An Open Table

Gospel:  Matthew 9: 9-13

Two things are instructive about the call of Matthew to follow Jesus.  The first is that Matthew is at his job as a tax collector - just as Peter and the others were at their jobs fishing - when Jesus comes and calls Matthew to follow him.  There is no qualification, no preconditions - just the simple invitation to follow.  Matthew, like the others, will grow in his relationship with the Lord over time.  It will never be perfect, but it will be authentic and sincere.

The second point is that once Matthew has followed the Lord, he finds himself as open to others as Jesus was to him.  He holds a feast and invites tax collectors and prostitutes to the meal with Jesus, and they find transformation at that table.  By contrast, the Pharisees, the self-proclaimed faithful ones, cannot find transformation at Jesus' table because they feel they have nothing to change, for in their mind they and they alone are worthy to be there.  They have no room to let in others, to have mercy on them as Jesus did.

So, today we have a choice, just as Matthew did.  We can have a table open for all, merciful to all, or we can have a table of the frozen faithful ones.  One is a table of mercy and forgiveness, the other is a table of self-congratulation and criticism of others.  Matthew provided a table as an example for us in our life, one for us to imitate as followers of the Lord Jesus.