9/21/2003
Text Matthew 9:9-13
Title “I see dead people…They don’t know they’re dead….They’re everywhere.”
Grace, mercy and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
This past week I read an article about a movie that was released several years ago. It was called, “The Sixth Sense”. The movie was about a young boy, who when he looked at people, could see who was going to die within a short period of time. He kept telling Bruce Willis, the co-star, “I see dead people. They do not know they are dead. They’re everywhere.” As you can imagine, it was a very frightening experience for him, for he not only knew they were going to die, but how they were going to die.
As I was preparing for the sermon this week, it struck me that Jesus, just like the little boy in that fictional movie, saw dead people who did not know they were dead. Jesus saw more than their physical death, he saw their spiritual death. How his heart must have ached as he went about his ministry healing the sick and forgiving sins.
In the passage just prior to our text for this morning, Matthew writes that Jesus had just come from the other side of the lake where he had healed many people. On arriving in town, he had forgiven the sins of a crippled man who was bedridden, and then healed the man’s physical problems.
Well, that was more than the Pharisees could stand. They got really upset with him and accused Jesus of blaspheming God. The crowd on the other hand, praised God for giving Jesus the power to do such great things. However, notice they did not recognize him as being God or even being the Son of God. They just knew that he could forgive sins and heal people.
The people of Jesus’ day did not have any problem with that concept because they believed sins and illness went hand-in-hand. When you sinned, you got sick or had an accident -- it was that simple. When a person was healed, they obviously had to have been forgiven of their sins.
As we look at our Gospel reading, we find Jesus, his disciples, and I am sure, a large crowd of admirers, walking into the town of Capernaum. Jesus sees Matthew sitting in the tax booth doing what he did best, collecting taxes, probably tariffs from the merchants that were passing though on the way to other parts of the country.
What Jesus does next was almost unbelievable, for tax collectors in Jesus’ time were even more disliked than they are today. In the Jewish mind, the tax collector, especially the Jewish tax collector, was a dishonorable person. First, the Jewish tax collector was working for the Roman government, so he was seen as a sort of traitor. Second, the tax collector made his living by overcharging, cheating the people he was collecting the taxes from.
It worked this way. The Roman government expected a certain amount of money out of every region, and all the tax collector had to do was make sure that he turned in the required amount. Everything else he collected above that amount was his to keep. Therefore, you can see why they were not liked.
Well, there is Matthew doing his thing, when Jesus walks past his booth. Instead of looking the other way or making crude remarks, Jesus says just two words to him, “Follow Me” and Matthew’s life was changed forever. It was changed because Jesus had chosen him to be a disciple. Matthew asked no questions of Jesus, as did the rich young man who could not leave his goodies, for our text tells us that Matthew got up and followed him. No questions, no information asked for, just an instant response to Jesus’ invitation.
So what does Matthew’s story have to do with us? After all Matthew really was a sinner. He cheated people; he only cared for himself and how much money he could make. He obviously was not attending the temple regularly, for if he were, he would not have been doing what he was doing.
We do not purposely cheat people, or do we? We do not put our desires and needs first, at least not most of the time. We do not put our jobs above our families, do we? We do not skip church, at least not too often. As much as we think we are not like the tax collector Matthew, we really have a lot in common with him.
First of all, we are all sinners. We have all sinned and failed to keep God’s commandments. Too many times we do cheat people, maybe not by outright cheating but cheating never-the-less, as we take what is not ours. Too many times, we do put our needs first before others. Too many times, we work too many hours bringing money in, while neglecting our families. Too many times, we skip church. If it were not for God, we would all share the fate of unbelievers. We would all be doomed to everlasting hell.
Second, we share with Matthew our being called by Jesus. Jesus called and Matthew answered. Jesus calls us today, but in different ways. He calls us through our baptism. He calls through our worship each time we come to church and hear his Word. He calls us each time we take communion. Jesus calls, and we are to answer, just as Matthew did that day.
Third, when Jesus calls, he calls you to live a life of faithfulness. When Jesus calls you, just as he called Matthew, he calls you into a relationship with God. It is a relationship of trust, as you walk your journey of faith. Matthew trusted Jesus. He got up from his booth, left his life of sin, and followed him. Just like Matthew, we are to leave behind our life of sin by trusting in Jesus.
Yes, Jesus has called each one of you. He has called you to live a God- pleasing life. He has called you to live your life in such a way that all of those you meet will know you are a child of God. He has called you to tell others about Jesus and his saving work.
Have you ever wondered if God has actually called you? Have you ever wondered if you are doing all you are supposed to be doing for God? Do you ever wonder if God is pleased with you?
You do not have to worry about any of those things, for when God called you either as a child when you were baptized, or as an adult, God has called you to receive the gifts and blessings that he wants to give you; the gift of forgiveness, the gift of salvation, the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. When God calls you and you respond, just like Matthew you will be changed. Oh, you will still have to fight off those sinful desires, but as your faith gets stronger, as you learn to trust in God more and more, you will find that your struggles with your sinful self will be easier to overcome. When you do fall into purposeful sin, you do not have to despair, for you can know without a doubt that God keeps on calling you and forgiving you time after time. Just like Matthew, you can leave your sin behind you.
In closing, I want to share with you a little story that unfortunately describes too many of us Christians. There was a man standing at a bus stop carrying a heavy suitcase. When the bus came, he just barely got himself and the suitcase on the already overcrowded bus. Several blocks later, the driver, looking in his rear-view mirror noticed that the man was standing in the aisle clinging tightly to his heavy suitcase. The driver noticing how much he was struggling to hold on to it said to him, “Sir, you can put the suitcase down. Let the bus carry it.”
Are you still carrying your suitcase of sin, worry, unforgiveness, and doubts? Let Jesus your Lord and Savior take it from you and carry it for you. Remember that Jesus died for all people. He knows you better than you know yourself. He accepts you as you are with all your blemishes and warts. He makes you, as one butcher’s sign read, “I make the best of the wurst.” Amen
