“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9).
One of the more compelling and challenging portrayals in The Chosen is Matthew. He’s awkward, analytical, isolated, and often misunderstood. The series imagines him as someone who struggles to connect socially and who notices details others miss, yet never quite fits in. Whether or not the “real” Matthew was that type of person, the character resonates because many of us know what it feels like to stand slightly outside looking inside the circle.
To be seen as different. To be misunderstood. To feel more comfortable with books, music, or numbers than with people. To wonder if there’s truly a place where we belong.
And yet Jesus sees Matthew sitting at his booth and says two simple words: “Follow me.”
Not “Change first.” Not “Become someone else.” Not “Fix everything about yourself.” But, “Follow me.”
What strikes me is that Jesus doesn’t merely tolerate Matthew. He calls him. Intentionally. Publicly.
Because of who he was, Matthew carried the weight of rejection long before he ever met Christ. Yet Jesus looked beyond reputation and beyond every label others attached to him, and saw someone worth redeeming.
That’s grace. Grace that begins not with our worthiness, but with Christ’s invitation. And grace that then transforms us, not into copies of one another but into the fullness of who God created us to be, with our “unique” quirks and personalities left intact.
Matthew not only followed Jesus that day; he eventually gave the Church one of its four Gospels.
Perhaps we need that reminder. The Kingdom of God has always been filled with unlikely disciples: doubters, outsiders, zealots, fishermen, tax collectors, anxious people, and imperfect people. People who didn’t seem like obvious choices. People like you.
And still Jesus says: “Follow me.”
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for seeing beyond labels and appearances. Help me trust that your grace is strong enough to transform every part of my life without erasing who you created me to be. Teach me to listen for your voice and give me the courage to follow you faithfully. Amen.
