As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Matthew 9:9
I don’t remember much from college classes over 40 years ago, but I have a vivid memory from art history class that has come back to me lately.
A painter named Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was commissioned to paint a depiction of St. Matthew for a wealthy cardinal’s burial chapel. His first attempt showed a simple man being patiently helped along by an angel. The picture was not well received, as it made St. Matthew look too much like an ordinary person!
The artist’s second attempt was deemed more acceptable, with the saint looking nobler and the dictation of the gospel more dramatic and supernatural looking.
Although I liked both pictures, I remember thinking even back then that it was a shame to discard the picture of an ordinary man fulfilling an extraordinary task, as that is more the way most of us experience divine help.
As a believer for more than half a century, I have found times of supernatural events – bending or breaking of natural laws, dreams, visions, voices – have been very few and far between. Far more common in my life have been “coincidences” – those “What-are-the-odds-?” moments that never fail to delight me. If I were to have daily visions or hear God’s voice “coming out of nowhere” with unusual frequency, I’m guessing I would be deemed mentally unstable and relocated someplace where I couldn’t hurt myself or others.
Was it even likely the gospel writers took dictation directly from an angel? Possibly. God can do whatever He wants. But most of the stories told in the gospels are of events that happened with one or more of the disciples present, or others such as the woman at the well (John 4) who were likely to tell the writer what had happened. The gospel writers were merely writing down what they had seen and heard.
Still, as I’ve been reading the book of Matthew, a few of the details have caused me to wonder, “Wait a minute… How did he know that?”
I have been trying to imagine how each of the gospel writers might have gained the information they are telling, assuming that it was all by natural means. Of course, God can do miracles any time He wants to, but He is also very skilled at using people and things that “just happened to be” in a certain place and time.
In Matthew’s gospel we are told about Herod the tetrarch, who ruled over Galilee during the time of Jesus. Herod had stolen his brother’s wife, and when John the Baptist confronted him with his sin, John was imprisoned and later beheaded.
In Matthew 14, we are told that when Herod heard the reports about Jesus, “he said to his attendants, ‘This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead!’ ” (Matthew 14:1-2)
How did Matthew know this?
Our pastor said something last Sunday while preaching from the gospel of John that might help answer my question.
In John 4:46-54, Jesus had come from Judah to Galilee. A “royal official” came to Him and begged Him to heal his child, who was close to death. Our pastor reminded us that in Galilee a “royal” official would have worked under Herod.
Was it this official who told Herod about Jesus’ miracles?
Jumping over to the gospel of Luke, we find a list of the names of women who followed Jesus and supported Him financially. Among these women was Joanna, “the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household.”
How did the wife of Herod’s household manager end up following Jesus?
We might note that Herod, although a Jew, was a sort of puppet king put in place by the Roman government. The Jews of the day despised him, considering him a traitor.
But wait – weren’t there other people the Jews despised and considered traitors? – Oh yeah, the tax collectors. But Jesus actually chose a tax collector to be one of His disciples…
Matthew.
We don’t know how long Matthew had been a tax collector before Jesus called him to be His disciple, but it seems likely he had connections with Rome, maybe even knew some of his fellow “traitors” who were part of the palace staff. Perhaps Matthew had told the royal official about Jesus’ miraculous healings, encouraging him to come to Jesus when his child was sick. Perhaps this “royal official” was Cuza, and his wife Joanna was so grateful for the healing of their son that she became a follower of Jesus.
Why would Jesus choose a despised tax collector to be one of His disciples? Why would He have allowed the wife of the household manager of one of His greatest enemies to follow Him? Why would He choose to accept a criminal on the cross next to Him to be one of the first to enter His kingdom?
