GETTING THE BEST
Matthew 9:9-13
S: Celebrate Jesus
Th: The love of God
Pr: JESUS LIKED PEOPLE AND DREW OUT THE BEST IN THEM.
?: How did he do it?
KW: Needs
TS: We will find in Matthew 9:9-13 four needs that Jesus met in order to draw out the best in people.
The ____ need that Jesus saw was a…
I. BEWILDERED PEOPLE NEEDING A LEADER
II. LONELY PEOPLE NEEDING A FRIEND
III. UNHEALTHY PEOPLE NEEDING A DOCTOR
IV. FALLEN PEOPLE NEEDING MERCY
RMBC 2/6/00 AM
INTRODUCTION:
Let’s face it…
1. We like it when someone goes out of his/her way to be our friend.
ILL Notebook: Friendship (boy & girl)
When the Leinbaughs arrived in their new home in Kentucky, their seven-year-old son Jason decided to explore the neighborhood. He was back within the hour proclaiming that he had made some new friends. “Good. Are they boys or girls?” his mother asked. “One is a boy and one is a girl,” he replied. “That’s great,” she said. “How old are they?” “Mom,” Jason replied, almost shocked, “that would be rude to ask.” She was puzzled by his response. About an hour later, he was back. “Mom!” Jason shouted through the screen door. “I found out how old my new friends are. The girl is 65 and the boy is 70.”
Well, Jason found two friends that went out of their way to be his friend.
And they prove they could be trusted, for they even give out their age.
Well, we realize this…when someone does go out of his or her way to be our friend, we are going to trust him or her.
2. Friends will be trusted.
This principle will be observed today as we see Jesus in action again today…
TRANSITION:
1. We have entered our third week of our 50-Day Adventure called “Celebrate Jesus: Discover What Makes Him Attractive to So Many People!”
Today is Day 15 of the 50 days.
I say this in case you have lost track of where you are to be in your journal.
2. We are in a discovery process, determining what kind of person Jesus was.
Last week, we discovered that Jesus wasn’t afraid to talk to anybody.
He was even willing to talk to a woman of Samaritan ethnicity in the middle of day.
This was unheard of.
This broke the social mores of the day.
Today’s drama is a creative and humorous look at a preceding story of today’s text.
It is the story of the two demon-possessed men whose demons Jesus sent into a herd of pigs.
The story comes, interestingly, from the perspective of the pigs.
ILL Drama: “In a Pig’s Eye”
People all over Palestine had to be wondering what kind of person this Jesus was.
He was so different…so unique.
He seemed to care about people nobody else cared about.
He would even talk to people that were out of control.
But, let’s admit it.
We are a bit more cautious.
We don’t just talk to anybody.
We don’t just get involved in any person’s life.
We are much more selective.
Jesus’ view of people seems to be much different than ours.
3. Have you ever heard someone say, “I don’t have to like them; I just have to love them”?
I have.
I am not so sure Jesus would have agreed.
For instance, can you imagine if we said that about our future spouse?
“I don’t like him very much, but I do love him.”
“I don’t like her very much, but I do love her.”
How different Jesus was!
Jesus loved people—and liked people—and this was obvious to all that knew Him.
He didn’t just tolerate people.
He liked them.
He enjoyed them and saw value and beauty in them.
4. JESUS LIKED PEOPLE AND DREW OUT THE BEST IN THEM.
But how did he do it?
Well…
5. We will find in Matthew 9:9-13 four needs that Jesus met in order to draw out the best in people.
(9) 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."
6. Matthew was one of the most unliked and despised people in the land.
On the social scale, tax collectors were on the bottom.
Even prostitutes had a higher social status.
For tax collectors were considered traitors and collaborators with the enemy.
But how is it that a Jewish person would become a tax collector.
Well…Rome needed to find a way to collect taxes in a cost-effective way.
Their solution was to auction the rights to collect taxes in a certain region.
The person who won that auction was responsible to deliver Rome an agreed sum, but anything above that, he could keep as his own commission.
