A tax collector counting coins. Jesus walked by, said two simple words, and Matthew left everything.
Matthew sat at a table, counting coins. Click, clack. Silver pieces in neat little rows. He was a tax collector — a job many people disliked. Sometimes tax collectors took too much. Most folks didn’t trust Matthew. They walked away when he passed. He had money, but not many friends.
Then one day, Jesus walked by. He didn’t glare. He didn’t whisper. He didn’t walk away. He just said two simple words: “Follow Me.” And Matthew got up. He left his coins. He left his table. He left his old life behind — and followed.
That very night, Matthew threw a dinner at his house. He invited all kinds of people — other tax collectors, people who were looked down on, people who needed hope. And Jesus came. He sat and talked and laughed. Some people got angry: “Why does Jesus eat with sinners?” Jesus heard them and answered: “It’s not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I came to call not the perfect — but those who need love and change.”
Matthew never went back to the coins. He followed Jesus through towns and hills, across rivers and roads. He listened. He watched. He believed. And later, he wrote it all down. His book is called the Gospel of Matthew, and it tells the story of Jesus — His birth, His words, His love, His Cross, and His rising.
Matthew wanted people to know: Jesus doesn’t choose us because we’re perfect. He chooses us because He loves us. And love can change everything.
Thought for the heart. Jesus doesn’t wait for us to be perfect. He calls us just as we are — and walks with us as we grow.
A child’s prayer. Dear Saint Matthew, thank you for saying yes to Jesus. Help me remember that I don’t have to be perfect — just willing. When I feel left out or small, remind me that Jesus sees me and calls me by name. Amen.
Journey with Mary, Path to Jesus 