Somewhere around 50 years after Jesus died, his disciple Matthew wrote the book that bears his name. Matthew was a man who had a particular relationship with our Lord. You see, when the Lord told him to, “Follow me”, Matthew was a tax collector. Not many people thought good things about them. They worked for the Roman government and were given a quota of money to collect. Anything above that quota they got to keep, so it was common for them to squeeze a little extra from their citizenry. We don’t know if Matthew was dishonest or greedy in any way, but we can assume that most if not all of his fellow Israelites thought he was. Many downright hated him, and the rest didn’t hold him in very high regard. And then the Messiah speaks directly to him and picks him to be part of his inner circle! Just imagine how Matthew must have felt. Have you ever felt like you’re too dirty to ever be close to God? Read your Bible and see how it really was when Jesus walked among us. It wasn’t the sinners that felt uncomfortable around Jesus. It was the religious people.

After Matthew was called by Jesus, he had a party in his home. Jesus was there along with Matthew’s tax-collector buddies and a bunch of prostitutes. In all likelihood, those were the only people who would be friends with a tax collector. The Pharisees thought it was scandalous for Jesus to be seen fellowshipping with these people. But Jesus said that the Son of Man came to seek and save those that were lost. And sinners flocked to Him. The Pharisees and scribes on the other hand had Him crucified.

But what about us? Are we like Jesus? Do sinners feel comfortable around us as we share the love of God or do they run from us because we act so holy? (Notice, I didn’t say that we should make sinners feel comfortable around us because we act like they do. That wasn’t how Jesus did it.) Or, do we make it a point to not associate with them at all because they aren’t “clean”? Pray about spending time with unbelievers. Go ahead and share with them the things that God is teaching you and doing in your life. Don’t talk down to them. Instead, talk to them as though they are already believers. You’ll be amazed to see that because of your acceptance of them just as they are, and the witness of your life, they will be drawn to Jesus just like the sinners were back in Matthew’s day. And pretty soon, they will be believers and sharing their lives with others!