Obviously, this system was rampant with gouging and abuse.
And many tax collectors became wealthy—super-wealthy.
So, Matthew was seen by most as treasonous, an extortioner, and an oppressor.
This is why tax collectors were barred from the synagogues.
They had no social or religious life.
Because he had such few friends, he would have to watch his back when he walked home at night.
But when Jesus met Matthew, he did not share the perspective of the majority.
In fact…
7. Jesus saw characteristics that were altogether likeable.
Matthew had some positive qualities.
For instance…
7.1 He had courage to “swim upstream.”
He obviously possessed an inner strength to go a different direction than everybody else.
He was definitely going a different direction than everybody else.
At the very least, he had spunk and grit.
This was a quality Jesus had to admire.
7.2 He was decisive.
You can’t become a tax collector without being decisive.
He didn’t vacillate.
He didn’t do it to make friends.
He was one of those that knew what he wanted and went after it.
7.3 He was social.
Although he was lonely to the populace, he apparently did have a group of friends.
He did have good buddies which becomes evident in this story, as he freely invites them over to meet Jesus.
Jesus probably saw that Matthew could be good company.
7.4 He didn’t try to impress people.
Matthew was no snob.
He was whom he appeared to be.
We can note this because there are others in this story that were more corrupt than Matthew by covering their unrighteousness with righteousness.
Matthew, on the other hand, was just who he was, and that’s it.
But let’s not be mistaken.
Matthew did have needs.
In many ways, they are the same needs that we all have.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first need that Jesus saw was a BEWILDERED PEOPLE NEEDING A LEADER.
1. Jesus said to Matthew, “Follow me.”
Jesus noticed Matthew.
He looked him in the eye and saw something there altogether likeable.
So He gave the challenge.
“Follow me.”
“Leave this behind.”
“Join my group.”
This somehow must have appealed to Matthew, because we learn that’s what he did.
The response is immediate and decisive.
Why was he able to leave so quickly?
I think it is because…
2. Matthew lacked direction.
He had had no compass in his life but the bottom line.
He needed someone to follow.
He knew that there had to be more to life than what he was already doing.
Which brings us to…
II. The second need that Jesus saw was a LONELY PEOPLE NEEDING A FRIEND.
ILL 50 Day material
Jerry Rice, longtime star for the San Francisco 49ers, is considered one of the greatest receivers in the history of football. Once Black Entertainment Television asked Rice, “Why did you attend a small, obscure university like Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Benna, Mississippi?” Rice responded, “Out of all the big-time schools (such as UCLA) to recruit me, MVSU was the only school to come to my house and give me a personal visit.” The big-time schools sent cards, letters, and advertisements, but only one showed Rice personal attention.
In the same way, Jesus gives personal attention.
1. Jesus gladly went into Matthew’s home.
He jumps right into his living situation and goes to his house.
He is not afraid of Matthew’s reputation, or for His own for that matter.
So we find that Matthew is throwing a party.
The description is of a long, drawn-out celebratory feast.
This is not a small gathering of friends.
I mean…this was a party!
We don’t know the motivation of those that came, but it definitely was filled with a certain kind of people.
The party was open to anybody that was disenfranchised by the religious establishment.
Without knowing what happened to Matthew, perhaps some of them Matthew would give them a break when it came to the taxes.
There was one at this party that doesn’t have an agenda to use Matthew.
His agenda is rather simple.
He will be Matthew’s friend.
2. Matthew lacked a friend that really liked him.
Most hated Matthew.
And those that did like him were probably just as lonely.
Jesus has come to reach them.
But there was a group that was not so happy with Jesus’ intentions.
And as we listen to them, we discover that their language is calculated and designed to preserve the old order.
There is a word for what the Pharisees are doing.
It is called “triangling.”
By avoiding direct contact with Jesus and talking to his disciples, the Pharisees attempt to form a triangle: Jesus, his disciples and the Pharisees.
