Matthew 9:9

The Call of Matthew; Eating with Sinners

9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. ¹  “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.

Matthew 13:19

13:19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one ²  comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; ³  this is the seed sown along the path.

Matthew 19:21

19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money ⁴  to the poor, and you will have treasure ⁵  in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Matthew 21:42

21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. ⁶ 

This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? ⁷ 

¹ tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion, so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.

² sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Mark 4:15 has “Satan,” while Luke 8:12 has “the devil.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.

³ sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.

³ tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

⁴ sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: You will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.

⁴ tn Or “capstone,” “keystone.” Although these meanings are lexically possible, the imagery in Eph 2:20-22 and 1 Cor 3:11 indicates that the term κεφαλὴ γωνίας (kefalh gwnia") refers to a cornerstone, not a capstone.

⁵ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22-23.