Sunday, September 22, 2024

HONEY--------THE TAX MAN IS HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

WITNESS

 

 

9-21-13

 

 

HONEY---THE TAX MAN IS HERE

( or the story of Saint Matthew )

 

 

 

 

 

“Honey---

The tax man is here”

 

How many of us

Like to hear those words

 

Or how many of us

Like getting a letter

From the IRS in the mail

Or going downtown for an audit

 

This is the story of Saint Matthew

Originally called Levi

A tax collector of the Jewish people

Who worked for the Roman government

 

One day

Jesus met Matthew

At his tax collector’s booth

And said, “follow me”

 

One night---while having dinner at Matthew’s house

And many of his tax collector friends

Some of the teachers of Jewish law

Were asking his disciples,

“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners”

 

Jesus heard about the conversation, and said,

“It is not the healthy who need a Doctor

But the sick

I have not come to call the righteous---but sinners”                                 Mark 2:16&17

 

Good for the Apostles

And very good for us

 

It is believed

That after the Resurrection

That Matthew went on

To preach the Word of God

Either in Ethiopia or Persia

 

And it is believed

That Matthew wrote his Gospel

From Antioch

Primarily to the Jews

But also to Gentiles and Christians

 

As an original Apostle

He gave us an eyewitness account

 

Jesus speaks more

In Matthew’s Gospel

Than in any of the other Gospels

And Matthew quotes

From many of the Old Testament books

To prove that Jesus certainly is

The “Fulfillment”---The Anointed One

 

Matthew traces the genealogy of Jesus

Describes Jesus’ temptation in the desert

And concludes his Gospel

With the calling of the GREAT COMMISSION

To all believers

 

Matthew teaches us

That the standards of God are high

And that the example that he---God---gave us

Is perfect---Jesus Christ

 

And Matthew teaches us

That Christ is sufficient

For whatever need we might have

And that the ways of God

Are infinitely higher

Than the ways of this world

 

Saint Matthew

Died a martyr’s death

 

September 21st is his feast day

 

“HONEY---THE TAX MAN IS HERE”

 

Robert P. Wallman

9-11-11

 

 

Ps        WITNESS         9-21-13

 

 

and 9-21-14 & 9-21-16 & 9-20-18, 9-20-2019

 

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