Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
“Follow me” was the call.
A man sitting in a tax booth, counting coins, living in the tension between comfort and exile. A rabbi walks by, locks eyes with him, and says two words that unravel everything: Follow me.
And Matthew rises.
But the story doesn’t end there.
Matthew’s life wasn’t just about what he left behind—it was about what he stepped into. It was about what he would see, what he would record, what he would remember when it came time to write down the story of Jesus—not just for those who walked beside Him, but for generations who would come after.
His Gospel would be a bridge, linking the old with the new, the familiar with the radical, the anticipated Messiah with the unexpected shape of His kingdom.
He would write for those who had waited centuries for God’s promises to be fulfilled, only to discover that fulfillment looked different than they expected.
And isn’t that how God works?
We think we know what the plan should be.
We look for God in the expected places—victories, assurances, clear and certain paths. But the Gospel of Matthew reminds us that God shows up in unlikely ways, calling unlikely people, unfolding a kingdom that doesn’t fit neatly into our expectations.
A tax collector turned disciple. A crucified king. A kingdom not of power and conquest, but of humility and mercy.
What started as one man’s transformation became a testament for the ages. The details Matthew noticed, the teachings he carefully preserved, the genealogy he meticulously traced—all of it creating a portrait of Jesus that continues to call people from their own tax booths two thousand years later.
This is the power of a transformed life. We never know how far the ripples will reach. Matthew couldn’t have imagined that his written account would still be opening eyes and changing hearts millennia after he put pen to parchment. He couldn’t have known that his story—of being seen, of leaving everything, of noticing the details that others missed—would become part of the greatest story ever told.
Matthew’s Gospel ends where our discipleship begins.
Jesus, standing on a mountainside, speaks His final words: “Go.”
Go to the ones who think they don’t belong.
Go to the ones still sitting in their own tax booths, waiting to be seen.
Go to the places that feel outside the reach of grace.
Go without all the answers, without the certainty, without the guarantee of what comes next.
Just go.
Because the promise that follows the command is everything: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The same presence that walked with Matthew as he left his booth, the same wisdom that guided his pen as he recorded Jesus’ words, the same love that transformed him from outcast to apostle—that same presence walks with us now.
Our stories, like Matthew’s, are still being written. The Gospel continues to unfold in our lives, in our own callings, in our own risings.
We are all tax collectors of a sort, caught between worlds, waiting for someone to truly see us.
And when we hear that voice—when we rise and follow—we become part of a story far greater than ourselves.
And the only thing left to do… is rise.
The question is – who will you “go” to?
Prayer:
God of unexpected callings, thank you for seeing beyond our labels to the disciples we can become. Give us courage to rise when you call, wisdom to notice what others miss, and faithfulness to go where you send. May our lives, like Matthew’s, become part of your unfolding story—a testament to your grace that reaches beyond our time and place. Be with us, as you promised, to the very end of the age. Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Andrea