Matthew 9:9 English Standard Version

Jesus Calls Matthew

⁹ As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

This is my favorite verse where Jesus says follow me. In His call to Peter Jesus leaves an instruction, “and I will make you fishers of men.” That is a compelling call and we have a Fishers of Men Fraternity with a really good ministry. With Matthew there is no promise, just a call. So why is this “follow me” so compelling that Matthew would leave his livelihood to follow a man he did not know?

The Greek word used here in Matthew 9:9 is akolouthos Strong’s number G190. But this is the interesting thing about Strong’s definition, none of the meanings, none of the references, none of the usages refer back to Matthew 9:9 as being the example of how it is used. It is an unexplained use that only holds meaning to Matthew and what was going on inside Matthew.

Most of the uses of follow or follower refer to miméomai which is to imitate, mimic, or to act like. Those usages require an understanding of what we see, and how to accomplish the act of following Christ.

In Matthew 9:9 there is no such knowledge, only a compelling move within the man that was unexplained and yet irresistible. It is in those earliest pronouncements of the gospel and the call to Christ in which in our infancy we can understand Matthew because we too do not know enough about where we are going or what we are doing. We only know enough to stand up.

If we could ask a child sitting in Jesus’s lap 2000 years ago, why they felt so comfortable with Jesus we might get a surprising answer. “Why don’t you?”