Matthew's Story: From Sinner to Saint by Tim LaHaye
“I know,” Jesus said. “But he will speak to Me, and then to you.”
The woman immediately fell to her knees.
“Son,” Jesus said, “the faith of your mother has made you whole. Tell Me your name.”
“Timothy,” the boy whispered, and his mother burst into tears.
“And who is this?” Jesus said, pointing to her.
“My mother.”
“Why is she weeping?”
“Because she is so happy!”
Timothy’s mother embraced Jesus and her son, nearly making the Master topple over. They all laughed and rejoiced, and Jesus said, “Go in peace and praise your Heavenly Father.”
LATER THAT DAY James hurried to Matthew’s side. “Look! Over there! Those scribes and Pharisees are from Jerusalem—many are my former colleagues.”
The religious leaders approached and said, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
Matthew had to smile. It seemed that every day these types of people tried to trick Jesus and catch Him in some detail. But He always proved up to the challenge.
Jesus said, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
The scribes and Pharisees scowled and shook their heads as they trudged away. Jesus beckoned the multitude to Himself and said,
“Hear and understand: It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, but it is what comes out of his mouth that defiles him.”
THAT EVENING as the disciples ate around the fire, Matthew looked up from his writing board and said, “Master, were You aware of how offended the Pharisees were when they heard what You said?”
Jesus nodded. “Hear me. Unless My heavenly Father sows a plant, it will be uprooted. He who has ears, let him hear. Do not worry about the scribes and Pharisees. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
Peter said, “But do explain that parable to us about what defiles a man.”
Jesus shook his head. “Are you also still without understanding?
“Listen, whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things that defile a man. Eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
When they departed from there, Jesus skirted the Sea of Galilee and went up and sat on the mountain there. Again great multitudes came to Him, bringing the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others they laid at Jesus’ feet. And though Matthew had witnessed this almost daily for more than a year, he remained astonished as his Master healed them all over the next few days.
The multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. They shouted, “Glory to the God of Israel!”
Soon Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”
James, the brother of John, said, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”
Matthew wondered if Jesus would miraculously feed the masses again. The Lord said, “How many loaves do you have?”
This time they found seven loaves and a few small fish.
Jesus commanded the multitude to sit on the ground, and He took the loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to His disciples. Matthew and the others distributed them to the entire crowd.
Again all ate and were filled, and the disciples collected seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. Matthew immediately sought out Peter. “How many this time?” he said, smiling.
“Four thousand men, besides women and children.”
Jesus sent away the multitude and led the disciples down to the shore and onto the boat. He told Peter to set their course toward Magdala. Then He summoned Matthew to his side.
“Shall I bring my papyrus, Lord?”
“You will not have need of it.”
Matthew was aware of the others peering his way as he sat alone with Jesus. Honored as they all were to have a part in ministering to the Lord, it seemed only natural that each coveted a special place with just Him.
“I know your spirit remains troubled, Gift from God.”
Jesus seemed to know Matthew better than he knew himself. He thought he had matured in his thinking, but he could not deny that—though he would have had to have been blind to not recognize the Teacher and miracle worker as anyone but Messiah—he still had questions about what God had allowed to happen to his family.
“Yes, Lord. At times I still wonder.”
“I want to tell you some of what is to come.”
TWENTY-TWO
I told you when we met that you were a gift to Me from God,” Jesus said, as the vessel glided away from the shore. “Yes, Lord.”
“I know you, Matthew.”
“I know that You do.”
“I know that You see Me doing the will of My Father and performing mighty deeds in His name to glorify Him.”
Matthew nodded, wondering what this was all about.
“You understand that these miracles are not to bring attention to Me but rather to show God’s power and draw men unto Him.”
“I think I understand, Lord, but I am not always sure. Many in the multitudes don’t care why You’re doing this. All they seem to care about is Your fame or their own benefit. They want signs and wonders in order to believe.”
“Blessed is the one who believes without a sign or wonder.”
Matthew did not know what to say, and Jesus had fallen silent. Did He expect some response? Jesus gazed at him and he had to look away. Finally Jesus said, “Do you think I have not noticed that you are drawn to the little ones?”
Matthew shrugged. “As you are.”
Jesus smiled. “It is true. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. I so love their pure, simple faith. You know, Matthew, that I understand. You see these miracles and know the power of God and still wonder why He did not prevent what happened to your brother.”
“To my brother and my parents, my whole family!”
“To you.”
“Yes, Lord, to me! I wasted so many years in pain and bitterness, yet I felt helpless to forgive . . .”
“To forgive God?”
Matthew could not stanch the tears. He nodded miserably. “How does one forgive God?”
“You ask well, Matthew, because My Father is not a mere man who needs the forgiveness of His creation. His ways are not your ways and His purposes are beyond your finding out.”
Matthew treasured talking with Jesus, but in spite of himself thought this was not helping. The truth was, Jesus could heal any sickness or affliction. He could disappear from the midst of His enemies. Why could God have not spared Chavivi from the hand of the despised Herod?
Jesus put a hand on Matthew’s shoulder, and he had never felt so loved, so cared for. Yet still he remained confused and, he feared, embittered. “As I have asked all those who come to Me for healing, I ask you to have faith, to trust in Me, to believe in Me.”
“I do!”
