马太——一位安静的门徒
马太福音九章9至12节
9耶稣从那里往前走，看见一个人名叫马太，坐在税关上，就对他说：“你跟从我来。”他就起来，跟从了耶稣。
10耶稣在屋里坐席的时候，有好些税吏和罪人来，与耶稣和他的门徒一同坐席。
11法利赛人看见，就对耶稣的门徒说：“你们的先生为甚么和税吏并罪人一同吃饭呢？”
12耶稣听见，就说：“康健的人用不着医生，有病的人才用得着。
信息分享
经文记载耶稣看见一个人坐在税关上。耶稣总是在留意周围的人，祂能够看见那个人一旦顺从祂，生命就能完全改变。马太正好代表我们这些在世上寂寂无闻、服侍基督的普通人。
圣经没有记载马太四出传福音，虽然他一定有这样作。五旬节那天，他与其他门徒一同被圣灵充满。使徒行传第一章的使徒名单中，我们也看见他的名字；不过，他似乎总是默默工作，没有成为众人的焦点。
基督在迦百农呼召他的那天，只对他说了一句简单的话：「你跟从我来。」就两个字。我们常常以为，当神呼召我们去事奉，一定会用一些戏剧性的事件或不寻常的异象。
诚然，有些信徒确实会领受特殊的呼召；但更常见的，是我们在心中听见基督微小的呼唤，认定这是祂要我们走的路。
马太即时作出回应。他离开税关，放弃他的收入、生意，跟从了基督。其他作渔夫的门徒，还可以有机会重操旧业，但马太放弃他的工作后，便再不能吃回头草了。
这是一个一生的委身；自他起来跟从基督之后，他便一直跟从到底，直至主接他回天家。
反思：我们是否全心全意地委身基督和祂的事工呢？
MATTHEW, THE QUIET DISCIPLE
Matthew 9: 9-12
9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
Message
The record says Jesus saw a man. He always does and sees the possibilities in that life if it is yielded to him. Matthew may represent for us the great crowd of ordinary people who serve Christ unknown to the world.
There is no record of Matthew preaching although he must have done so. On the day of Pentecost he was filled with the Spirit as were all the other apostles. He is listed among the apostles in Acts 1 but he seems to have kept in the background always.
It was a simple call which Christ gave that day in Capernaum – “Follow me”, only two words. We sometimes think that any call to service has to be dramatic or some unusual vision.
A few believers may receive their call that way. But usually it is the quiet voice of Christ in the heart, a conviction that this is the way He wants us to go.
Matthew's response was immediate. He left his desk, his income, his business and followed Christ. The other disciples could go back to their fishing, but Matthew could never have returned to his tax office.
It was a life-long commitment from the moment he stood up to follow Christ until the Lord called him Home.
A QUESTION - How complete is our commitment to Christ and His service?