"And He Left All..."

Luke 5:28

  1. And he left all, rose up, and followed him.

Commentary

Matthew was a publican. In the eyes of his fellow Jews in first-century Palestine, this made him the lowest of the low, on par with harlots, thieves and drunkards. On the other hand, collecting taxes for the Roman government was a very stable profession in a very unstable time, and even provided an opportunity for a man to become quite wealthy (Luke 19:2). Perhaps all this was going through Matthew's mind when the Carpenter from Nazareth walked up to his customs bench and said, "Follow me."

What did he stand to gain? Nothing, from a worldly point of view. If publicans were ostracized, Jesus was more so; the Pharisees were actually plotting to kill Him. Money, security, and the protection of the Roman government would disappear the moment he got up and walked away from that table. And yet, in one of the shortest verses in the Bible, and the shortest song in our collection, we learn that he did just that. No argument, no conditions, and no hesitation. In just nine words, his life was lost, his past erased, and his future changed forever.

Is that same voice calling you today? Don't wait until it's too late, and don't let anything hold you back. "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33).


All Scripture references from KJV. Commentary ©2011 Hitchcock Family Ministry. Unaltered text may be reproduced freely without financial gain. Original commentary and Scripture song available at http://www.freescripturesongs.org/and-he-left-all.