Many believe that Matthew and Levi the tax collector are the same person in the Gospel of Mark.
As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.
And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. (Mark 2:14-15)
Given his job as a tax collector, we can assume that Matthew wasn’t exactly a saint waiting for Jesus to show up so he could become a follower.
People saw tax collectors as traitors because they took money from Jews and gave it to the Roman government. They became some of the wealthiest people in the community because they collected more tax from the Jewish people than what was actually owed.
Tax collectors were thought to be so dishonest that their testimony couldn’t be used in court.
Matthew’s testimony might not have been acceptable in court, but that didn’t stop people from reading about his experiences with Jesus. In fact, Matthew was the most-read New Testament book until the Reformation, when Romans overtook it.
When I think about Matthew, I remember the old song, “The Touch from the Master’s Hand.” It may be a little long, but please read through the lyrics, thinking about Matthew and other unlikely people whose lives were transformed by a touch from the Master’s hand.
‘Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But he held it up with a smile.
“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,
“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”
“A dollar, a dollar—then two! Only two?
Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?
Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going for three—” But no,
From the room, far back, a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”
And he held it up with the bow.
“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?
Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?
Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice,
And going, and gone,” said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
“We do not quite understand
What changed its worth.” Swift came the reply:
“The touch of a master’s hand.”
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine;
A game—and he travels on.
“He is going” once, and “going twice,
He’s going and almost gone.”
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought
By the touch of the Master’s hand.
Four Women in Jesus’ Story
The genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (1:1-17) contains three sections of 14 names each. In today’s YouTube video, Rudy Ross explains the significance of some of these individuals.
As we continue to meditate on the words of the above song, I want to feature four women who are part of the list.
1. Tamar (Matthew 1:3)
Tamar was a Canaanite woman and the daughter-in-law of Judah (one of Jacob’s twelve sons). Her story, found in Genesis 38, is messy and reveals the way she tricked Judah into continuing the lineage of his eldest son.
2. Rahab (Matthew 1:5)
Like Tamar, Rahab was a Canaanite. Whereas Tamar pretended to be a prostitute, Rahab was one. She protected Hebrew spies who had come to Jericho. When the walls of Jericho fell, Rahab and her family were saved. She later married an Israelite and became the mother of Boaz.
3. Ruth (Matthew 1:5)
Ruth was a Moabite. Rudy Ross explains how the Moabites were viewed in Israel.
She stayed faithful to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and traveled with her to Bethlehem. She later married Boaz, and they had a son named Obed, who became the grandfather of King David.
4. Bathsheba / “The wife of Uriah” (Matthew 1:6)
Bathsheba was an Israelite woman (though her husband, Uriah, was a Hittite). She became pregnant through an adulterous relationship with King David. They later had a son named Solomon, who inherited David’s throne and continued David’s lineage.
These women are all associated with some form of social stigma, scandal, or vulnerability. Whether it was Matthew who provided this account of Jesus’ life or the women in His genealogy, God shows how a touch from His Masterful hand is transformative.
God’s Grace Greater than Our Sin
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible outlines how God’s grace is greater than our capacity to sin.
He reaches us in our broken, arrogant, and rebellious state and brings us into a relationship with Him. In that relationship, He transforms us into the people of His pleasure and our good.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 