The purpose of the triangle is to form an alliance between two corners over and against the other corner.
The Pharisees try to form an alliance with Jesus’ disciples, but Jesus defeats their effort by speaking directly to the Pharisees and directly answering their question.
In fact, what the Pharisees meant as accusation, Jesus took as compliment.
His answer is the next need…
III. The third need that Jesus saw was an UNHEALTHY PEOPLE NEEDING A DOCTOR.
1. Jesus flowed to those that were hurting.
While others were judging, Jesus saw the hurt that was in individuals.
So when Jesus met Matthew, he saw a soul that was sick and dying.
Here was a soul that needed care.
It was an emergency, if you will.
Matthew was dying.
So Jesus comes to him to invite him to be a disciple.
For…
2. Matthew’s soul lacked new life.
He was in poor health.
He needed the work of God in his life.
He needed to be a new creation.
And a new creation he became.
Matthew, the worst of the bad, became the best of the good, and it began with good will from Jesus.
The Pharisees just couldn’t seem to see this.
For all their religious devotion lacked the quality of mercy.
The Pharisees were expecting a Messiah who would not only exclude sinners, but also crush them.
Jesus in effect says that the opposite is true.
He came for sinners…which demonstrates…
IV. The fourth need that Jesus saw was a FALLEN PEOPLE NEEDING MERCY.
1. Jesus was determined to deal with the root problem.
Jesus sees sin for what it is.
And he will not offer or allow excuses about the past.
But He will offer Himself.
Jesus offers Himself to Matthew.
And invited him to be a student and a disciple.
Perhaps even more important, He mercifully offered him companionship.
Matthew needed it, for…
2. Matthew lacked forgiveness.
In Jesus, he would find it.
The world offered condemnation, but what he needed was a fresh start.
This was Jesus’ style.
He went looking for people that needed forgiveness.
We need to be honest with ourselves for a moment.
For when it comes down to it, we are more often Pharisee than Jesus.
So often we are glad when people are saved as long as they look like, talk like and act like us.
But…
How many of us have a love for unwed mothers on welfare?
Or for alcoholics?
Or for drug addicts?
Or for prostitutes?
Or for homosexual activists?
Or for the men that operate the strip clubs?
Or for those that participate in abortions?
Yet…Jesus loves them!
He even likes them.
How much we need to adopt the prayer of Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God."
George MacLeod also said it well when he wrote:
"I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the center of the market place as well as on the steeple of the church, I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles: But on a cross between two thieves; on a town garbage heap; At a crossroad of politics so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek... And at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died, and that is what He died about. And that is where Christ’s men ought to be, and what church people ought to be about."
APPLICATION:
It is my hope that as we discover what Jesus is like, that you will determine to be more like Jesus.
In our adventure, there are three action steps we are to be taking up to this point to get us going in that direction.
1. Action Step 1: PRAY WITH A PENCIL.
Jesus stayed spiritually connected and directed by God.
Are you following the example of Jesus?
Are you taking time to be spiritually connected to God?
Are you finding that as a result of the connection that God directs you?
This is why we are encouraging your participation in using the adventure journal along with your Bible.
Take the time to listen and record what God is saying through His Word.
Take the time to journal what God is doing.
Use the “Show Me Prayer” that you will find in your journal.
Even take time to memorize His Word.
We have been including a little card, made up by my dad, and copied, for you to stick in your pocket and commit to memory.
For when we have God’s Word in our heart, we are in a better position to listen to what He has to say.
The second…
2. Action Step 2: LIGHT YOUR STREET.
Many of us are familiar with lighthouses.
They are a help to sailors who have lost their way.
They help you know where you are.
They help in the way to go.
People today have lost their bearings.
Many don’t have the foggiest notion of who they are or where they are going.
But God has put a lighthouse in their life.
It is you.
They need you as a lighthouse to show the way.
And you can do it, for we have the light of Christ within us.
We are lighthouses, showing the way to live and the way to know God.
