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.

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 questions

1.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?

4.The Pharisees grumble about Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners, and Jesus responds, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick' (Matthew 9:12). MacArthur uses this to argue that Jesus intentionally sought the marginalized. How does this challenge comfortable, homogeneous church cultures that unconsciously select for respectability?

5.MacArthur notes that Matthew's skills as a tax collector — detailed record-keeping, attention to accuracy, working with documents and numbers — were exactly the skills God would use when Matthew wrote his Gospel. How does this illustrate MacArthur's broader thesis that God redeems and repurposes rather than simply replacing who we are?

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Closing Prayer

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Lord Jesus, You walked past Matthew's tax booth when every religious person walked away. You called the man everyone had written off, and You made him the author of the Gospel that most clearly declares You as Israel's King. Forgive us for deciding who is too far gone, too morally compromised, or too socially inconvenient to receive Your grace. Forgive us also for writing off parts of our own stories as too broken to be useful. Thank You that You redeem and repurpose — that nothing in our past is simply wasted when placed in Your hands. Give us Matthew's courage to leave it all behind, and Matthew's generosity to immediately throw open the doors for others to meet You. Amen.

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