2023-04-16: Labels — The Tax Collector

Sermon Audio: The Tax Collector
Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: Luke 5:27-32
Duration: 22:13
Size: 15.2 MB

Labels
The Tax Collector
Luke 5:27-32

The focus of Matthew’s Gospel was to convince the Jewish people that Jesus was the Messiah.

As far as many in Israel were concerned, there were sinners…and then there was a special class of sinners called tax collectors.

It was only once Matthew belonged to Jesus that he was transformed from an annoying tax collector into one of the most influential men of Christianity.

The world labels people based on what they’ve done in their lives, and their value is tied to that label.

He’s never quoted in any of the Gospels or in any of the letters to the churches.

In other words, Paul was saying: I wasn’t worth saving, but Jesus did it anyway to prove it could be done.