Opening Prayer
Lord, give us living knowledge of sin, living faith, and holy life. Amen.
Text: Matthew 9:9–13
Then as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he arose and followed Him. And so it was, 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. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Devotion
Matthew was called to follow Jesus as an Apostle and was to go out preaching the Word. We are called to follow Him as disciples, learning about Him and walking in His footsteps, without forsaking our earthly vocation. “Follow Me!” He says to us: “Follow Me in obedience to the Father, in meekness and love and self-denial, in truth and purity, in holiness and patience. Be like Me in mind and behavior, in all your conduct with God and man.” He has left us an example, that we should follow His footsteps. Our Christianity is a lie and delusion if we do not follow Jesus. Tell me: Do you follow the Savior? Is it your concern above all to walk with Him and be like Him? Are you troubled by your weakness in it, and do you daily make strides in it? All believers walk the path after Jesus, although none of them by far is close to being able to follow Him perfectly. “He has many followers in His obedience and suffering, but no companions.” Are you among those who follow Jesus?
We begin following Jesus by acknowledging our sin and finding healing in His wounds, and we continue following Him by daily feeling the need for believing His pardoning grace. Healthy people seek no cure. Only suffering souls who are plagued with sin come to Jesus and remain with Him. Those who think they can make an offering for themselves, think they have no need of mercy, and never become disciples of the Savior. For He is the Servant of mercy and the King of mercy, so that only those who humble themselves before the promise of mercy belong to His kingdom. When you see yourself as a lost sinner and Jesus standing in your place before God, then place yourself under His protection and cover yourself with Him, and then you also are following after Him. By faith in His name you receive His Spirit and live His life. All who have their righteousness in Jesus’ wounds, their cure in His blood, their salvation in His grace, their life in His love, certainly delight in following Him and can do it in free obedience. But all who do not know Jesus as the Savior of lost sinners and do not live each day from His grace are and remain slaves, outside the fellowship of God’s children, without childlike obedience and true sanctification. Rejoice, poor sinner, if you have your cure only in Jesus’ wounds. He drew you to Himself, and He draws you to Himself in that place where you shall be perfectly pure and holy.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, give us humble, believing, willing hearts, and let it be known in all our life that we are Your followers. Precious Savior, bless us so. Amen.
Hymn
Good Shepherd, grant that I abide
Your sheep in safety at Your side,
In living and in dying.
Turn me away from sin and shame,
That I Your child may true remain
On Your sure Word relying.
So from now on I will defy
Sin’s strong desire, e’en till I die;
Grant strength, Lord, for refraining.
In holiness and faith so true
Throughout my life I would serve You
As long as earth’s remaining.
Laurenti: I arme Syndre L 467:5-6 tr. DeGarmeaux;
tune: Kommt her zu mir (ELH 189) alternate hymn: “Come, follow Me” ELH 422