THE blessing of discipleship and salvation is declared further in this next reported incident in the ministry of Jesus. There could be no more notorious sinners than tax collectors in those times. None of us like tax collectors, but we expect them to be honest and only take from us what is the right tax laid down by the government. In the days of Jesus a tax collector was employed by the Romans to collect taxes laid down by Rome, but the Romans did not mind how the tax collector did it, and the tax collector was allowed to ask more than the tax as his salary for collecting the taxes. The fact was that tax collectors used this privilege to ask very large amounts from the people, far more than the tax and a reasonable salary required. By this they milked the people of their money, leaving them impoverished, while at the same time making themselves very rich. Matthew was someone like this.

What do we read in this bit of history? We read that Jesus called him into discipleship. Jesus said "Follow me". Here is Christ's love for sinners, and his readiness to forgive them. The wonder of blessing here is that Jesus called Matthew with his divine call, and Matthew obeyed the call. There is no way that Matthew would have obeyed this call if Christ had not made the call a gracious call of love which overcame all the worldliness and greed in Matthew's heart, and drew him into the love which Jesus was showing towards him.

Here is the nature of God's forgiving love. It is not enough for forgiveness to be provided. No one comes to Christ for forgiveness on their own, however wonderful the blessing of forgiveness is. The human heart is too far gone in sins to ever want to leave them for Christ. People don't feel they have sins, and even if they recognise sins, they don't want to let go of them. People live for the present and don't heed the terrible end that is coming on all people because of their sins after this life is over. We are dead in trespasses and sins. We need to be quickened and brought to life before we realise this and are motivated to turn from our sins. Paul points this out in Ephesians 2 when he says "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - by grace you have been saved." This is what happened here with Matthew. Christ loved him, sinner though he was, and when he called him he exercised his divine power to raise him from the spiritual death and stupor which is the condition of everyone, and caused him to hate his sins, and accept from Jesus the forgiveness of his sins.

We learn from this that we should never give up praying for people that they may receive the forgiveness of their sins. Christ's grace and power are such that he can bring to life the hardest heart.

The evidence of the blessing of salvation is seen as we read on in this short history. Jesus went to Matthew's house, and he sat beside the friends of Matthew, who were other tax collectors and other people who were hated because they oppressed the people. Jesus accepted Matthew's hospitality and had a meal with him. This was un-heard of amongst the Jews. They classed the tax collectors as great sinners, and they would have nothing to do with them. They believed that God would have nothing to do with them and hated them. This is how so much of the Christian church look at certain classes of people in society today. They class them as beyond the pale, and too evil to be accepted or loved. People who think in this way would deny this vehemently but their actions are like the Pharisees who criticised Jesus for eating and socialising with `tax collectors'.

Jesus exposes this thinking. He tells these Pharisees that he had not actually come for so called righteous people, but to save sinners, and this is why he went amongst them, and loved them, and spoke to them, and called them. Jesus points out that these despised sinners were the ones who needed his help and his grace. They were the sick ones who needed healing, and this is what he came to do - to call sinners to repentance.

Here is the wonder of God's salvation. It is provided for sinners, and offered freely to sinners. Jesus died for sinners, so that they may receive the forgiveness of their sins, and find eternal life in his kingdom.

The truth of the matter is that we are all sinners, even the so called righteous people, and the fact that the righteous people refused to accept this and thought they deserved God's blessing, shut them out of forgiveness and the salvation they thought they possessed. I wonder how many who attend what is felt to be good gospel churches are in actual fact like the Pharisees in their hearts and thinking, and are in the same danger as the Pharisees of finding themselves shut out of salvation because they class themselves as the righteous people.