Finding Your Place at the Kingdom Table
The calling of Matthew in Matthew 9:9–13 offers not merely a historical anecdote but a theological paradigm for understanding discipleship, mercy, and the scandal of God’s grace. This brief encounter between Jesus and a tax collector destabilizes conventional religious categories and forces us to reconsider who belongs at the table of the Kingdom.
Matthew at the Tax Booth: A Calculated Surrender
"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." (Matt. 9:9)
The economy of this verse belies its depth. Tax collectors in first-century Judea were not merely disliked—they were reviled as collaborators with Roman occupation and often guilty of extortion (Luke 19:1–10 provides a similar portrait in Zacchaeus). They represented systemic injustice.
Yet Matthew, the meticulous record-keeper who would later pen one of the most structured Gospels, does not deliberate. Unlike the hesitant disciples in Matthew 8:21–22 who ask to first “bury their father,” Matthew arises immediately. His response was not rash—it was decisive. The man who tallied accounts suddenly found a treasure worth abandoning everything for (Matt. 13:44).
Sometimes the most calculated decision you will ever make is to throw calculation aside and follow Christ.
Reclining at the Table: The Subversive Banquet of Grace
The narrative quickly shifts: “And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples” (Matt. 9:10).
Reclining was no casual posture. In Jewish tradition, to recline was to participate in freedom, as during the Passover meal (Exod. 12:11; Deut. 16:3). In Greco-Roman culture, reclining symbolized honor and intimacy at a banquet. Jesus, therefore, is not merely tolerating sinners—He is honoring them, granting dignity where society had bestowed only shame.
Jesus doesn’t just pull up a chair for sinners; He hands them the seat of honor.
The Pharisees: Scandalized by Mercy
When the Pharisees witnessed this, they asked the disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matt. 9:11). Their scandal was not over Jesus’ teaching but His table fellowship. Holiness, in their system, required separation (Lev. 20:26). But Jesus reframes holiness not as withdrawal but as restoration.
His response pierces their theology: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Hos. 6:6; Matt. 9:12–13).
The Pharisees had mastered ritual precision but forgotten covenantal compassion. Their sacrifices were immaculate; their hearts were barren.
If your holiness keeps you from the hurting, it may not be holiness at all.
The Danger of Religious Exclusion
The temptation of the Pharisees remains alive today. We build fences instead of tables, confuse purity with exclusion, and sometimes weaponize righteousness to justify distance. Yet Paul reminds us that all of us were once outsiders, “dead in our trespasses” (Eph. 2:1), but through Christ have been brought near.
The table of the Kingdom is not a fortress—it is a feast (Isa. 25:6–9; Rev. 19:9).
If you only dine with people who look like you, think like you, and sin like you, you’re not at the Kingdom table—you’re at your own.
The Call To Examine
Matthew’s call forces self-examination:
Are you Matthew, ready to rise at once and follow?
Are you the Pharisees, offended at who receives mercy?
Or are you among the sick, longing for healing but hesitant to respond?
Every seat at the table tells a story. But refusing to sit because of who else is there leaves us standing outside the very banquet of God.
Every time we try to edit the guest list, we end up excluding ourselves.
Living as Guests Who Become Hosts
Where is Jesus calling you to follow without delay? (Luke 9:62)
Who are the “tax collectors and sinners” in your orbit you’ve been unwilling to embrace? (James 2:1–9)
Do your rhythms of faith reflect sacrifice without mercy, or sacrifice fueled by mercy? (Mic. 6:6–8)
The call of Matthew is not just an ancient story but a daily invitation: “Follow me.” Whether burdened by shame, addiction, or grief, the table of Christ is set with mercy and freedom. And those who have tasted that freedom are summoned to extend the invitation to others.
The Kingdom table is set and there is a calling.
