Morning Star
April-June 2008: Come, Follow Me!
The Living Lighthouse
by Delia Dacanay
“Jesus left that
place, and as He walked
along, He saw a tax collector,
named Matthew, sitting in
his office. He said to him, ‘Follow
Me’. Matthew got up
and followed Him.” Matthew
9:9
Matthew, the despised tax
collector, being called
to be a disciple is a prime
example of how Jesus accepts
a sinner. Matthew had openly
betrayed his own people,
his friends and neighbors
in order to line his own
pockets. But Jesus took
Matthew as he is. He knew
what Matthew was, and He
also knew what Matthew could
become.
No one is automatically
excluded from God’s
offer of salvation. He did
not say to the tax-collectors, “to
carry on”; he says, “Come,
follow me”. He does
not give a stamp of approval
to their activities; instead,
he calls on them to change
their ways. He sits with
them and eats with them
as a way of summoning them
to embrace the way of God’s
kingdom.
Jesus takes us the way
we are – “Just
as we are”, with all
our weaknesses and flaws,
with all our scars and all.
Jesus came into the world
and saw sin as it really
is – with all of its
filthiness and heartache
and pain. He suffered for
that sin…He died a
horrible death for that
sin…But – fortunately
for us – He had a
great love and compassion
for the sinners. He would
always look with merciful
eyes on the sinner. He would
never be so blinded by their
sin that He did not see
the good in them, their
potential, their possibilities
and their qualities that
are worth redeeming.
Yes, Jesus loves us as
we are…with all our
sins and with all our weaknesses.
He knows what we can become.
He wants to change us. He
wants you and me to think
and act like Jesus. Jesus
came to earth not only to
save us…but also to
tell us about the eternal
life we will share with
Him.
We need to open the eyes
of our heart and just like
Matthew, we need to get
up and follow Him. Let us
always remember that Jesus
comes to us constantly with
his gracious call…and
once we respond, things
will never be the same again.