The journal has introduced to you the concept of “prayer walking.”
Discipline yourself to be a lighthouse for your community and begin doing it with prayer.
The easiest people may be your neighbors around you.
As you look out your window at their houses, pray for them.
Better yet, take a walk, and pray for each house as you go by.
If you live in apartments, stop at each door and pray.
Perhaps, your community is your workplace.
Pray at each door or cubicle.
Pray for God’s blessing on each person, even if you don’t know them.
Pray for good relationships.
Pray for any problems.
Pray that you might be an instrument of peace in their lives.
ILL Notebook: Encouragement (Bonehead)
As long as he lives, Larry Terherst won’t forget when he met Alvin C. Hass for the first time in 1991. The other inmate in the prison class didn’t use the name "Alvin Hass" when he introduced them - not even close! He introduced Alvin as "Bonehead." Immediately, Larry felt uncomfortable with Alvin’s nickname. The tall, soft-spoken inmate wouldn’t look at him as he shook his hand. Needless to say, "Bonehead" was bald-headed. The hair that he had on the sides went way down past his shoulders. Larry felt as though he were staring at him and tried not to look. But there was a large (and very intimidating) tattoo on top of his bald head. (Yes! A tattoo on his head!) The tattoo was of Harley-Davidson wings and covered the entire top of his head.
As a teacher, Larry tried to maintain excellent composure during stressful times, and he made it through that first day of class. At the end of the period, "Bonehead" slipped him a note while he was filing out of the classroom. Larry thought, "Oh no! He’s telling me that I’m going to be ’taken out’ by his other "Harley" buddies if I don’t give him a good grade or something like that." A little later, Larry had a chance to read the note. It said, "Teach (he always called me "Teach"), breakfast is an important meal and if you’re not in by then you’re in big trouble! - Bonehead, the Mountain Hippie."
Bonehead completed a series of six classes with Larry over many months. He was an excellent student who seldom spoke. However, he handed Larry a note nearly every day with some type of saying, tidbit, anecdote or other wise advice for life. He looked forward to receiving them and became a little disappointed if by chance he didn’t give him one.
Bonehead and Larry clicked. Somehow, Larry knew that each time he opened his mouth to teach, Bonehead understood him. He silently soaked up everything he said. They were connected.
At the conclusion of the course, each student received a certificate. Bonehead had completed the course doing excellent work the entire way through and Larry was excited to give him his certificate.
They were alone when Larry presented his certificate of completion. He shook his hand and briefly told him what a pleasure it was to have had him in his classes and that he appreciated his hard work, excellent attendance and superior attitude. Bonehead’s response stayed with Larry. In a soft voice, Bonehead said, "Thank you, Larry, You’re the first teacher in my life that ever told me I did anything right."
As Larry walked away, he was awash with emotion. He could hardly hold back the tears thinking that in all of Bonehead’s growing-up years, no one ever told him he had done anything right.
Larry, whether he realized it or not, became an excellent example of how Jesus treated others.
Jesus liked people and drew out the best in them.
Which leads us to the third…
3. Action Step 3: CELEBRATE PEOPLE.
We need to see people with Jesus’ eyes.
It is easy to tear down people and harder to build them up.
But we do need to discipline ourselves.
And we need to do it with both believers and unbelievers.
So say something to affirm someone.
Thank them.
Compliment them.
Inspire them to greater things.
Talk about their potential.
I especially encourage you to do it with people you don’t like.
So I encourage you today to see people for not only who they have been, but also who they can become by the love and grace of Jesus.
BENEDICTION:
Like people…look at them as Jesus does, created in the image of God, full of potential to become like Christ, for even the worst can become the best;
Love people…love them as Jesus does; love them because they are bewildered without a leader; love them because they are unhealthy and need a doctor; love them because they are fallen and they need mercy;
Encourage people…encourage them as Jesus does, be their friend, find the good that is there and praise it; let the good gift of grace that God has shown you flow out of you like a flood.
Now…May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