(Why would He choose you? Why would He choose me?)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
That’s “whoever.” Whatever our race, nationality, situation, or time in history when we were born – none of it is a mistake. You are part of God’s strategy! Who are you in a unique position to tell the Good News? You might be the only one who can reach that person. Don’t wait for a vison, a voice or an angel – just keep your eyes open for that “divine appointment.” And when you see it, go for it.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for calling ordinary people like me to spread Your Good News. Help me not to compare myself to others, but to see how You can use me. Here. Now. Thank You for giving me everything I need to fulfill today’s assignment. I’m excited to serve You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Seeking Divine Perspective 
Excellent post Ann, I’ve thought the same thing a good number of times, it’s almost like an additional layer to the story is added, like you can almost visualize it. Have you ever wondered how it was that say Matthew, Mark, Luke and John remembered some of the longer quotations that are recorded? Same thing with Moses. John 14:26 comes to mind about God’s Holy Spirit teaching and bringing to their remembrance all things that Jesus said. I’m thinking it was just there in their minds, without effort, without hesitation. I’ve seen that happen a couple of times where the words that you speak just flow, sentence after sentence, like a tap open full, effortless and then when it stops, it just stops. It’s amazing. And how about those thoughts that just seem to bounce into your mind sometimes when reading Scripture, right out of the blue so to speak, that opens up something you never saw before. I call those my “wow” moments, of which I have had a few. Also amazing. I think we too often fail to comprehend just how close God is. I was just walking alone and saying a prayer and I said to Jesus, “Well Lord, it’s just you and I here” and if felt like He was in my space, hard to explain. You can’t help but praise Him when that happens. Anyway, just thought I would respond and share these thoughts with you. The minute I read your post it struck a cord. Thank you. Blessings to you and yours.
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Thanks, Bruce. I agree with EVERYTHING you just said. I have had those experiences (especially when God says “OK, you can stop talking now.” 😉 ).
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Sweet, an art lesson and a Bible lesson all in one! I really enjoy those two concepts, the tension between just an ordinary man and yet also a saint. Or Jesus as fully human and yet fully Divine. Holding those contrasts in tension is one of the fun mysteries of our faith. Miracles are like that too, we’re often looking for something huge and profound complete with sound effects and proper lighting, but miracles can be mundane and ordinary, so small and “normal,” we hardly notice them.
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Amen, IB! I’ve had times where I didn’t even notice that a prayer had been answered before God tapped me on the shoulder, so to speak, and pointed out the “coincidence.” 😉
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Wow. I like what you pulled out here, Annie! Several potential connections I had not considered before! I love how He calls us-the unlikely and the ordinary-to do His work. 😊
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Thanks, Marissa. When you think about how many people are in the world and that God has a plan for each of us that fits together like a jigsaw puzzle, it is indeed mind-boggling!
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AMEN! I love the premise of “ordinary people doing extraordinary things” for the kingdom. It is indeed mind-boggling to consider all of the hidden patterns and connections at work beyond what we can see and hear, isn’t it? This is a superb, thought-provoking post. Thank you!
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Thank YOU. I appreciate the feedback
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I chuckled at the thought of being considered a loonie because of claims to constantly hearing the Lord’s voice in an audible manner.
Amen to that prayer too. The Lord wants a vessel that He can use for His glory, to reach and touch the lives of His children. 🙏🏽
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Thanks for the feedback, Dee. (If we ever hear the Lord’s voice too often for other people’s comfort, maybe we’ll end up being roommates … 😉 )
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It was my delight. ☺️
Giggles, I’m perfectly okay with that, Annie.
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❤
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The first attempt is more to my liking. It’s more evocative. Yes, humans wrote the books, but it was under the guidance of the angels. In the first painting, an angel can be seen guiding Matthew’s hand, which I think is beautiful.
In the second one, Matthew looks slightly scared and the angel rather passive.
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Considering when the gospels were written, yes, I’m sure the writers had some help remembering everything.
The angel in the first painting reminds me of a teacher helping a child write his first words. ❤
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PRECISELY!
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You’ve made some excellent points concerning the connections to Jesus in His society. Very well thought-out. God’s grip – Alan
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Thanks, Alan. These are the kinds of things that go through my mind when I have been socially distanced from my friends for too long. 😉
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Brilliant post, Annie! It’s wonderful to know that we all fit into and belong in God’s great plan for his creation.
I love how you told this. It got me thinking about many of the other characters in the New testament. 🙌
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It’s fascinating, isn’t it, knowing that these were real people with full lives that we know only a tiny bit about.
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It certainly is. The Bible is the best ‘book’ ever! 🙏 🙌
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(Why would He choose you? Why would He choose me?)
Good questions. He chose us for his purposes, to mold us into the people he wanted us to be, so that we would do what he has called us to do, so that we would minister God’s love and grace to others through writing and through music and through poetry, because that is who God made us. He chose us, not because of our goodness, but because of his love and mercy. And, I am so glad he did.
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So am I, Sue. 😊
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Love this!! God is at work all the time in so many ways. We miss so many of the small God-incidences.
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“God-incidences”! I love it! 😃
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I love both pictures too!
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