The Calling of Matthew

<sup>This scripture has spoken to me lately:

Matthew 9:9-13
9</sup> As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

So there was Matthew, just sitting as a tax collector. Jesus says, "Follow me," and he does. Jesus does not scold him for his 'bad behavior' (as a tax collector). He seems to have no requirements for someone to be a follower of him. He doesn't ask Matthew to stop being a tax collector, repent, and only do good from then on out. He simply calls to him. From here, the Pharisees ask why Jesus eats with the "tax collectors and sinners". At this time the Pharisees most likely saw themselves as better than them, not including themselves as sinners of any sort. The Pharisees were, bluntly put, wrong. We are all sinners. Jesus didn't look at people who were classified as sinners as bad people, and we should all do the same.

Working with homelessness is a challenge. People often say that the homeless are people who don't work hard, are alcoholics or drug addicts, and live on the streets. This can be true, but is generally not the case. Every person I've come in contact with has a unique story. This story is normally so complex, that you couldn't hear it all in one sitting. Jesus didn't need to listen to the stories. He saw a person and knew their story. He didn't judge based on what they had done. He was there to help them. This is something we can all work on.

Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Think about that a bit. See how you can apply it. 

Summary:
Follow Him. Don't judge. Jesus was here for the sinners.

-John