Few words in Scripture are as simple and yet as profound as the words Jesus spoke to Matthew: "Follow me." (Matthew 9:9) Matthew was sitting at a tax booth when Jesus called him. To many people, he was an unlikely candidate for discipleship. Tax collectors were often regarded as traitors, collaborators with Rome, and people whose pursuit of wealth had come at the expense of their integrity. If there was a list of people most likely to be excluded from God's purposes, Matthew would have been near the top. Yet Jesus stopped, looked at him, and said, "Follow me." There is something remarkable about this moment. Jesus did not begin with a lecture about morality or a demand that Matthew first prove himself worthy. He did not tell him to change and then come. He simply invited him into relationship. This reveals something essential about the heart of God. Jesus sees people not merely as they are, but as they can become through His grace. The invitation was not si...
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