As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" He heard this and said, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I do not come to call the righteous but sinners."
The Gospel of the Lord.
Jesus invites Matthew, a tax collector, to follow him.The extent of the grace of God's spirit which calls a tax collector who collects taxes on behalf of the Roman occupier from the subservient Jewish inhabitants. Tax collectors were despised and branded sinners for their line of work. Rome did not collect the taxes itself but instead decided how much it wanted form a given district and then leased out the contract to the highest bidder. The collector would then collect the taxes plus his bid plus his profit.
Jesus made clear he came to save all people. Discipleship no longer depends on genealogy but on each person's faith response.
The name 'Matthew" means "gift of the Lord".
Mark and Luke call Matthew by his Jewish name "Levi". Mark also calls Matthew "son of Alphaeus". James was also son of Alphaeus, so that James and Matthew might have been brothers.
When called by Jesus, Matthew stood up at once "leaving everything behind" Lk. 5:28.
The "[eating] at table in his [Matthew's] house" with "many tax collectors and [other] sinners" is called the"feast of friendship".
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