TRACT 11 -- Follow Me! (Matthew 9:9)
Whoever flies to a distant country on a recognized airline can see, after landing, a small car rush towards their plane and pull up in front of it. It drives slowly toward the place where the passengers disembark. On the roof of this small car you can see a large sign written with big letters, “FOLLOW ME.”
The man who originated this phrase, “Follow me,” 2,000 years ago was Christ, the Son of Mary. He came from the mountains of Nazareth down into the deep valley of the Jordan River to the region near Lake Tiberias. Christ settled in Capernaum, an area where many roads intersected. There He healed all the ill people who came to Him. He called sinners to repentance from their evil deeds, and revealed His comforting Gospel to them. The broken-hearted and the handicapped came to Him from everywhere. Everybody that wanted to know the truth came from near and far. They all wanted to see this unique man who was able to perform astonishing miracles. They found divine power, guidance and relief in His words.
In this district lived a tax collector named Matthew. He was an official for the Roman occupying power. He collected the customs taxes for the Romans from travelers and from everyone who transported trade goods. His own Jewish people cursed Him for assisting the Romans, and they hated him because he took as much taxes as he wanted from them. He knew the tricks of the travelers and uncovered the hiding places of the trader’s goods and forced them to pay customs. Nobody likes to pay custom fees, but Matthew was clever and was able to take in lots of money because of his shrewd experience.
However, this customs official suffered from the rejection by his people in spite of the riches he acquired. His conscience bothered him and he wanted to find forgiveness for his dishonest gain and be freed from his love for money. He desired to overcome his hatred of those that hated him and longed for a peaceful life with a clean heart.
After he heard about Jesus, who settled down in his town, he wanted urgently to see Him, with the hopes of getting from Him the help he needed. Matthew was searching for peace with God and with people, but as an official he was not able to publicly go to this fascinating man from Nazareth. However, what he heard from the words of Jesus and what He was doing, created in him more hope and desire to see Him and meet Him alone.
Christ is able to see and read the thoughts of the heart. He saw a severe longing in the heart of this despised custom official, and perceived his readiness to accept His help. One day as He passed by the customs office, He saw Matthew gazing at Him. Jesus examined his heart, saw repentance, and commanded him with a single phrase, “Follow Me!”
This customs official expected long ago to hear a word from God for him. So the moment he received the command of Christ, he recognized that he had to deliver himself immediately and fully to this man from Nazareth. From His command, Matthew could see that this Prophet does not despise him but was ready to accept him into the fellowship of His followers in spite of the fact that he was rejected by all the townspeople. This thought shot through his head and heart like lightning. He understood in the twinkle of an eye that he must act now or never. This is the chance of my life, he thought. So Matthew stood up immediately and turned over the office to another official and unconditionally followed Jesus.
The multitude that followed Christ was astonished. They didn’t like the fact that the Great Healer accepted this traitor. Therefore Jesus made it clear to His followers what it means to follow Him and spoke to them the following revelation:
"If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it." (Matthew 16:24-25)
Jesus explains, by these words to His disciples, seven secrets that we all should know and understand:
- Desire Righteousness: Jesus welcomes everybody that wants to enter the kingdom of God. But He, by Himself, will not call everybody to follow Him full-time, except those who have decided themselves to do so. Whoever longs for the righteousness of God and is ready to carry the difficulties that come with following Jesus, he is the one who will be called by the Lord.
- Deny Yourself and Live for Jesus: Jesus told His followers from the very beginning that they have to depart from their self-centered lives. They should not consider themselves more important than the others. They should not respond to the temptations of life and should not have their hearts and minds fixed on the everyday challenges in this world. They were to depart from their rights for the sake of Jesus. Therefore, everyone following the Lamb of God will not seek to advance himself but will practically deny himself and love and serve the Lamb of God. Jesus wants to free us from our egoism so that we no longer live to fulfill our own desires, but live for Jesus.
- Examine Yourself and Repent: Jesus told His followers that they should not consider themselves righteous and should not try to justify themselves. Rather the opposite: they should examine themselves before God, recognizing that every person, according to his nature, is evil and rotten and deserves to be crucified. Jesus did not ask us to carry His cross, but to carry our own cross. This means that every sinner should judge himself according to the holiness of God and repent. He should confess his sins to the Lord and die to his imaginary life of honor, prestige and fame. The Apostle Paul declared, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)
- Be Like Jesus: Whoever follows Jesus will hear His voice in the Gospel and will perceive Him by faith. He will be conformed to His likeness. Whoever follows Jesus will recognize the attributes of his Lord and will understand His plans more and more, experiencing His positive power. Therefore, a follower of Jesus who trusts in Him will be changed into the picture of his Savior. He learns what the love of God, the joy of Christ and the peace of the Holy Spirit means. He learns to become patient and love his enemies as the faithfulness and kindness of Christ settle in him. He will learn to reflect Jesus’ gentleness, humility and self-control.
