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“I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

᛭ INI ᛭

Today, we’re celebrating St. Matthew. Christ called Him to be His Apostle, and also used Him as an Evangelist, one of the writers of the Gospels. Why do we remember the saints? Well, it’s not because they were so great and awesome. I don’t know, maybe Matthew was a really cool guy, but that’s not why he gets remembered. Remembering the saints is to remember what Christ did for them and what Christ did through them. Another way of putting it: we rejoice in the way Christ saved them and also the way Christ used them.

That brings us to St. Matthew. What do we know about him? He was a tax collector. He also had the name Levi. He was with Christ through His entire ministry. He was present in the Upper Room. Christ sent him as an Apostle, so Matthew preached at Pentecost with Peter and the rest of the Apostles. After that we don’t know much. Tradition says he wrote the Gospel, which would fit with the details included in the Gospel that bears his name. Tradition also says that Matthew went into Eastern Europe—the area around Romania. There Matthew supposedly died—arrested to be martyred or actually martyred while he was celebrating Holy Communion.

That’s how Christ used Matthew. He used Matthew to write a book of the Bible. He used Matthew to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, to baptize, to absolve, and give out Communion. In short, Christ used Matthew to call sinners to repentance. Matthew is sent to do what Christ did for Matthew. Christ called Matthew to repentance. He doesn’t call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Matthew the tax collector was called to repentance. He also got called to a new line of work—Apostle and Evangelist. But the Lord wasn’t done calling sinners to repentance. As I said, He used Matthew you do it, and Christ is still doing it, and that’s why we celebrate St. Matthew, because

CHRIST CONTINUES TO CALL SINNERS TO REPENTANCE.

(I. He continues to call through His ministers.)

Christ continues to call sinners to repentance through His ministers. As the Spirit reminds us through Paul in Romans 10: “How shall they hear without a preacher?” So the Lord appoints His men—only men—to go about His business of being preachers. For sure the Lord can use all of us according to our various vocations: Christian parents are used to call their Christian children to repentance, and you parents can rest easy that when you do that, you’re doing the Lord’s work. Or rather, Christ is doing His work through you in calling sinners to repentance. But all Christians do this whether you’re “father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, or worker.”

But chiefly He sends His ministers forth to preach the Word of God. “In season and out of season” they preach—whether it’s popular or not. They preach whether or not they hearers are going to hear. (Ezek) Christ’s Word comes forth from the preachers, and His Word doesn’t return empty. The preaching has an affect on the hearers—on those whose hearing has been enlivened through faith (Gal 4). When you listen to the Sermon and you take it to heart that’s faith at work, or rather the Spirit at work through the Word. A blessing that’s received by faith.

But both the minister and the sermon that’s preached are the living voice of IHS. As Christ promises His ministers: “Whoever listens to you is listening to Me.” (Lk 12) He promises that He “will put [His] Word in [the preacher’s] mouth” (Jer 2), “teach [him] what to speak.” (Ex 4) “The Spirit of Christ” was also at work in the writing of Scripture. (2 Pet)

(Transition)

CHRIST CONTINUES TO CALL SINNERS TO REPENTANCE. He calls through the preacher preaching! The preacher is His mouthpiece. The preachment His Word. So also all Christians within their vocations. As Moses cried out, “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets!” (Ex)

That is how the Lord continues to call, but for what reason is He calling sinners? It’s always the same reason! He preaches to sinners always with the same goal in mind. As it was for Adam and Eve, as it was for Cain, so the Lord is doing it for you. CHRIST CONTINUES TO CALL SINNERS TO REPENTANCE, which means, He’s constantly calling them to true repentance.

(II. He continues to call sinners to true repentance.)

So, what, then, is true repentance? Well, in the Scriptures, repentance has two parts. The first part of repentance is contrition. Contrition is to be sorry, truly sorry, for your sins. The second part of repentance is faith in Christ and the forgiveness of sins He won for you at Calvary. Those are the two parts of repentance: contrition and faith.

Contrition is worked by the Law of God. Contrition is true terror of conscience, where the sinner is terrified and afraid when God lays his sin bare. God says that unrighteous sinners will by no means inherit His kingdom. Those with false gods, those who misuse the Lord’s name, those who reject the Lord’s Word, those who are disobedient to God’s authorities; those who murder and harm; adulterers and sexually immoral; thieves and scammers; gossips and liars; the covetous. None escape, and this is no mental exercise. True contrition is to know, to believe, even to feel that God really is angry with sin (your sin!), so angry to plop your butt in hell, and true contrition actually grieves over sin and wants to do better.

Yet, contrition does you no good apart from faith—the second part of repentance. The person with true faith believes that what Christ did is sufficient for all his sins, and the sins of the whole world! The Gospel says that Christ freely earned for you the forgiveness of sins. He paid for all that you’ve done wrong. And in the midst of contrition faith is nourished and strengthened by Christ. Hear again how the Lord does that! Christ really has died and risen for you. Baptism brought you into Christ’s forgiveness. Absolution—you really are forgiven, yes, you!—Absolution restores you by forgiveness into Christ’s forgiveness! Forgiveness of sins really is yours, as Christ’s Words testify: “This is My body, which is given for you. This cup is My blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” Thus forgiven, you are truly and righteous in and through Christ by faith. For CHRIST CONTINUES TO CALL SINNERS TO REPENTANCE.

(Conclusion.)

We, again, attribute these to parts to repentance: contrition and faith. Now, if anyone wants to add a third—fruit worthy of repentance, that is, a change of the entire life and character for the better—we will not oppose it. (AP XIIA (V) § 28) Fruit of repentance is the result of contrition—sorry enough to stop!—and the result of faith—forgiveness sets free to live a new way! And we do see that in our Matthew 9 text. The tax collectors and sinners were tax collectors and sinners no longer! No longer were they engaged in their many sins. Christ set them free! Christ’s contrition and forgiveness worked that in not only in their hearts and what they believed but in their behavior as well! Matthew, had he not been called as an Apostle, would’ve been another Zacchaeus: a righteous tax collector who gave to the poor and restored fourfold what he stole.

Faith without works is dead. It’s not real—a delusion! So, let the fruit flourish as the Lord gives to each of us! “I am the Vine, you the branches.” (Jn 15) “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” (Eph 4) “Do not be deceived. Neither [those who have sex outside of marriage], nor [those with false gods], nor [those who cheat on or divorce their spouses], nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor [those who covet], nor drunkards, nor [abusers], nor [scammers] will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed (baptized), but you were sanctified (made holy), but you were justified (forgiven) in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

After all, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Even to His table, for CHRIST CONTINUES TO CALL SINNERS TO REPENTANCE—that the would be truly sorry, truly forgiven, and truly live lives that comport with His forgiveness. The joy of St. Matthew’s day is Christ does all that. He did it for the likes of tax collector Matthew. He does it now for you.

᛭ INI ᛭