Calling Matthew the Tax Collector

How Jesus Embodied Kindness Here

In this remarkable encounter, Jesus demonstrates chrēstotēs—a kindness that is both useful and transformative. When Jesus "saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom," He looked upon someone whom society had written off as irredeemable. Tax collectors in first-century Palestine were despised collaborators with Rome, enriching themselves by extorting their own people. Yet Jesus simply said, "Follow me."

The radical kindness here lies not just in the invitation itself, but in its complete lack of preconditions. Jesus didn't say, "Clean up your life first" or "Prove your worthiness." He offered immediate inclusion to someone considered a traitor and a thief. This kindness was useful—it accomplished what years of religious condemnation had failed to do. "And he arose, and followed him" captures the instantaneous transformation that authentic kindness can produce.

But Jesus didn't stop there. He went to Matthew's house and "sat at meat" with "many publicans and sinners." In that culture, sharing a meal signified acceptance and fellowship. The Pharisees were scandalized, asking "Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?" Their question reveals how revolutionary Jesus's kindness truly was—it broke social barriers that seemed carved in stone.

Jesus's response shows the intentional nature of His kindness: "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." His kindness wasn't naive sentiment; it was purposeful healing. He understood that genuine transformation happens not through isolation and shame, but through inclusion and love. His kindness was useful because it met people at their point of need rather than demanding they meet Him at His point of strength.

Following His Example

First, practice kindness without prerequisites. Like Jesus with Matthew, we can extend friendship and acceptance to people before they "get their act together." This might mean befriending the difficult neighbor, including the awkward coworker in lunch plans, or volunteering with populations others avoid. The key is offering relationship first, not as a reward for good behavior.

Second, examine who sits at your table—literally and figuratively. Jesus shared meals with people who made the religious establishment uncomfortable. Who are the "tax collectors" in your circles—the people others whisper about or exclude? Consider deliberately spending time with those who are isolated because of their past mistakes, current struggles, or social status. This doesn't mean endorsing destructive behavior, but rather recognizing that transformation happens through relationship, not rejection.

Third, reframe problems as opportunities for healing. When Jesus saw "sinners," He saw patients needing a physician, not criminals deserving punishment. Train yourself to see the person struggling with addiction as someone needing healing, the difficult teenager as someone needing guidance, the bitter colleague as someone needing hope. This perspective shift makes our kindness more useful because it responds to actual needs rather than surface behaviors.

Echoes in Other Traditions

This principle of transformative kindness toward society's outcasts resonates across spiritual traditions. Whether through Buddhism's emphasis on compassionate action toward all beings, Islam's teachings on showing mercy to those society rejects, or Confucian ideals about reforming through moral example rather than punishment, many paths recognize that genuine spiritual practice extends beyond our comfort zones to embrace the marginalized and struggling.