T
here's a fellow in the Bible--one of Jesus' disciples, in fact
--that I've always had doubts about. His name is Matthew.
Here you have a fellow of Jewish descent, but he's made a
very lucrative living as a tax collector, so he's regarded by his people
as something of a pariah.
Why would a man simply get up and walk away from a lucrative
career? It turns out there's a very good explanation for why he did
it--and that's the iRony.
The scene is downtown Capernaum. Downtown--if you could call it
that. The city was prosperous enough, because of its prime location.
Hugging the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum was on
the major thoroughfare between Damascus and the Mediterranean.
W W W . S A I N T E R S E C T I O N . O R G
WALL of FAME
O
n those rare occasions that my dad
told me he was proud of me, nothing
else in the world could have given me more
satisfaction for that brief moment. Similarly,
on those equally rare occasions when my
dad told me he was ashamed of me, I felt
myself wishing the earth would open up
and swallow me whole.
I think that's probably true for many of
us. We want the major players in our lives
to be proud of us. We especially like it
when they tell us so. Nothing wrong with
that--it's human nature.
I want to live my life so that the words
of Hebrews 11:16 could be said of me: God
is not ashamed to be called their God, for He
has prepared a city for them
.
There can be no greater blessing on this
side of Heaven than for God to take great
pride in calling us His children.
That would make us worthy of inclusion
on a Great Wall of Fame, were there such
a thing there. In fact, from this moment on,
that's what I want to strive for.
Best of all, there's room on that wall
for your name too! Why not join me?
Frank Duracher
Meeting People
at the Crossroads
of Faith & Life
Editor-in-Chief:
Allen Satterlee
Content
Development
Editor:
Frank Duracher
Editorial Director:
Jeff McDonald
Art Director:
Roger O. Selvage Jr.
For a center of commerce, Capernaum
was surprisingly small geographically.
From the shoreline of the Galilee, up to
the northernmost city limit, the distance
wasn't much more than half a mile--the
size of a couple of football fi elds. And yet,
so much was going on in that mini-me-
tropolis--and Matthew's tax table was
strategically positioned where the tax
collector could see and hear everything.
Arriving by water? You'd have to pass
right by Matthew's outstretched hand.
Transporting goods over land? Again,
his table was on the crossroads
going in every direction. Even the
locals, most of them fi shermen,
knew who and what Matthew
was--and they hated him for it.
Taxes, tariffs, levies, tolls,
penalties--rarely did anyone
with any business at all
in Capernaum escape
having to pay tribute
to Caesar; and by
default, Matthew.
So again, why did
he leave that cushy
job, at Christ's mere
offer to become
a disciple?
The difference is the Holy Spirit--Him,
and a major miracle Matthew had to have
witnessed just a couple of yards away;
mere moments before.
The Holy Spirit began a work in
Matthew's heart for days--Matthew was
feeling the spiritual barrenness caused
by years of ill-gotten riches. He was
feeling the full weight of his guilt under
the Holy Spirit's conviction.
Then came a day--in a house
literally just a few steps
Tax-Collector
Turned Di
Word-Up