The MelVee Panelists of Melusi Ndhlalambi, Simdumise Poswa and Nixon Kadiramwando discuss the first lesson from the Book of Matthew. Hinged on Matthew 1:21, which says, “He will save His people from their sins” (NKJV), the team traces the history and genealogy, the birth, and family life of Jesus. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Matthew began his book with a genealogy; not with just any genealogy but with that of Jesus Christ. And he began not only with a genealogy but with one revealing some ancestors that most people would not necessarily like to claim as their own.
Perhaps, as he himself was somewhat of an outcast, Matthew could relate to that ancestry. After all, he was a Jewish tax collector, who had sold out to the enemy and who actually paid Rome for the opportunity to sit there and tax his own Jewish people. Surely, he would not be a man beloved of his nation. Nevertheless, humans might look on the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart. And no question, looking at Matthew’s heart, the Lord chose him, a despised tax collector, to be among His disciples.
And, when called, Matthew accepted, giving up the life he had before for a new life in Jesus. Thus, Matthew followed his Lord, kept records, and one day he would give something back to his people, and to the world. It would not be a tax receipt but, instead, a precious account of the life of Jesus.