- Tell Others of Jesus: Christ put His followers into active service in their surroundings. They were to testify to others all that they had seen in Him and all that was growing in their lives from the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Everyone who confesses Jesus offers everlasting life to other listeners. Christ’s primary purpose is not to change people’s situations; He wants to create new people, making His power complete in their weakness. He does this through the lives and words of His witnesses. Jesus wants to fulfill His purposes through His followers. If they remain in Him as the branch remains in the vine, they will bear much fruit.
- Persecution Will Come: Whoever receives the grace of Christ’s justification, His everlasting life will dwell in him by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Often he will experience becoming a stranger in this world. Friends will mock and reject him. They may tell lies about him and even hate him. As it happened to Jesus, it is possible that it will happen to His followers. The spirit of this world hates the Spirit of God and fights against and opposes Him. But the love of Christ and His blessings are stronger than the curses of the world. The Apostle Paul had to flee from town to town in order to escape death and continue serving his Lord.
- Christ is Bound to Believers: Christ was resurrected after His death on the cross and triumphed over death. He was lifted up to heaven, but will come back again to collect His followers and take them to His Father in heaven. Christ will draw His faithful servants behind Him so that they will be where He is. His love and faithfulness is a guarantee for their future. To be a follower of Jesus means that He will free us from sin by His vicarious death and make us justified on the Day of Judgment. He sanctifies our character by binding Himself to us in an everlasting covenant. He carries us with patience, helping us to overcome temptations of this life, to His heavenly glory.
Matthew, the evangelist, experienced these different steps in following Christ. He comprehended the commandments of Jesus in His new law, kept them in his heart and wrote them down precisely. (Read Matthew 5:1 - 7:29) The other Apostles ordained him to collect and preserve the words of Christ (Luke 1:2). He wrote the longest of all the Gospel accounts. He did not write his own thoughts but recorded Jesus in His words, deeds and prayers. It is accepted that Matthew was a faithful witness to his loving Lord. We read in the revelation of Christ to John that Matthew will be one of the precious foundation stones for the New Jerusalem in heaven (Revelation 21:14, 19-20).
Matthew had left his office and his riches for the sake of following Jesus. Traveling around with Jesus was not easy, but he learned to be satisfied with little as the Lord provided for him daily. He was once a director of customs and held power over people; however, in the following of Jesus, he had to endure the hatred of the pious that had rejected Christ. He fled with the other disciples in the night when Jesus was taken into custody and sentenced.
Previously Matthew was an independent ruler over his employees. But by following Jesus, he had to learn obedience and submission. Matthew had left his earthly security and learned to be satisfied in the care of his Lord. He left his loneliness from being outcast for his work with the Romans, and entered into the fellowship of the followers of Jesus. Christ freed him from his sins and brought him into His own holiness. The Lord saved him from the condemnation of his conscience so that he could live in peace with God and people. Matthew escaped the isolation of this world by the power of the Holy Spirit through the love of God, His Son and His followers.
Jesus commanded Matthew: “Follow Me!” He did not ask him to follow a philosopher or a political party, but told him to follow the incarnate Word of God. Jesus was the only guarantee for his future and his success. Therefore the Lord became to Matthew his Healer, Sanctifier, Deliverer, Redeemer and source of strength in life. Jesus is Matthew’s Savior. The Lamb of God died as Matthew’s substitute in the judgment. Therefore Matthew believed in Him and confessed in writing with the words of Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)
Dear Reader,
Do you long for God with a genuine, deep longing? Do you want, and have you decided to live in peace with your Creator and heavenly Father? Do you wish to know more about Jesus and to abide in Him in good days and in bad days? Examine yourself; if you hear Jesus calling you in the words He addressed to Matthew, “Follow Me,” then you must make a decision. Remember the big plane following the small car at the airport, which will guide it to its proper destination. Similarly, Jesus calls you to follow Him from unholiness and sin to your proper destination: God, who is the purpose for your life. Follow Christ and you will become a new person with satisfying joy, and you will share your joyfulness with others. We are ready to send you more spiritual literature free of charge if you ask for it.
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