On Following Jesus: Why? (Part 1 of 2) by Peter L. DeGroote
	Notes for Bible Talk: June 22, 2005 Please read Matthew 9: 9-13
Bible Talk is an informal discussion of biblical passages, ideas, and related material. The discussions are on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 pm, following the Service of Word and Table. Occasionally, they will not be held due to special events. These Notes are intended to assist participants in thinking about the passages and some of their implications prior to the gathering. Usually, the Notes are prepared and the discussion is led by Rev. Peter L. DeGroote	Wednesday, June 22, 2005 On Following Jesus: Why? (Part 1 of 2) 1. The earliest Christians were Jews following "The Way" of Jesus, thought by many of them at the time to be a Jewish reformer/mystic/healer, etc. Before becoming a separate church, Christians were part of what is now known as a “Jesus movement” within Judaism—a group dedicated to following his teachings and way of life (The Way). How one became a follower of Jesus’ Way is a curious question. If you compare the “call stories” in the different gospels, you will find a rich variety that provides an illustration of how different communities in the early church came to slightly different understandings of how this happened. 2. This story of Jesus calling Matthew uses the "follow me" formula. Matthew was a tax collector. As the story is nearly identical to the story in Mark 2:14, it is likely that the authors of Matthew adapted it to their purpose, renaming the tax collector. The following two questions are among the several that jump out at us. We will turn to the second next week. A. The most curious question: Why would a wealthy tax collector abandon his career in order to become a follower of an itinerant preacher from rural Galilee? B. The second question: After Matthew decided to follow Jesus, why did Jesus go to his home where Matthew threw a party so that his friends, who were thought of as sinners, could meet Jesus? (Compare this story to Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27-32) 3. What was it that caused a person like Matthew to respond to Jesus, an itinerant preacher from rural Galilee? Its residents were thought backward by Jews elsewhere. An agriculturally abundant part of Israel, the native population of Galilee did not reap its rewards. Much of the land had been awarded to retired Roman soldiers as a pension, was owned by wealthy Romans, or under the control of absentee urban landlords, both Roman and Jewish. A. A man like Matthew was in a peculiar position. All of Israel was under Roman military occupation. Rome was hated because of its brutality, its defilement of the land of Israel with evil gods, and the abominations of its cultural ways. Those cooperating with the Romans were considered traitors. That included many in the upper classes benefiting from their privileged positions, to include any who were tax collectors. B. Tax collectors were a particularly loathsome group because of the Roman method of tax farming. They contracted to pay the Roman authorities a specific amount to cover the taxes of particular area, in return receiving the authority to collect whatever they might levy, the difference being their profit, which was often considerable. Consequently, they were thought of as thieves, robbing their own people in order to underwrite the Roman occupation and their own prosperous life style. 4. Despite the hostility of other Jews, a man like Matthew would not have been socially isolated. Many would have thought of him as privileged, possessing both wealth and considerable influence in many quarters. What was it that caused such a man to choose to follow "The Way" of Jesus, thought by many in his circle as a "country bumpkin"? Why would he leave his position of privilege to be part of a community that shared what it had with each other? Why would he walk away from his obvious success for a life of teaching the rule of love? How did it affect his family, what were their reactions? 5. Unlike Matthew, most early Christians were from the lower ranks of society, although that did not mean they were unskilled or unintelligent. For example, many slaves held important positions of responsibility and trust in their master's households, although they remained slaves. Nevertheless, as Christianity moved from its rural roots to an urban phenomenon, much changed. Among the early urban Christians were those more like Mathew. In fact, the inclusion of this story in the Gospel of Matthew, using the name Matthew, instead of Levi used in Mark, probably reflects the presence of such persons in the community from which the Gospel of Matthew came, perhaps in its leadership. They were speaking from the past to persons in their own community. 6. The character of Matthew in this story has parallels to our own stories. Consider: A. He listened to a message from a social and economic perspective much different than his own. We might recall the story of the rich young man who asked Jesus what he should do and Jesus told him to give his wealth away. That man walked away, as did many, as do many now. Likewise, Jesus’ message is from a different social and economic perspective of many of us, a difference further compounded by differences between our historical time and place. B. Following Jesus’ Way called for a different way of life than Matthew learned and lived. Like most of us, Matthew sought a successful and prosperous career; we have no reason to believe he was not reasonably successful. Yet Jesus somehow let him know that he was on the wrong track, that his definition of success and prosperity were not all that he thought them to be. C. Matthew’s story is very relevant to our lives in North America. What parallels might we draw between his story and our own? 7. We might push the questions a little further: How is it that we seldom think that becoming a Christian involves a significant change in how we live, think, and work? Peter L. DeGroote	All biblical quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version.