Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur
Week 8: Chapter 7 — Matthew: The Transformed Tax Collector
Read Chapter 7 of Twelve Ordinary Men. Key passages: Matthew 9:9–13; Luke 5:27–32.
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Matthew was socially despised and morally suspect in his culture — and his transformation is one of the most vivid illustrations in the Gospels of what grace can do with a person everyone else has written off.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.MacArthur explains the cultural context: Roman tax collectors were considered traitors to their own people, complicit in oppression, and ceremonially unclean. They were excluded from Jewish religious life. With that background in view, why is Jesus' choice of Matthew so striking and even offensive to onlookers?
2.Matthew's response to Jesus' call is immediate — he 'rose and followed Him' (Matthew 9:9). MacArthur points out that unlike the fishermen who could return to their nets, Matthew left behind a lucrative career with no way back. What does the irreversible nature of Matthew's response tell us about the quality of his faith and commitment?
3.Matthew's first act after his conversion is to throw a dinner party and invite all his old tax-collector friends and 'sinners' to meet Jesus (Luke 5:29). MacArthur calls this natural, spontaneous evangelism — Matthew simply brought his world to Jesus. What does this model suggest about the evangelistic potential of your existing relationships?
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