The Calling of Matthew and Sharing Faith With Others Today

From the sermon preached on November 1, 2026

No one is too far from God for Jesus to call, and the calling of Matthew in Luke 5 shows it plainly. Sharing faith with others does not start with a script; it starts with believing the person you have given up on is still within reach, and then saying something true out loud.

Most of us have a name we do not say much anymore. It might be a brother who has not come to Thanksgiving in four years, a buddy from the plant who drinks more than he lets on, or a cousin who laughs at anything with a cross on it.

We love them, and somewhere along the way we decided they are just not the type. Some of us decided the same thing about ourselves, late at night, when the house is quiet and the old things come back.

So we say nothing and call it respect. Underneath is fear: of being laughed at, of sounding like a hypocrite, of finding out we were right about them all along.

The calling of Matthew tells a different story. Jesus called a man everyone had written off, that man threw a supper for every outcast he knew, and the religious crowd was furious. That one scene holds what it means to be called and then to call someone else.

Luke, the physician who wrote the Gospel of Luke, sets the scene in Luke 5:27-32. Jesus had just healed a paralyzed man whose friends lowered him through a roof, and He told that man his sins were forgiven, which made the religious leaders livid. Right after that, Jesus walked out, found a tax collector named Levi (also called Matthew) sitting at his tax booth, and said two words: "Follow me."

Matthew collected customs for Herod Antipas, the Roman-backed ruler of Galilee, and men in that job routinely took more than was owed from their own neighbors. People saw him as a man who had sold out his town, his faith, and God Himself.

Jesus calls sinners like that on purpose. He does not wait for the ones who are almost respectable; He goes to the ones the whole town has a story about. The words "follow me" carry the sense of walking the same road, side by side, learning shoulder to shoulder.

When Jesus calls sinners, He is not lowering His standards; He is showing why He came. And if Jesus calls sinners, then the person you have quietly written off is exactly who He is looking for, and so are you. Lead Pastor Ryan Mustered puts the question plainly: how is your own redemption any different from theirs?

Today, write down one name: the person you would least expect to see in heaven. Then ask yourself honestly what makes your own forgiveness different from what they would need.

If you want to understand what grace means when nobody earns it, read more here.

Luke records Matthew's answer in one line: leaving everything, he rose and followed Him. Matthew walked away from a steady income, from whatever reputation he had left, from an easy life, and from the favor of powerful men who had protected him. Leaving everything for Jesus was not a gesture for Matthew; it cost him the only security he had.

Then Matthew threw a big feast at his house, filled it with tax collectors and people decent folks crossed the street to avoid, and put Jesus at the center of the table. The first thing this brand-new follower did was invite every outcast he knew to come and meet Him.

For Matthew, leaving everything for Jesus ran straight into his own dining room. Picture inviting your coworkers, your relatives, even the neighbor you have been feuding with over the fence line, and telling them there is someone you want them to hear.

That is what sharing faith with others looked like for Matthew; it was not a speech but a supper. It is also worth asking what you are still holding onto: an old habit, an addiction, a grudge, or something you lean on that only God should be.

Before the week is out, set one extra place at your supper table and invite someone without an agenda. Leaving everything for Jesus often begins with letting go of the idea that your table is only for people who already have it together.

You do not have to figure this out alone; Trinity's support groups meet every week for people tired of fighting a habit by themselves, and you can reach out here.

The Pharisees and their scribes grumbled to Jesus' disciples, asking why they ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus answered with a picture anyone could understand: healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do.

Writing about the calling of Matthew in his own Gospel, Matthew remembered a line Luke left out. Jesus told the religious leaders to go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice," quoting the prophet Hosea in Hosea 6:6.

Through Hosea, God had rebuked Israel for keeping every ritual while missing the heart of the law, and the leaders were flawless at that kind of performance while showing no compassion. God desires mercy, and it is possible to look very faithful and still miss what He actually wants.

Jesus did not come for the righteous because there are none; the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:10 that none is righteous, no, not one.

Pastor Ryan has watched this happen. A friend named Chris sat alone in his house, empty, and cried out for God to show Himself if He was real; in the days after, he opened the Bible and met people who taught him about Jesus. Another friend, Paul Willis, lived afraid he was not good enough, until he heard that he was not, but Jesus was.

God desires mercy from us because He showed it to us first. Both of those men needed someone willing to speak plainly about Jesus, and sharing faith with others is usually just that.

Take the name you wrote down and pray for that person every day this month. God desires mercy more than a spotless record, so ask Him to show you one small, kind thing you can do for them this week.

The calling of Matthew moves in three short beats.

1. Jesus Calls
What happened: Jesus approached Matthew at his tax booth and said, "Follow me."
What it means today: No one has drifted far enough to be past His reach.

2. Matthew Follows
What happened: Matthew left everything, then hosted a feast so his friends could meet Jesus.
What it means today: Following Jesus quickly turns into inviting others.

3. Jesus Explains
What happened: When the leaders grumbled, Jesus said the sick need a doctor and He came to call sinners to repentance.
What it means today: Repentance means turning off a dangerous road and back toward Him, and anyone can be called to it.

Sharing faith with others can start this month with a few simple practices:

• Pray for one person by name every day
• Tell them what your life looked like when Jesus got your attention
• Invite them to come and see, whether at your table or on a Sunday morning
• Show them mercy instead of keeping score

Carrying a name you have stopped saying out loud is heavy, and so is feeling like everyone has already made up their mind about you. Whether you live in Watseka or Cissna Park, out near Clifton, Gilman, or Milford, or across the state line in Goodland, Indiana, there are people at Trinity Church who were called when they least deserved it. From Ashkum and Danforth to the back roads of Iroquois County, there is room at the table for whoever you bring, including yourself.

The calling of Matthew shows Jesus choosing a man everyone had written off, and that man's first move was to call everyone he knew. You were called the same way, without earning it, so that you could call someone else. Jesus wants to show you mercy, and He wants to show it to the people around you.

There is a place for you at Trinity's Ashkum, Goodland, and Watseka campuses, with no dress code and no expectation that you have it figured out, so plan your visit here.

When you are ready to put a name in front of people who will keep praying, send a prayer request or a connection card and connect here. Bring the name with you.