Do you like going to parties? Did you know that Jesus loved a party? Parties are a big theme in the Gospels, and the Bible tells us of many events and celebrations that Jesus attended and spoke about with His disciples (Luke 15:22-24; John 2:1-11; Luke 7:37; Luke 14:15-24).
Being a Christian is so much fun: hopefully this is not a fresh revelation to you but to some it may be (John 10:10). One of Jesus’ 12 disciples, Matthew, threw a party to connect all his friends to Jesus (Matthew 9:10-12; Mark 2:14-17; Luke 5:27-32). Matthew had been a tax collector, and tax collectors were hated and vilified by Jewish society, often more disliked than the Roman occupiers. In essence, Publicans were men who had bought tax franchises from the Roman Emperor and then extorted money from the people of Israel. They often used force by hiring thugs to physically take money and were considered vile and unprincipled. This is the kind of man Matthew would have been, but then his life changed.
1. Matthew was connected with Jesus (Luke 5:28)
2. Matthew was connected to people (Matthew 9:37-38)
3. Matthew connected people to Jesus (Matthew 9:10-13; Luke 5:32)
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1. Matthew was connected with Jesus. Firstly, he encountered Jesus himself. When Jesus said to Matthew ‘follow me’, he got up, left everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5:28). Matthew was clearly a smart guy who would have been well organised, hard-working and focussed on making money. However, something was clearly missing from his life. All his power, position, wealth and possessions were obviously not filling the void. Although a man of the world, Matthew was also a Jew and would have been raised and educated knowing something of the Messiah and His promised coming to save Israel. So when Jesus, believed to be the Messiah, said ‘come’, Matthew dropped everything, got up and followed Jesus. As with so many people in the world today, there is an emptiness and longing for something more. Something to make us feel fulfilled, to give purpose, ease the pressure, guilt, anxiety or shame. This something of course is someone: Jesus! When Matthew encountered Jesus, the promised one, his life was so impacted he was never the same again. He discovered what he was looking and longing for, and wanted to share it with his friends.
2. Matthew was connected to people. Matthew then held a dinner party and invited “a large crowd of tax collectors”. Not just one or two friends, but everyone he knew. Matthew, so despised by the Jews, would have been connected with people like him, ‘sinners’ and other colourful characters not held in high regard. These were very much people of the world, and he was connected with them, so he made sure to invite everyone to the party. Everyone was welcome. He invited them and they came. So, who are you connected to? Family, friends, colleagues, the person at the checkout or someone at your local store. We all have a sphere of influence. You can write the names of all the people you have contact with (Matthew 9:37-38). Think about people in your workplace, school, gym, your or your kids sports club, and other places you visit: people are everywhere. As Christians we need to be friendly. Now this may sound obvious but it’s true! We need to like people, to interact with them, smile, and talk etc. It is so important we connect with people and demonstrate the love of God (i.e. do you know your neighbours?). People are ripe for harvest.
3. Matthew connected people to Jesus. Mathew didn’t just have another dinner party; he invited people to come and meet with Jesus. He was intentional. This wasn’t just another social gathering, it had purpose. Matthew created a safe environment to invite people into; he wanted people to meet Jesus and not religion, to feel welcomed and accepted, not judged or condemned. As Christians we may feel confident enough to invite non-Christian friends for a social with us, but we must do more than that: we must put Jesus at the centre and create opportunities to share our faith (e.g. alpha suppers where a brief talk would be given and then two testimonies, whilst sharing food). Many churches around the world now host “Matthew parties” to reach out to the community. These informal gatherings with friends are intentional to focus on Jesus (Matthew 9:10-13). Jesus’ disciples attended Matthew’s party, and we need to introduce our Christian friends to our non-Christian friends as there is real strength in community. When people see the unity and love we have for one another, it is incredibly powerful. This isn’t often seen in secular society. You can have different ideas for your party, such as a BBQ or anything else that you feel will connect people. It’s not about the food; it’s about the time together the building of relationship and introducing Jesus to our friends. Jesus was criticised for spending time with the tax collectors and sinners, but He was quick to correct this wrong thinking of the Pharisees (Luke 5:32). Jesus was all about the relationship with people, not religion. He desired people’s hearts, for them to know Him, His grace and mercy. Matthew knew that if Jesus could be friends with him, He could be the friend of all these other people as well. Mathew the tax collector is a great example to us in so many ways. We need to encounter Jesus for ourselves, to spend time in His presence every day. We need to surrender every area of our lives to Him and ask Him to help us to live right. Let’s bring Jesus into our world at every opportunity, being the salt and light in our circle of influence and sharing the good news of what Jesus has done for us and how He can and wants to help everyone. And choose to put Jesus at the centre of all that we do.
