main parts. That is, the part of verses 9-13 and the part of verses 14-17. The contents of these two parts can also be viewed as separate from each other. But from the point of view of "discipleship of Jesus," the two parts become one natural text that can be dealt with together.
Verse 11, which belongs to the first part, says, "When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" This is what Jesus said when he saw that he not only made a disciple of Matthew, one of the tax collectors who had been the object of contempt and hatred by all the Jews, but also eating with many of his fellow tax collectors. Textually, the Pharisees questioned Jesus' disciples about Jesus' actions, but the focus of the problem is how a tax collector can become a disciple of Jesus.
Verse 14, the second part, says, "Then John's disciples came to Jesus and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?" Unlike in the previous verse 11, here, Jesus himself is raising a problem about his disciples. How can those who simply enjoy eating and drinking without fasting become disciples of Jesus? After all, as in the previous section, it is a matter of “discipleship of Jesus.”
Returning to the story of the first part, what was Jesus' response when he heard the Pharisees criticizing not only sitting with the tax collectors who they called sinners, but also making a disciple of one of them? Look at verses 12-13: "When Jesus heard this, he said, "Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but the sick. Go and learn what it means, I want mercy, not sacrifice." “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” In this answer, Jesus not only answered the criticism of the Pharisees, but also included Jesus' own criticism of the Pharisees. In other words, “Pharisees, you claim to be disciples of the law, but what God really wants is not the formal observance of the law like your sacrifices, but love from the heart and compassion for the poor, which is the true meaning of the law.” will be
First of all, from this text itself, we can learn a thing or two about a person's qualifications to be a disciple of Jesus. It is the fact that disciples of Jesus can be sinners, not the righteous. It is not a person who considers himself a righteous person, but a person who can confess that he is a sinner by being pointed at by others as a sinner can become a disciple of Jesus. Also, not those who know the whole law intellectually well or follow the rules of the law well, but those who understand the center of the law and keep it with their heart are the true disciples of Jesus.
Here we turn our eyes to Matthew, a former tax collector who was called to be a disciple of Jesus and was criticized by the Pharisees. According to the text, he sat at the customs office according to his position, and when Jesus passed by, he said, “Follow me,” and he got up and followed Jesus. In the same story, Luke's Gospel records that "he left everything and rose up and followed him" (Luke 5:28). But here we need to think carefully. Did Matthew really change from a tax collector who knew nothing but money to a disciple of Jesus after he had never seen Jesus before?
There are various opinions as to who the author of the Gospel of Matthew is, but the most evangelical position supported by the long tradition is the protagonist of today's text, that is, Matthew, who was a publican and became one of Jesus' twelve disciples, is the author of the Gospel of Matthew. That is the position. Standing in that position, we can make the following observations: It is believed that Matthew was accustomed to writing, recording, and archiving by profession as a publican and was fluent in several languages. He was using his talents to do something patriotic and anti-national. Then, by following Jesus, he was able to dedicate all his talents as the author of the great Gospel that preaches the words and deeds of Jesus and the gospel of the kingdom of God for all eternity. You become a disciple of the Lord when you do not know how to use the talents the Lord has given you for the Lord until you know the Lord, but after meeting the Lord, you can use your talents fully for the Lord's work.
Matthew is considered a man of few words. In the Bible, only the facts of how he met and followed Jesus are recorded, and unlike the other disciples, there is not a single word that is said to have been spoken by him. However, it can be seen that he devoted his life to faithfully remembering, recording, and preaching only the words of the Lord, while refraining from speaking his own words as much as possible. Here too we find a beautiful picture of Jesus' true discipleship. It is difficult for those who talk a lot about themselves and raise their own thoughts a lot to become a disciple of Jesus.
In today's text, we should all understand the truth of being a disciple of Jesus, which Jesus Himself taught, and live diligently following that truth. Realize that we are all sinners before God, understand God’s word in Jesus Christ, keep it in our hearts, and live a life centered on the Lord, throwing away the old worldly way of life. Let's become disciples.