The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 21 September 2024 — Matthew’s Hospitality
TOPIC: Matthew’s Hospitality
READ: Matthew 9: 1-13(NKJV)
- So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.
- Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
- And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”
- But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
- “For which is easier, to say, ‘[Your] sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’?
- “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” — then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
- And he arose and departed to his house.
- Now when the multitudes saw [it,] they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
- 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.
- And when the Pharisees saw [it,] they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
- 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.”
THE MESSAGE: Jesus had just healed a paralytic man, to the annoyance of the scribes and amazement of the multitudes who glorified God. Jesus later saw Matthew at the tax office and called him to follow Him. Jesus and His disciples later went to Matthew’s house for a meal and sat at the table. When the Pharisees saw it, they criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners and Jesus replied that only the sick need a physician and that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Do you glorify God when He does a miracle for someone else? Learn a lesson from the multitudes. Matthew must have been overwhelmed at being chosen by Jesus that he invited Him to a feast in his house. Matthew had a large heart and was very hospitable. He even invited his fellow tax collectors and friends to come and meet Jesus. He spent his time and resources to bring people to encounter Jesus. Are you a hospitable Christian who welcomes people to your home? Do you intentionally invite people to meet Jesus to receive salvation in your home or in the church? Beloved, learn from Matthew today (Rom. 12: 13).
PRAYER: Father; help me to bring men to you through my hospitality in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
