1/20 Mark 2:14

¹⁴ And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.

This tells us of the calling of Matthew, also known as Levi. In recent years archeologists have discovered that Capernaum had a man-made harbor. The main road from Rome went right by the synagogue, Peter's house, and the harbor. Matthew very well may have been collecting the tax on goods that went on and off the ships. Tax collectors often would pay the tax to Rome and then collect it plus some for themselves. They were disliked by their fellow Jews because of their service to the nation that subjugated them. The other disciples probably thought the choice of Matthew to be a strange one.

Scholars speculate that it was Matthew who wrote down the first record of Jesus' sayings in Hebrew and that this was the resource for some of the sayings in the Gospels. If that is so, we owe a great deal to Matthew and can now see what a wise choice Jesus made. Matthew most likely made a very humble disciple.

If we are honest, we might confess that we wonder about some of God's choices today. However, those who know they need a Savior and that they bring nothing to the table are often the humblest of God's servants. They are quick to see the need in others. They often bring talents that have previously been latent because of their life of sin. Jesus is the great transformer of lives. He loves to take the worst ones and make them examples of the greatness of His grace. Matthew left his worldly wealth and the disdain of his fellow citizens and became a beloved name to believers around the world.

Consider: That homeless person, drug addict, or biker just might be the next great evangelist. They were made in the image of God. His grace can transform even the unethical, immoral, or prideful.