DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Saint Matthew 9:9-13 (11/16-11/29) Gospel for the Holy Apostle
and Evangelist Matthew
To Be Worthy ~ Forsake All: Saint
Matthew 9:9-13, especially vs. 9: “As
Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax
office. And He said to him,
‘Follow me.’ So he
arose and followed Him.” Compare the line quoted above with the Evangelist
Luke’s record of the Lord’s call of Matthew (of Levi); but notice
especially the tax collector’s response: The Lord Jesus “...said to
him, ‘Follow Me.’ So
he left all, rose up, and followed Him” (Lk.
5:27,28). It would appear that
Matthew was too humble to report that ‘he left all.’
Each of us who hears the call to discipleship must reckon
with demands that will certainly come when following Christ. For the Lord clearly shows anyone who
would follow Him to be prepared to ‘leave all.’ When the Lord said to Matthew,
“Follow me,” no perks, conditions, promises, or advantages were
advanced. Today’s world does
not greatly favor the absolutist type of language the Lord uses to speak of
discipleship: ‘hating one’s family, bearing one’s cross,
forsaking all’ (see Lk. 14:26; 9:23;
5:28). Nevertheless, in modern
idiom, the Lord Jesus is asking each of us plainly: “Are you going to
fish or cut bait?”
Consider what Christ’s call implied for Matthew: as a
tax collector, he had an assured economic base that provided good income. He had a circle of friends and
colleagues among whom he was welcomed, who ate and drank with him, and who
understood and supported him. These
contract revenue agents were derided and excluded as “...tax collectors
and sinners” (Mt. 9:11).
Doubtless, they enjoyed each other’s company and the pleasures
their employment and positions provided.
Still, enlistment by the Lord placed all this comfort and security at
risk. Notice: when Matthew
followed, he left his employment, but not yet his friends. Soon though, he left them also. But first, the Lord, in great mercy, sat
at table among them (vs. 10).
In many ways, our Lord is explicit about the risk involved
in discipleship: “No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate
the one, and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one, and despise
the other...” (Mt. 6:24; see also Lk.
16:13). The Lord Jesus expresses a
high level of risk when He speaks of ‘taking one’s cross’
(Mt. 10:38; Lk. 9:23). There are real implications in becoming
a practicing Christian, especially if we are ever forced to choose for or
against Christ. Are we ready with a
willing heart to suffer humiliation, ignominy, pain and, possibly, even
death? The cost of leaving all may
vary in different circumstances, but cutting free from this world’s
allegiances is a common element of discipleship for every true Christian.
Each disciple must decide about the risks of
discipleship. As the Lord warns:
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first
and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it, lest, after he has laid
the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’”
(Lk. 14:28-30).
Some have faced demands in the work place to compromise the truth or
have been expected to help defraud customers or investors. Some have faced demands for sexual
favors. Some have had their parents
cut them off from the warmth and affection of the family for choosing to become
Orthodox Christians. Be advised,
and count the cost. Consider seriously,
should the demand come: how ready am I to forsake all?
Many will say, “But to belong to the Church is not
highly risky. Are not all these
images a little overstated?”
At this moment for you and me risks are minimal; but conditions
change. There are, today,
implacable enemies of Christian commitment ready to destroy us.
Take from our hearts, O Lord, the fear to forsake all, that
by Thy grace we exert that stern and irresistible earnestness which is worthy
of Thine eternal and blessed Kingdom.
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