A huge block of marble was hauled to Florence at enormous cost, and a famous sculptor dismissed it at a glance: too many flaws, nothing will come of it. That story opens a reflection on a man everyone had written off, Matthew the tax collector, a traitor and a cheat, whom Jesus approached with the words “Follow me” (Matthew 9). The sermon shows why a long list of rules and religious respectability could do nothing for him, while one invitation changed everything. Listen, and ask whose eyes you are using when you look at people, and at yourself.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Matthew 9:9-13 Jesus says only three words to the tax collector at his booth: "Follow me." What did that invitation from a teacher mean in that culture, and what did Matthew have to leave behind to respond?
- Why did Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners upset the Pharisees so much, and what was Jesus telling them with the words from Hosea, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice"?
- The speaker compared the Pharisees' view to Donatello looking at a flawed block of marble. Who around you do you tend to write off, and how would your attitude change if you saw that person through Jesus' eyes?
- The sermon called sin a disease no one can cure on their own, and said a religious list of rules cannot change a heart. Why is Jesus' invitation a medicine rather than a reward for the self satisfied?
- Do you ever feel like that abandoned block of marble, too broken for God to make anything of you? What does Matthew's story say to you in those moments?
- The pastor in the story about Tom gave him the keys to the church when others wanted him gone. How could you show trust this week or invite someone whom nobody usually invites?
