St Matthew: Unlikely Saint

 Today we read about an unlikely saint named Matthew. St Matthew was a tax collector, and Jewish people really didn't like tax collectors. They made money off of other people's suffering, and often collected a little more than Rome asked for and pocketed the difference. They were seen as greedy opportunists - the kind of people who would buy up Clorox wipes and gloves and masks at the beginning of a pandemic and then sell them at outrageous prices to desperate people. Scum, in other words.

But Jesus looked beyond Matthew scummy exterior. He knew who Matthew would become, not just who he was currently. And so He called him, and he came. And he was transformed from a scummy tax collector into a saint that gave his life for his savior. You can read more about him here.

You are probably not as scummy as Matthew. But you and I both have some layers of scum that need cleaning, don't we? Thankfully the exact same Jesus who called Matthew is also calling me and you to follow Him. 

What do you say?

God, thanks for looking past Matthew's rough exterior - and past mine. St Matthew, pray for us.