“The death of an innocent baby? How—”
“It may not be yours to know or understand until you are in paradise with Me. And though as you say you wasted many years in bitterness, this evil wrought against you has also opened your eyes to the tenderness of a mother’s love and to the innocence of children. I see it every day in how you interact with them.”
Matthew did not want to pretend that whatever softness had been wrought in him was worth the horror of his past, but if he was being asked to merely trust Jesus and his Heavenly Father, he believed he could do that.
After a moment of silence, the only sound the waves lapping against the side of the craft, Matthew said, “You were going to tell me something about what is to come?”
Jesus smiled. “Did you think I had forgotten?”
The absurdity of the notion made Matthew laugh in spite of himself. Jesus was so easy to talk to that Matthew could, for an instant, forget he was in the presence of the Son of God, the Messiah. “Sorry,” he said.
Jesus grew serious again. “I have been trying to prepare you and the others for the hour when My enemies will be allowed to have sway over Me.”
“May it never be so!”
“This is the will of My Father. I am here to do His will. I tell you this only to remind you that you were never alone in your suffering. Others were plagued with a similar fate.”
“I know. Many. Some from my own town.”
“And your Heavenly Father.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The day will come when it will be clearer to you. He will suffer a loss as you did. And as you felt abandoned, deserted, forsaken by Him, I will come to experience your pain.”
“Master, I know it is not Your intent to more thoroughly confuse me—”
“More I cannot tell you. I want only that you be prepared, have ears to hear and eyes to see. Watch the unfolding of the perfect plan of My Father. And in the meantime, trust Me, trust Him, and use the painful lesson of your childhood to serve Him until then. Do you love Me enough to trust Me and do that?”
“I do, Lord. You know I do.”
Jesus stood and drew Matthew close. “Your written record will prove valuable. Many there are who have never heard My voice or seen the wonders God has given Me to perform. Generations yet unborn will know of Me only through what you have written.”
AS SOON AS the disciples and Jesus disembarked and the multitudes began to gather, the Pharisees and Sadducees were not far behind. “Rabbi!” they called out from the edge of the crowd, “show us a sign from heaven!”
Jesus gazed at them and said nothing until they pushed their way through to face Him. Then He said, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning you say, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.”
“How dare you? Blasphemer!”
“You come to Me for a sign,” Jesus said, “so hear Me. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
But Jesus left them and departed. When the disciples were alone with Him, He said, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”
They had forgotten to bring bread along, so they huddled far from Him and said, “Does He say this because we have brought no bread?”
Matthew should have known Jesus was aware of their thoughts, but he was startled when Jesus said, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I was not speaking to you concerning bread, but was warning you about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?”
Peter muttered to the others, “The leaven?”
Matthew’s brother James said, “He means their doctrine and how it would affect His true teachings of the kingdom.”
WHEN THEY CAME into the region of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus appeared weary from all His ministry and travel, not to mention the frustration of having to deal with the scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees. As He settled before His serving of roasted fish and baked bread He sighed and said, “Beloved brothers, who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
“Some say John the Baptist,” Matthew said. “Even Herod the Tetrarch was said to have asked if You were he, come back from the grave.”
Andrew said, “Others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Jesus gazed at each of them, as if studying their faces. “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew was warmed by Jesus’ smile. “Blessed are you, Simon bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” He turned to the others and said, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew recognized that they had all experienced a singular moment. No one moved. No one ate, and those who had a bite in their mouth stopped chewing.
“Now hear Me, My friends,” Jesus said. “I command you that you should tell no one that I am the Christ. You need to know that I must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes. In fact, I will be killed and be raised three days later.”
Matthew and the others began to protest, but Peter silenced them, rose, and planted himself next to Jesus in the sand. “Far be it from You, Lord! This shall not happen to You!”
Jesus immediately faced Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Peter hung his head and Matthew ached for him. Here he had been lauded for having recognized Jesus as the Christ, and now the Master was so vexed with him that He had called him Satan!
Jesus said softly, “I tell all of you, if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”
NOT MANY DAYS LATER, as Jesus was traveling throughout the country-side, a young man came to Him and said, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
Jesus said, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, and that is God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?”
Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery, ’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
The young man smiled. “All these I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
Jesus said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
“All that I have? I have a lot!”
“Where your treasure is,” Jesus said, “there will your heart be also.”
The man trudged away, shaking his head.
Jesus said to His disciples, “Assur
Matthew caught his brother’s eye and shook his head. James said, “Master, who then can be saved?”
Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Peter said, “But, see Lord, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”
“Assuredly,” Jesus said, “when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.”
TWENTY-THREE
Several months later . . .
Jesus and the disciples had been slowly traveling throughout the areas south of Capernaum, and Matthew had a sinking feeling that they were making their way toward the Master’s destiny. He had been trying to push from his mind Jesus’ ominous warnings about His own fate, but he knew better than to even hope that the Son of God Himself might be wrong about the future.
Jesus had been preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing thousands all along the way, to the growing anger and consternation and even hatred of the scribes and Pharisees. Matthew sensed the religious leaders were up to something and that they would not allow Jesus to continue with what they believed was blasphemy. The closer He and the twelve drew to the city of Jerusalem, the more exercised became the holy men.
Finally one day He drew His disciples away from the multitudes and stopped at the side of the road near Jericho. “Behold,” He said wearily, “we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”