SCRIPTURE
Matthew 9:9 New Testament
Matthew was a Jewish tax collector for Rome. He was very smart and excellent with math. He was considered a traitor to his family and everyone hated him. Why? Tax Collectors were notorious for overcharging the Jews and taking a lot for themselves.
Also, Rome collected lots of taxes anyway--on land, food, inheritance, tolls, and on and on. Why? The empire was gigantic and had to support a huge army, build infrastructure, buildings, palaces, bridges, aqueducts and keep the Romans wealthy. Many of the Jews lived in poverty because of this.
Because these collectors were hated, they were locked in booths with heavy bars and a Roman soldier outside for protection.
One day Jesus walked by Matthew's booth and called out to him, "Follow me." Jesus had something very important for him to do now and knew Matthew would make an excellent disciple, one of the twelve. Jesus saw his potential faithfulness after Jesus would transform him even to become a gospel writer! Matthew immediately without pause, stopped what he was doing, left the booth, and followed him.
LESSON
Jesus knows our potential, too. When you are a faithful follower, you become transformed into a new person. Become a follower like Matthew. 💕