Reign
Matthew was a collaborator with the oppressive imperial Roman occupation. He represented everything that was wrong and evil during the dark days of the Roman occupation of Palestine. Yet it was to this man that Jesus said, “Follow me,” and, amazingly, Matthew got up and followed him. The call of Matthew was not simply an invitation to one individual to become a follower of Jesus. It was a sign given by Jesus to the world, of what the reign of God actually looks like. It is a kingdom of sinners, outcasts, and misfits.
-Br. James Koester, SSJE