HARVESTING LIKE THE MASTER

Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 23, 2025

Reaching the Lost with the Gospel of Peace

Introduction

In the world of ministry and evangelism, it’s easy to fall into the trap of selective service. We tend to gravitate towards those who are respectable, who look like us, or who are easy to reach. We often avoid the outcasts, the despised, and the “sinners.” However, when we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, we see a radically different approach. He didn’t just minister to the respectable; He intentionally sought out the marginalized. He didn’t avoid the uncomfortable; He embraced it. The biblical account of Jesus calling Matthew the tax collector is a perfect example of what it truly means to harvest like the Master.

This message will delve into the profound lessons we can learn from this story, exploring why Jesus chose an unlikely follower, the challenges His decision posed, and the ultimate lesson for every believer today.

1. The Unlikely Candidate: A Sinner Named Matthew

Matthew 9:9-10

“As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he arose and followed Him. Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.”

The Roman Empire was a dominant force in the ancient world, and they used a system of tax collectors to fund their vast operations. These tax collectors, or publicans, were often Jews who had bought the right to collect taxes from their fellow citizens. While they were expected to collect a certain amount, they were free to overcharge and keep the excess for themselves. This made them deeply despised by their own people. They were viewed as traitors, oppressors, and collaborators with the enemy. They were considered social outcasts and were often lumped in with “sinners” and prostitutes.

Against this backdrop, Jesus’s action is revolutionary. He wasn’t walking through the temple, calling a respected priest. He was walking by a tax booth, a symbol of corruption and oppression. He saw a man named Matthew, a person on the lowest rung of Jewish society, and simply said, “Follow Me.” This one act shattered social and religious norms.

Summary: The story of Matthew’s calling is not just about a man leaving his job. It’s about Jesus intentionally seeking out someone the world had rejected. It’s a powerful illustration that God’s love and grace are not limited by human categories of worthiness.

2. The Challenge from the Religious Elite

Matthew 9:11

“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, ‘Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’”

The Pharisees were the religious and social gatekeepers of their time. They were experts in the Law, dedicated to purity, and saw themselves as the moral conscience of the nation. For them, a holy man—a rabbi—would never associate with people like Matthew and his friends. Sharing a meal was a sign of intimacy and acceptance. By eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus was not just breaking a social rule; He was blurring the lines between the “righteous” and the “unrighteous,” a concept the Pharisees found deeply offensive. Their question, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” was not a request for information; it was an accusation of guilt by association.

The Pharisees believed that you could only be made holy by separating yourself from all that is “unclean.” Their concern was for their own reputation and the preservation of their religious traditions, not for the spiritual state of the lost.

3. Jesus’s Answer: Mercy Over Sacrifice

Matthew 9:12-13

“When Jesus heard that, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Jesus’s response to the Pharisees is profound and multi-layered.

He is a Physician for the Sick: Jesus re-frames the conversation. He is not a socializer; He is a spiritual physician. He explains that His purpose is not to hang out with the healthy, but to heal the sick. He identifies the very people the Pharisees have rejected as the ones who are in desperate need of His help. This reveals a central truth of the Gospel: God’s priority is not with those who think they are righteous, but with those who know they are lost and in need of salvation.

He Desires Mercy, Not Sacrifice: Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea (6:6), telling the Pharisees to go and learn what it truly means. In this context, “sacrifice” represents the outward religious rituals and laws they held so dear. “Mercy,” however, is a deep, heartfelt compassion for the broken and the lost. Jesus is telling them that their strict adherence to rituals means nothing if they lack the compassion to reach out to those who are hurting. God is more pleased by a merciful heart that seeks to save the lost than by a perfect religious performance.

He Came for Sinners, Not the Righteous: This is the core of Jesus’s mission. He didn’t come for those who believed they were good enough for God on their own. He came for those who were honest about their need for a Savior. This message is a direct rebuke to the Pharisees’ self-righteousness and a profound invitation to everyone who has ever felt like an outcast.

4. Matthew’s Radical Decision

Matthew 9:9

“So he arose and followed Him.”

The simplicity of Matthew’s response is a beautiful picture of faith. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t ask for time to pack his bags or close his accounts. He left a lucrative and, in his eyes, “lucrative” career and a life of comfort to follow a wandering rabbi. This was a costly decision, but he made it without regret because he had encountered the Master.

This illustrates a powerful lesson for us today: the call to follow Christ often requires difficult and painful choices. It may mean leaving behind a career, a lifestyle, or relationships that are holding us back from fully committing to Jesus. But like Matthew, we must be willing to leave behind those things that will keep us from following Him.

Conclusion

Harvesting like the Master requires us to abandon our preconceived notions about who is worthy of the Gospel. It means stepping outside our comfort zones and reaching out to the lonely, the immoral, and the outcast. God’s message has the power to change anyone, and His heart is for all people, especially the sinful and the hurting. The story of Matthew is a timeless reminder that our reputation and our personal comfort should never stand in the way of our mission. May we, like Jesus, be physicians to the sick, choosing mercy over sacrifice, and reaching out to sinners so they, too, can find repentance and a new life.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, give me Your Spirit to love all people without discrimination and reach them with the gospel of peace. Amen.