Rev. Rob Jones
June 8, 2023
Genesis 12:1-9
Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran, and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time, the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring, I will give this land.” So, he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there, he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and invoked the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.
Matthew 9:9-13
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. 10 And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”
Both passages today are stories of a call. Both the story of Abram and that of Matthew are brief, with no back-and-forth dialogue or conflict. There is a simple command followed by an action. In Romans chapter 4, Paul later uses his logical reasoning to call Abram's immediate action faith or righteousness.
While Genesis doesn’t comment on the actions of Abram (Who will become Abraham), one can deduce that following God’s command is an act of faith. We have all read the story; we know the end: God makes good on his promise. Many people and many nations have been blessed through Abraham. But I want to make a quick point. Sarai (who will become Sarah) was a woman of faith!
Thought Experiment: Men and Women of the Congregation.
Men: Between the ages of…
- 60 and 70, raise your hand. OK. Put them down because you’re too young to play the part of Abraham.
- 70 and 80, raise your hand. OK, pay attention.
“Would you pack up all your belongings, your wife, your nephew, and your aged father (who is at least 100 years old) and move from here to Atoka, Oklahoma?
Now, Atoka is a nice place. It has roughly 3,000 residents. It's where Reba McIntyre grew up and now owns a restaurant downtown. They don’t have much industry, but God wants you to take care of that. Oh, and you have to walk there! How many are signing up for that?
Women: How many of you would tell your husband to have his head examined?
Sarah did not protest. She simply followed the command to “Go” as well. She especially had a lot to lose. She left the security of her extended family. She never asked, “What if?”
If Abraham had been killed, Sarah would have been left destitute and homeless. According to the traditions of the time, her only relative would have been Lot, Abraham's nephew, who would not have been obligated to take her in because he was on Abraham's side of the family. Traditionally, she would return to her family. And it amazes me how it is glossed over that they did this at the ages of 65 and 75, respectively.
Gen 12 shows us that it is not simply belief in God or faith that is important, although Abraham is remembered for that. His faith is inextricably linked to his actions.
OK, that was my “why isn’t this talked about more portion of the sermon?
On to Matthew.
The call of Matthew is only one verse. “9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.” In much the same fashion as Abraham, Matthew received the call and took action; He didn’t ask questions, and he didn’t even get a reason as Abraham did. Even Peter and Andrew got a reason. “Follow me, and I’ll make you fishers of people.” (Matt. 4:19) NOPE, Matthew just needed the command, the invitation.
This one verse may be simple and easy for us to read and even believe. For us, there's nothing but the same faith that Abraham had. But this one line is scandalous; it’s taboo. The stigma of being a tax collector was the worst. A tax collector was the worst of the lowest degenerate outcasts of society. They were seen as traitors, turncoats, bought and paid for by the Roman government.
In today’s terms, they are the telemarketer who is “trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty” or “wants to talk to you about lowering your credit card interest rates.” Do you want to hang out with that person? That was Matthew, except he could legally take your money and kept a portion for himself to make a living.
Even if he regretted the job, society shunned him. There was not much redemption for him in the eyes of the people. Scripture doesn’t even say that’s why he followed Jesus; we get nothing. In the very next verse, Jesus is at dinner with Tax collectors and sinners.
Hmm!!? When asked about this, he says he has come to call sinners. Whew!! Thank God for that!!
Yes, Abraham was a man considered righteous, and that righteousness was understood as faith. And Matthew was seen as a sinner, but he did not hesitate to follow Jesus.
So, my question in putting these two passages together is this: “What do Abraham and Matthew have in common other than a simple call story? Faith? Righteousness? Willingness to throw away safety for adventure? NO.
What they have in common is the faith that God had in them to take action when called to do so. The faith of God is seen in the call that God extends to each one of us.
God the Spirit gives to each of us a “manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Cor. 12:7) or what Paul refers to as spiritual gifts. God the Son shows us the way we are to use those gifts. (Hint: it has something to do with the least of these or feeding sheep. Whichever analogy works better for you) God the Father activates those gifts (1 Cor. 12:6) and calls us to come and follow Jesus. “Be the blessing you are called into becoming!”
In Hebrew culture and language, this would be referred to as a Hiphil statement. In plain English, it would be defined as an expression of causative action in an active voice.
Wake up vs. WAKE UP!
God does not want a church that is going through the motions. God wants a church that is actively being a blessing.
How do we become the blessing we are called into becoming?
What’s the plan?
What does it look like?
How does it apply to us as a congregation?
How does it apply to us as individuals?
We need to pray about it, as individuals and as a congregation.
If you invite a neighbor or co-worker to church and they ask, “What does your church offer?” How do you answer? (Coffee maker in the church office, candy jars?) I bet you that the Mega Church (Elevation, Transformation) will have an answer. Are we ready to receive visitors? Are we prepared to welcome new members? Are we ready to break bread with people who may be broken, shunned, and rejected by society? Are we willing to admit that we, too, may have some biases? How are we going to feed the spirits of those searching for a church home?
Are we ready to stand up and follow Jesus?
Let us pray…
Most holy and gracious God,
We give you thanks that you are the God who calls. As you called Abram to go to a land that you would show him, as you called Matthew from his tax booth to follow your Son, so you call us today—out of comfort and complacency, out of fear and self‑protection, into the life of faith and obedience.
Grant that we, like Abraham, may walk by faith and not by sight. Grant that we, like Matthew, may rise without delay when Christ says, “Follow me.” Make this congregation a people who do not merely go through the motions, but who actively become the blessing you have called us into becoming—welcoming the stranger, breaking bread with the broken, standing with those the world has pushed aside.
Sovereign Lord, order our steps as a church. Give us wisdom to discern your will for this congregation. Teach us how to receive those you will send, how to feed hungry spirits, how to bear faithful witness in this community. Strip away our pride and our prejudices, and conform us more and more to the image of your Son.
And now, O God, send us out in the confidence of your call and the assurance of your promise. For from you and through you and to you are all things. To you be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
