Matthew Follows Jesus

Dear Parents, Guardians, Teachers:

In today’s lesson, Matthew pauses to tell the story of his own call to follow Christ. Though it is fantastic that Matthew quickly joins Christ when called, what is amazing is that Christ calls Matthew at all. Matthew was a tax collector. Tax collectors had a poor reputation among Jews.

But, why? Why would Christ spend his time with people who are so impure. Though we might expect Christ to spend his time with religious people, this is not the precedent he set here. Christ came into the world to call sinners. Christ called tax collectors and sinners to be his disciples because it is they who are sick. He is a spiritual physician. Why spend time with the healthy or those who perceive they are healthy? Christ calls sinners because they need a physician. Christ came to heal the sick.

Scripture Reference: Matthew 9:9-13

Memory Verse:

“The Son of Man came to look for and to save people who are lost.”

Luke 19:10

Bible Lesson:

Have you ever felt like no one wanted to be around you or liked you? Can you think of someone at school that nobody likes? Today we will see that Jesus looked for people that no one else liked, and He would be their friend.

In our previous lesson, we learned that Jesus healed a man and made him walk again. Jesus also forgave the man’s sins. The religious leaders did not like Jesus because He said that He could forgive people’s sins.

Ask: Do you believe that Jesus can forgive your sins?

One day, Jesus saw a tax collector named Matthew. Tax collectors were people who worked for the Roman government. The government officials told these men how much money to get from each citizen. Many times, these tax collectors took more money than they were supposed to. And what do you think they did with the extra money? They kept it for themselves.

People hated tax collectors and did not trust them. Tax collectors had a bad repu- tation. This means that because some of them did wrong, people did not like any of the tax collectors. They were rejected by the people.

Jesus walked up to Matthew’s money table. Jesus asked Matthew to come and follow Him. Immediately, Matthew left the table and followed Jesus! He knew that Jesus was more important than money. He freely gave up his job and possessions and began to walk with Jesus.

That night, Matthew invited Jesus and His disciples to eat dinner at his house. Matthew also invited other tax collectors and “sinners” to the dinner. Once again, the religious leaders criticized Jesus for eating with these people. Jesus responded by telling them that sick people are the ones who need a doctor, not healthy people.

Ask: What did Jesus mean by this statement?

Jesus wanted these leaders to know that He came to earth to help sinners be forgiven from their sins. The tax collectors and “sinners” knew that they needed Jesus’ help to be forgiven for the bad things they had done. And they were grateful that Jesus loved them in spite of the sin. But the religious leaders thought they were already perfect, so they did not realize that they needed Jesus to forgive them, too! Jesus also told the people that He came for sinners, “not those who already think they are good enough.”

Romans 3:23 says that all people have sinned. We all need God’s forgiveness. That is why Jesus came to earth and died on the cross—to pay the price for our sins.

Jesus knew that Matthew needed forgiveness. And He knows that we need forgiveness for our sins. Matthew became one of the twelve disciples, and he wrote the book of Matthew. Like Matthew, we can become a follower and live our lives to serve Him! We can help other “sinners” to know His love and forgiveness.

Review Questions:

1. What was the name of the tax collector Jesus called to be His disciple? (Matthew)

2. What is a tax collector? (a person who worked for the Roman government to get people’s taxes; many times they took too much and kept it for themselves)

Who did Matthew invite to his home for dinner? (Jesus and the disciples, other tax collectors and “sinners”)

3. Why did the religious leaders criticize Jesus? (because He ate with sinners)
Jesus responded that He came to earth to do what? (for sinners—to bring forgiveness)

Learning Activities After the Lesson

1. Have your kids watch the animated story: Jesus Calls Matthew

2. Let your kids do this craft.
What you need:

• Template page (white card for best results)
• Scissor
• Colouring pencils or crayons
• Ribbon
• Sticky tape

What to do:
1. Colour the template page.
2. Cut around sandal and make small holes where indicated.
3. Thread two length of ribbon through holes, tie and tape underneath.

Sources: Mission Arlington, Trueway Kids, Saddlebacks Kids